Lesson 12

All those called by God have some fruits of the Spirit. Some have fruits that are more visible than others, some have several. Some gifts and fruits of the Spirit have a shelf life that will expire when the Kingdom of God arrives on the earth with the return of Jesus. When Jesus and the Kingdom take over the world, will there be any need for prophecies, speaking in tongues, or for interpretations? When the world is full of the knowledge of God what need will there be for evangelists to teach about God? There is only one fruit that is timeless, it will always be valued and needed. Those who develop this fruit will be more like God than those who have any of the other gifts, because this fruit is the fabric God is made from. It is his most basic nature. The foundation of his personality. We are told to desire it above all other gifts. When we embody the attributes of God’s love, we will be living out the love of God. What methods can be used to develop God’s love? What are the attributes of his love? When is a fairytale better than the truth? Is a lie that is crafted to make others feel good, better than the painful truth of God? Is God’s reality better than Satan’s deceptions? Will God lie to humans for their own good? Can a lie and love coexist?

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 Easy-to-Read Version
1 I may speak in different languages, whether human or even of angels. But if I don’t have love, I am only a noisy bell or a ringing cymbal. 2 I may have the gift of prophecy, I may understand all secrets and know everything there is to know, and I may have faith so great that I can move mountains. But even with all this, if I don’t have love, I am nothing. 3 I may give away everything I have to help others, and I may even give my body as an offering to be burned. But I gain nothing by doing all this if I don’t have love. 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 5 Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. 6 Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth. 7 Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. 8 Love will never end. But all those gifts will come to an end—even the gift of prophecy, the gift of speaking in different kinds of languages, and the gift of knowledge. 9 These will all end because this knowledge and these prophecies we have are not complete. 10 But when perfection comes, the things that are not complete will end. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, and I made plans like a child. When I became a man, I stopped those childish ways. 12 It is the same with us. Now we see God as if we are looking at a reflection in a mirror. But then, in the future, we will see him right before our eyes. Now I know only a part, but at that time I will know fully, as God has known me. 13 So these three things continue: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.