The Greatest Thing in the World! What is it? What Do You Say? Great faith? A big job? Superior Education? Being liked? Passion? Love? Being smart? Athletic.
Table of contents
- THE GREATEST THING IN THE WORLD
- Drummond's Greatest Thing in the World
- See a Problem?
- Love, the Greatest Thing in the World
Well, we are wrong. If we have been told that, we may miss the mark. Paul was speaking of faith just a moment before.
He says, "If I have all faith, so that I can remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And it is not prejudice.
THE GREATEST THING IN THE WORLD
A man is apt to recommend to others his own strong point. Love was not Paul's strong point. The observing student can detect a beautiful tenderness growing and ripening all through his character as Paul gets old; but the hand that wrote, "The greatest of these is love," when we meet it first, is stained with blood. Nor is this letter to the Corinthians peculiar in singling out love as the summum bonum.
The masterpieces of Christianity are agreed about it. Peter says, "Above all things have fervent love among yourselves. And John goes farther, "God is love. In those days men were working their passage to Heaven by keeping the Ten Commandments, and the hundred and ten other commandments which they had manufactured out of them. Christ said, I will show you a more simple way. If you do one thing, you will do these hundred and ten things, without ever thinking about them.
Drummond's Greatest Thing in the World
If you love, you will unconsciously fulfill the whole law. Now Paul had learned that; and in this noble eulogy he has given us the most wonderful and original account extant of the summum bonum. We may divide it into three parts.
In the beginning of the short chapter, we have Love contrasted; in the heart of it, we have Love analyzed; towards the end we have Love defended as the supreme gift. To love abundantly is to live abundantly, and to love for ever is to live for ever. Hence, eternal life is inextricably bound up with love. We want to live forever for the same reason that we want to live tomorrow. Why do you want to live tomorrow? It is because there is someone who loves you, and whom you want to see tomorrow, and be with, and love back.
There is no other reason why we should live on than that we love and are beloved. It is when a man has no one to love him that he commits suicide.
See a Problem?
So long as he has friends, those who love him and whom he loves, he will live; because to live is to love. Be it but the love of a dog, it will keep him in life; but let that go and he has no contact with life, no reason to live.
The "energy of life" has failed. Eternal life also is to know God, and God is love. It is what God is. On the last analysis, then, love is life. Love never faileth, and life never faileth, so long as there is love. That is the philosophy of what Paul is showing us; the reason why in the nature of things Love should be the supreme thing -- because it is going to last; because in the nature of things it is an Eternal Life. That Life is a thing that we are living now, not that we get when we die; that we shall have a poor chance of getting when we die unless we are living now.
No worse fate can befall anyone in this world than to live and grow old alone, unloving, and unloved. To be lost is to live in an unregenerate condition, loveless and unloved; and to be saved is to love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth already in God. For God is love. The Challenge How many of you will join me in reading I Corinthians 13 once a week for the next three months? It is for the greatest thing in the world.
You might begin by reading it every day, especially the verses which describe the perfect character.
Then everything that you do is eternal. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Love, the Greatest Thing in the World 4. Foreword by Stephen F. Olford Revised and expanded, this classic work by Henry Drummond addresses the practical ways that Christians today can experience the greatest thing in the world. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Love, the Greatest Thing in the World , please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about Love, the Greatest Thing in the World. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Jul 14, Julie added it Shelves: Outside of the Bible -- this is my favorite book. Feb 20, Manase N rated it it was amazing. Startling, compelling and credible.
Oct 01, Don Gubler rated it really liked it Shelves: Love is after all what it is all about.
Love, the Greatest Thing in the World
It has to go on from here. Kristine Rosenborg rated it liked it Dec 15, Carol McCormick rated it it was amazing Apr 24, Chloe Aiwohi rated it it was amazing Mar 29, Tabby rated it it was amazing Jun 21, Diana rated it it was amazing Aug 05, Veronica Salazar rated it it was amazing Aug 24, Feb 04, deZengo rated it it was amazing Shelves: It is so much simpler than we make it. The answer is LOVE:: Rachel Swords marked it as to-read Jul 29, Rachel marked it as to-read Aug 23, Shayla Drumm marked it as to-read May 29, Lee Bertsch added it Sep 19, Michael Locklear marked it as to-read Sep 20,