The Greatest of These is Love

by Katie Stevenson

First Corinthians is one of the most popularly quoted books of the Bible, and for good reason. It talks a lot about spiritual gifts—gifts that are given by the Holy Spirit for the common good, and to edify and encourage believers. While we may not all experience every gift personally, most of us have encountered them in some form, especially within a strong church family.

Some of these gifts include speaking or interpreting tongues, prophecy, prayer, healing, and wisdom, among others. These are outward signs, given by Gods Spirit, to serve as evidence of His presence and His work in our lives.

One thing that is so important to remember is that these gifts are not meant to make individual people seem special or holier than others. They are signs of God's Spirit at work, and each one comes from the same source—the Holy Spirit.

When I think about my experiences in churches, I’ve noticed that spiritual gifts can sometimes bring about jealousy and suspicion rather than awe and reverence. Instead of inspiring wonder at God's power, they can lead to doubts and comparisons.

Spiritual gifts are meant to inspire wonder and awe at the Majesty of God and his power, and to remind us that He can do supernatural  things because He, as the one who created the world, is the master over all the elements and so therefore it is not beyond His ability to do wonderful things.

I always find myself fascinated by default human emotions. What is it about humans in a fallen world that causes us to see something from God and covet it, or doubt it? This isn’t a new problem; even during Jesus’ ministry when they saw what he was doing, the Pharisees accused Him of performing miracles through the power of Satan. Jesus responded by asking, "How can Satan cast out Satan?" in other words, why would Satan do anything that brought genuine glory to God? That accusation didn’t even make sense!

Except for a few, the general feeling of the religious leaders when they observed Jesus was suspicion and jealousy. They enjoyed the positions they were in; they were used to being looked to as important, and they were conditioned and taught to be “guardians” of God’s word which honestly looked more like gatekeeping.

But Jesus, the guy who truly held authority, who was there when everything was created (John1), did not gatekeep. In Luke 9 or Matthew 10 Jesus gives his disciples authority and power and sends them out to heal diseases and cast out demons. He wasn’t worried that he would seem less important, because the goal and purpose was to glorify God.

We can learn from this that true works of God glorify Him, not the individual He’s displaying His power through in the moment.

Discerning Spiritual Gifts

So how do we combat a reaction of suspicion? How do we discern if a spiritual gift is truly from the Lord? Here are a few key ways:

1. Where is the glory being pointed? – A true spiritual gift brings praise and honor to God, not the person doing it. If the attention is centered on a person’s abilities rather than on God's power, it’s worth questioning.

2. Does it align with Scripture? – Prophecies or teachings that contradict the Bible should be approached with caution.

3. Pray for discernment – Ask God for wisdom when encountering spiritual gifts. Quietly seek His guidance in prayer rather than making hasty judgments.

4. Seek counsel – If you are unsure about a spiritual gift, speak with trusted church leaders or mentors for insight.

Then on the matter of overcoming jealousy: Paul reminds us that the church is a body, and every part has its function. The eyes see but cannot hear, the ears hear but cannot see—each part is essential. Just because one person has a visible gift does not make another’s role any less important.

Even though jealousy is something that every person on the planet experiences, it is not a gift from the Lord.  Galatians 5:19-21 lists jealousy as one of the “works of the flesh” that are against God’s will. To me, that means no matter how strong I’m feeling, how annoyed I am, or how painful it is, it is my job to root jealousy out of my heart. Otherwise, I’m letting something live in me that is against God’s will. 

But don’t panic! We have the tools from God to examine our own hearts, and ask Him to show us what we’re keeping in there. He’s the answer to rooting it out.

It’s also crucial to distinguish between spiritual gifts and skills. Being a great public speaker, an excellent musician, or a charismatic leader are not necessarily spiritual gifts. They are skills that can be developed over time. If you find yourself feeling envious of someone’s natural talents, remember that God has uniquely equipped you for His purposes.

Take a moment now, and read 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and beyond on the spiritual gifts.

Because what comes next is specifically fascinating to me:

Love: The Greatest Gift of All

After discussing spiritual gifts, Paul shifts his focus to something even greater: love. First Corinthians 13 declares that love is the greatest of all gifts. Unlike other spiritual gifts that we must wait to receive, love is something we can actively choose to cultivate in our lives.

While prophecy, healing, prayer and all those big name gifts are amazing, and it’s good to hope for them and even pray for them, the greatest gift of all is: love.

Is that wild to you?

Does it shock you like it shocked me?

Love is a defining characteristic of a true Christian. Yet today, in 2025, are we really known by our love? Is that the crest we hang across our chests?

Honestly, observation can quickly tell us that people are incredibly concerned with political views, social opinions, and personal successes. We are a people who are obsessed with being right. We crave certainty and belonging, and so we put all our hopes into the basket of identities that are given by the world, instead of in the one who made the darned thing.

Imagine if my kids wanted pizza pockets for their school lunch (because all the cool kids have pizza pockets, and therefore to be cool you must have pizza pockets), so they stood in front of their bento boxes and begged to it “please give us pizza pockets!” or tried to bribe them saying “if I open you tomorrow and find a pizza pocket I will be so good! I’ll do my homework! I won’t kick my siblings!”

That’s absurd, right? Wouldn’t it make more sense for them to come to their dad and I and say “hey, could you put a pizza pocket in my lunch for school because I really like them (not because I want to be cool by other people’s standards)?”

Then as the parent, we reserve the right to say “Yep, you betcha!” or “No way kid, you’re having broccoli.”

So if we cling to earthly things to define us (politics, social expectations, economics, etc) as Christians, isn’t that like asking our lunch boxes for our favourite snack to make us cool at school? Wouldn’t it make sense to say to the creator of all: “Hi, could you make sure I’m yours and that people know that?” To which God’s answer is literally “Live like Jesus”. His life was the ultimate example of sacrificial love, and as His followers, we are called to embody that love in our daily interactions.

A Challenge for Today

I encourage you to make love your greatest defining feature. Love like Christ—not according to the world’s shaky and unhealthy definition, not based on how you were loved as a child, or what a personality quiz says is your love language, but through the model He set for us. Choose to love intentionally, sacrificially, and unconditionally, knowing that by His Spirit, we are able.

Let us be known as Christians by our love.