Text: 1 Cor 13: 8, “Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.” 

Can you tell me anything that will really last? What about fame? We try to make it last by establishing a Hall of Fame. But it is just a memory and not a reality. Money? Depends. I have lived in countries where their inflation reached 100% per month. I have actually seen money lying on the ground and no one stooped to pick it up. 

But you may be thinking, “What about a rich family like the Kennedys?  Their wealth seems to last.”  It is true there are rich families in this country and they pass their money down from generation to generation. But even though the money lasted, the people didn’t last to enjoy it! So there we are! 

Even if everything we put our hands on in this life did last, the fact is we ourselves won’t last; because in the words of the Scriptures, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Heb 9:27. 

When Scripture tells us to not love the world neither the things that are in the world, that doesn’t necessarily mean that every thing in the world and about the world is bad or somehow wrong. There are a lot of things about this world that are exciting, challenging, and beautiful; but it will not last. God created us to last forever, but He has committed Himself to destroy this present world and all that is in it and start all over again in a world where He will wipe away all tears from our eyes, and there will be no more death neither sorrow or crying; because all that causes tears, death, and sadness will be gone. This is why if we are to go on to the new world through faith in Jesus who has promised that He will come again and receive us unto Himself, we must get into the things that last forever. And that is love. 

The text doesn’t say that faith will be done away with, but it will not be so important for the simple reason that faith will then become sight. In the same way, it doesn’t say that hope will be done away with; but it won’t be so important because hope will come to fruition. And so what we will have--love--will grow and grow. Love will be forever as necessary and indispensable as it is in the here and now. 

We try to build a good strong portfolio. We try to get ourselves well established in our careers. What about love? After all is done and said, it is the only thing that will pass from this life to the next. You know the old saying, "You can't take it with you."  Maybe the only exception is that we will and we must take love!