Looking Back: A Month of Loving One Another
Month 10: Loving One Another · Family Worship
Today's Scripture
Read together: 1 Corinthians 13:13 & John 13:34–35
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love. — 1 Corinthians 13:13
34 A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” — John 13:34-35
Memory Verse
“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.”— 1 Corinthians 13:13 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Luke 16–18
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 299 of 365 — Jesus teaches on mercy, humility, and childlike faith.)The Heart of It
Look back at the month with your family for a moment. We started with the new command Jesus gave the night before He died. "Love one another; as I have loved you" (). We learned that we don't squeeze love out of ourselves. "We love because He first loved us" (). And we learned that the Holy Spirit Himself pours God's love into our hearts (). We walked through the most excellent way of , where love is patient, kind, and never gives up. We saw what it looks like at home. Honoring parents. Obeying in the Lord. Forgiving the way Joseph forgave his brothers, and the way God in Christ forgave us. A whole month, and one golden thread runs through all of it. Love.
Now Paul lands the whole thing in one verse. Faith, hope, and love all abide. They last. They matter. They are treasures. But the greatest of these is love. Why love? Because one day faith will become sight, and hope will become having. But love never ends. It carries straight on into heaven, because God Himself is love (). When we love one another, we're not just being nice. We are doing the one thing that will outlast the stars. This is family worship today. Not new information, but a thankful heart that says, "Lord, this month You showed us how to love. Now make it real in our home."
Around the Table
This month we learned the biggest, best thing: love! Jesus loves us, and He helps us love each other.
Let's do it: Go give someone in the family a hug and say, "I love you because Jesus loves me!"
Paul says faith, hope, and love all last. But love is the greatest. One day we'll see Jesus, so we won't need faith and hope the same way. But love goes on forever.
Let's talk: What's one way our family loved better this month than before?
Love is the "greatest" because it's the very nature of God, and it never ends. Gifts and knowledge fade, but love lasts into eternity.
Let's go deeper: Looking back over this month, which part of love (patient, kind, not envious, forgiving) does God want to grow most in you?
💬 Conversation Starter
If you had to pick ONE moment from this month where you saw real love happen in our family, what would it be?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
How do we know Christian love is real and not just a feeling? Jesus said the world would recognize His followers by it (). It is love you can see, love that serves and forgives. Even people who doubt can't easily explain it away. As reminds us, we give our reason with gentleness. Sometimes the clearest reason is a family that actually loves like Jesus.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Reviewing a month isn't filler. It is discipleship. Kids hold on to truth that is revisited, named, and celebrated, not just delivered once. So tonight, resist the urge to teach something new. Instead, anchor what's already there. Name the wins out loud. "I noticed you forgave your sister fast today." Then connect each one back to the gospel root. We love because He first loved us. Robert Menzies reminds us that the Spirit-filled life is not first about power for show. It is a community shaped by Christlike love. And Paul agrees. He ranks love above even the most spectacular gifts (). Ask yourself the honest question. Is the love I'm asking my children to show being modeled in how I speak to their mother and to them? Your family will absorb the love they watch far more than the love they're told about.
Draws on: Paul Tripp, Parenting; Robert Menzies, Pentecost.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You for teaching us how to love. You loved us first. Your Spirit pours Your love into our hearts. Help us love one another the way Jesus loves us. Make us patient and kind. And help us never give up. In Jesus' name, amen."
Faith and hope are treasures. But love is the greatest, and love never ends.