We desperately need a love that never fails. The love that never fails is “agape love.” It is found only in the nature of God himself. God cannot be anything toward us but agape for He is agape. Agape love is the greatest force in all God’s kingdom. What a demonstration we were given in the cross of Christ as He chooses the lowest place of all for our gain. He gives himself in a great suffering sacrifice unconditionally for all the undeserved and unworthy among mankind.

Agape is built on sacrifice, willing to pay the price to give itself away for love’s sake. It is willing to be hurt, to risk, to be vulnerable, to lose for love’s sake. In all our relationships in life agape is so characterized by rushing to the needs of others without conditions, without demands, and without expectations. It never fails to display God likeness. The agape relationship is just love without reason. It will last forever, for it is eternal, it is absolute, and it will never fail.

We are given “this agape” by constantly giving our hearts to God in all the issues of life and He in turn gives us His heart through the power of the Holy Spirit. So this is the greatest goal of our life, ultimate in our marriages, and all our relationships, especially the household of God. God will measure our lives by our hearts motives, our works of faith and our hopeful patience, which is all produced from this “agape love” being shed abroad in our hearts. Selah! Through “faith and patience” the saints of old inherited the promises of God and so will we. Faith, hope and love abide forever but the greatest of these is agape.

Agape love is the greatest force to destroy our own innate selfish nature, and destroy the fleshy works of another. When agape is surrendered to or exercised it will kill pride, anger, and selfishness. It will wrap its arms around fear and insecurities and see them fade away. It will never keep track of any wrongs done toward it. It is the greatest force to destroy the works of the devil, as it kills his plans instantly and will destroy his current fortress. As agape love is given away from a heart it becomes a weapon to destroy the lustful system of our world. It will endure and persevere above and beyond any other power. It will lay down a cover over sin of mercy and forgiveness with power to restore. When agape love is yielded to, it begins to erase the unbelief from our hearts. Then the Spirit of God begins to write on our hearts “trust and belief “which prepares the rich soil for miracles to spring forth.

If we know our God then agape love is a debt that is never paid. We always owe agape love to others as it lives in us by the power of the Spirit of God. We owe agape to our marriage mate, we owe agape to all the body of Christ, we owe agape to the world, and we owe it in “equality to all.” Agape never respects one person above another for all the worldly or religious reasons.

Agape love can only rejoice when truth wins out so it is not blind love. It is the love that will hold holy ground, seek wisdom, and courageously keep the banner of truth held up high for all to see. The fight is to live by faith, which is seeded by truth. Faith finds its womb in the shelter of “hope” underneath the shadow of the Almighty. Faith works through or is empowered by this great agape love. Faith, hope and love abide forever but the greatest of these is agape.

To grow in this “agape” is to become God-like, in our heart, our ways, our thoughts, our works. Nothing will affect our lives more, our marriages more, our families more, our church more, and our world more. This word is to encourage us all to keep pressing upward to obtain this godliness with contentment, which is our greatness prosperity and gain. Could we make it our greatest pursuit to be hard after Agape?