Mission Briefing
The Greatest Description of Love Ever Written
If you looked up “love” in a dictionary and saw Paul’s description from 1 Corinthians 13, you might be surprised – because real love has almost nothing to do with feelings, and everything to do with choices! This mission explores 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
What Does 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Mean?
Paul lists over a dozen things that real love does – and does not do. Love is patient (it does not rush or explode). It is kind (it actively does good). It is not jealous, boastful, or proud. It does not keep a list of wrongs or celebrate when someone fails. And it keeps going – bearing, believing, hoping, enduring. This kind of love is not something you fall into; it is something you choose, practice, and grow into over a lifetime of following God.
Hero Challenge
Pick one quality from the list – patience, kindness, not being irritable – and make it your love challenge for the whole week. Each evening, give yourself an honest score from 1 to 5 on how you did that day, and ask God to help you grow in that area. Real love is a practice, not just a feeling.
Did You Know?
Paul wrote this chapter not as a poem about romance, but as a correction to a church that was arguing with each other about spiritual gifts! He was saying: no matter how gifted or talented you are, if you do not have love, it means nothing. Love was meant to be the glue that held the whole community together – and it still is.
Ages 4-6: Little Hero Question
The Bible says love is kind. Can you name three kind things you could do for someone in your family today?
Ages 7-9: Growing Hero Question
Paul says love “does not insist on its own way.” Think of a time you insisted on getting your way. What would love have looked like in that moment?
Ages 10-13: Champion Question
Paul wrote that love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Which one of those four feels most difficult for you right now, and what would it look like to practice it this week?
Ready for more? Meet more Bible heroes for kids at Faith Force.
♥ Mission Prayer
God, thank You for showing me what love actually looks like — not just a warm feeling, but a daily choice. Help me to be patient, kind, and not easily irritated. Where I am weak in love, make me stronger. And help me to remember that Your love for me looks exactly like this passage — bearing, believing, hoping, enduring — always. Amen.
