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Introduction:
You can see them alongside the shuffleboard courts in Florida or on the porches of the old folks’ homes up north: an old man with snow-white hair, a little hard of hearing, reading the newspaper through a magnifying glass; an old woman in a shapeless dress, her knuckles gnarled by arthritis, wearing sandals to ease her aching arches. They are holding hands, and in a little while they will totter off to take a nap, and then she will cook supper, not a very good supper and they will watch television, each knowing exactly what the other is thinking, until it is time for bed. They may even have a good, soul-stirring argument, just to prove that they still really care. And through the night they will snore unabashedly, each resting content because theother is there.
They are in love, they have always been in love, although sometimes they would have denied it. And because they have been in love they have survived everything that life could throw at them, even their own failures.
Ernest Havemann, Bits & Pieces, June 24, 1993, pp. 7-9.

Transition:

What a story. I love it! How many of us can relate to that couple? When the storms of life come, and they will, how will your marriage fare? What about the other relationships that you are involved with...ie... family, friends and co-workers?

When the temperature rises and the winds blow, can you remain true to the course? In our day and age, many individuals take a trial run at marriage. They conclude that if they can live together for several years without getting married...and can stand one another, then they "might" tie the knot.

Others do not even see the need to stand before God pledging their love to the one they want to spend the rest of their lives with. They just think that if the love wanes or lessens, then all they have to do is get out of the relationship.... no marriage...kids......no harm done.

The flip-side of that is also true of many who are married. They just say, "If my love for you diminishes and we just can’t get along, we can always get a divorce. Afterall, God doesn’t want us to be this miserable"

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul tells us how we can keep the flames burning even when the "feeler" gets stuck. There may be days that you don’t "feel" like loving your spouse. God’s Word does not spell love, F-e-e-l-i-n-g-s, but rather C-O-M-M-I-T-M-E-N-T.

Let’s take a closer look at what Paul describes as true, lasting love.

A. Love Never Gives Up…("Patient") vs. 4a
1. Patient to endure misfortunes… … with confidence and endurance.
2. Patient to bear wrongs done to us… not quick to retaliate when wronged.

B. Love Cares More For Others Than For Self… ("Kind") vs. 4b
1. Kindness strives to make the other person happy.
2. Kindness strives to assist others in need.

C. Love Doesn’t Want What It Doesn’t Have… ("Jealous") vs. 4c
1. Jealousy leads to suspicion.
2. Jealousy leads to fear.
3. Jealousy leads to competition.

D. Love Doesn’t Show Out… ("Boastful") vs. 4d
1. Boasting flows from pride.
2. Boasting flows from conceit.

E. Love Doesn’t Have An Inflated Ego…("Arrogant") vs. 4e
1. Arrogance inflates our ego.
2. Arrogance blows our own whistle.
3. Arrogance comes from pride.

F. Love Doesn’t Force Itself On Others… ("Rude")vs. 5a
1. Rude behavior comes like a storm.
2. Rude behavior comes like a violent wind.

G. Love Isn’t Always “Me First”…("Selfish") vs. 5b
1. Selfishness is demanding.
2. Selfishness is thinking about “me.”
3. Selfishness is seeking self-gratification.

H. Love Doesn’t Fly Off The Handle… ("Provoked") vs. 5c
1. Provocation seeks to irritate someone.
2. Provocation seeks to anger someone.
3. Provocation seeks to despise someone.

I. Love Doesn’t Keep Score Of The Sins Of Others… ("Take Into Account") vs. 5d
1. Keeping Score places others in bondage.
2. Keeping Score weighs others down.

J. Love Takes No Delight In Sin… ("Iniquity") vs. 6a
1. There is weeping over sin.
2. There is no pleasure in repeating sin.

K. Love Longs For The Truth… ("Truth") vs. 6b
1. Truth seeks honesty.
2. Truth seeks loyalty.
3. Truth seeks fidelity.

L. Love Seeks To Protect… ("Bears all things") vs. 7a
1. There is preservation.
2. There is covering.
3. There is silence.

M. Love Is Faithful… ("Believes") vs. 7b
1. Believing leads to trusting.
2. Trusting leads to confidence.
3. Confidence leads to faith.

N. Love Always Looks For The Best… ("Hopes") vs. 7b
1. Hope is Good … (2Th. 2:16)
2. Hope is Blessed … (Titus 2:13)
3. Hope is Living … (1Pet. 1:3)

O. Love Never Looks Back … ("Endures") vs. 7c
1. Endurance moves ahead.
2. Endurance remains faithful.

P. Love Keeps Going To The End …("Never Fails")vs. 8a
1. Love never gives up.
2. Love never loses it’s power.

Transition:
So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love!

Conclusion

William Gladstone, in announcing the death of Princess Alice to the House of Commons, told a touching story. The little daughter of the Princess was seriously ill with diphtheria. The doctors told the princess not to kiss her little daughter and endanger her life by breathing the child’s breath. Once when the child was struggling to breathe, the mother, forgetting herself entirely, took the little one into her arms to keep her from choking to death. Rasping and struggling for her life, the child said, "Momma, kiss me!"
Without thinking of herself the mother tenderly kissed her daughter. She got diphtheria and some days thereafter she went to be forever with the Lord. Real love forgets self. Real love knows no danger. Real love doesn’t count the cost. The Bible says, "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it."
Source Unknown.