Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Our Reading, titled Motivated by Love, was written by Karen Pimpo.

Jim and Linita were college sweethearts.

They got married, and life was happy for many years.

Then, Lenita began to act strangely,

getting lost and forgetting appointments. She was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's at 47.

After a decade of serving as her primary caregiver, Jim was able to say, Alzheimer's has given me the opportunity to love and serve my wife in ways that were unimaginable when I said I do. While explaining the gifts of the Holy Spirit,

the Apostle Paul wrote extensively on the virtue of love in 1 Corinthians chapter 13. He contrasted

wrote acts of service with those overflowing from a loving

heart. Powerful speaking is good, Paul wrote, but without love, it's like meaningless noise. If I give

over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Paul ultimately said the greatest gift is love.

Jim's understanding of love and service deepened as he cared for his wife. Only a deep and abiding love

could give him the strength to support her every day. Ultimately, the only place we see this

sacrificial love modeled perfectly is in God's love for us,

which caused Him to send Jesus to die for our sins.

That act of sacrifice, motivated by love, has changed our world forever.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is 1 Corinthians chapter 13.

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging symbol.

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give

all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love,

I gain nothing.

Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud.

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