Week three of writing a song for each one of the devotionals mentioned in the book "52 Bible Verses for Men" by Samuel Deuth These songs are the product of my love for God and music. They are in no way perfect. If you think these demos deserve merit to be completed and mastered, let me know which and why. I'd love your feedback.

In the quiet of a new week, as the clock resets to 00:00, I return to a personal challenge: writing a song each week inspired by a verse from Samuel Duth’s devotional, 52 Bible Verses for Men. This week, the text is 1 Corinthians 16:13–14—a compact, urgent exhortation from the Apostle Paul that feels both like a battle cry and a whisper of grace.

The author presents the New International Version: “Be on your guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. Do everything in love.”

But when I cross-referenced other translations, something stood out. The English Standard Version reads: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” The New American Standard Bible mirrors this, also including the phrase “act like men.”

It struck me that in a devotional intentionally curated for men, Duth chose a translation that softens Paul’s direct address. I don’t say this as criticism, but as an observation—one that sent me down a path of curiosity. What does the original Greek convey? For scholars watching, your insight is welcome in the comments. My own study is anchored not in academic Greek, but in comparing trustworthy English translations and, most importantly, in treating Scripture as a unified whole.

That’s because my aim isn’t just analysis—it’s artistry. I’m turning these words into song. And when you take poetic license—rearranging phrases for rhyme, shaping lines for rhythm—you have a responsibility to ensure the theology remains intact. Cross-referencing is my safeguard. As 2 Timothy 3:16 reminds, all Scripture is God-breathed. I handle it with care, in context.

Before writing a melody, though, I lingered on the verse’s final, all-encompassing charge: “Do everything in love.” With St. Patrick’s Day near—a holiday often draped in sentimental ideas of love—it felt timely to ask: What does biblical love actually look like?

I turned to 1 John 4:7–11, where the apostle writes plainly: “Love comes from God… for God is love.” That’s the foundation. Love isn’t something we manufacture; it’s something we receive. God demonstrated this by sending His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. John concludes: “Since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.”

But what does that “ought to” look like in practice? For that, I went to the love chapter—1 Corinthians 13. Here, Paul, after listing spiritual gifts, delivers a stunning blow: without love, even the most spectacular gifts are just noise. Then he defines love in action: Love is patient and kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

This is the standard. And in the famous conclusion, we’re told that faith, hope, and love remain—“but the greatest of these is love.”

The two passages—1 Corinthians 16 and 1 Corinthians 13—are now in conversation in my mind. The command to be watchful, firm, courageous, and strong is framed by the call to do it all in love. Strength without love is hollow. Love without truth is weak. Paul ties them together.

And here’s the realization that shaped the song: If God is love, then 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 is also a portrait of God’s character. God is patient. God is kind. He does not envy or boast. He is not arrogant or rude. He does not insist on His own way. He does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. He bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

So how do we “do everything in love”? We start by receiving the love God has shown us in Christ. We let His character shape ours. The strength we’re called to isn’t a brittle, prideful strength—it’s a strong-hearted, watchful, loving endurance.

The song that emerged from this meditation is woven from both command and character:

> Be on your guard. Stand firm in the faith. > Be courageous. Be strong. > Love is patient. Love is kind. > Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t boast…

It’s a musical reminder that our watchfulness, our courage, and our strength find their true meaning when rooted in the love described in 1 Corinthians 13—the very love that God is, and the love He calls us to live out.

In the end, this devotional exercise became more than songwriting—it became a recalibration. To stand firm, to be strong, to act like men of God… is to do everything in love. Not a sentimental love, but the strong, patient, enduring love that comes from knowing the God who is Love Himself.