Almost every wedding I attend, someone reads the "Love Passage" from 1 Corinthians 13.
Or the verses are printed on the wedding program.
The emphasis is on love, as it should be at a wedding.
This morning, though, as I was reading in Colossians 1, I noticed that faith and love stem from HOPE. So maybe HOPE is the greatest of the 3?
Take a look at these words from Paul and see what you think.
We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. For we have heard of your FAITH in Christ Jesus and your LOVE for all God's people, which come from your CONFIDENT HOPE of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.
Did you catch that?
Did it stick out to you like it did for me?
Our faith is a result of our hope.
We can live out our faith because we are confident that God will do as He has promised. We look forward to the future with HOPE. We are expectant, excited for Jesus to come back. We anticipate His return. While we wait, we have HOPE and that equips and empowers us to LIVE BY FAITH.
Our love also stems from our hope.
We can love other people because we know God has reserved a special inheritance for us in heaven. No one can take that away. No one steal that from us. AND there is no comparing or fighting or trying to outdo each other. God has something reserved for EACH of us, so no need to compete or argue or show off or keep up with the Jones. Instead, we are FREE TO LOVE.
Isn't that wonderful?!
That can seriously be LIFE-CHANGING.
In fact, Paul says it IS.
Read on to see what he says in verse 6:
The same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is BEARING FRUITS everywhere by CHANGING LIVES, just as it CHANGED YOUR LIVES from the day you first heard and understood the truth of God's wonderful grace.
When we know the truth, we understand who we are.
As we let the truth work its way into our hearts and minds, we are changed.
We can't stay the same as we were.
We bear fruit.
Hmmmmmm...
"The fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, FAITHFULNESS, gentleness, and self-control."
Paul goes on to explain in his letter to the Galatians,
"Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in EVERY part of our lives. Let us NOT become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another."
Instead, we LOVE one another.
And Paul seems to think faith and love are connected. He writes in 2 Thessalonians, "Dear brothers and sisters, we can't help but thank God for you, because your FAITH is flourishing and your LOVE for one another is growing."
Jesus tells us in John 13:35, "Our love for one another will prove to the world that we are His disciples." If love is our defining feature, it must be pretty important. Hence, it's the "greatest of these."
YET, if our love stems from the HOPE we have in Jesus, I am thinking that HOPE must be pretty darn important too!
So, I ask you today...
In what or whom are you putting your hope?
ONLY as you hope in Christ, trusting HIM alone, will you be able to live by faith and truly love others. ONLY as you hope in Christ, believing Him at His word, will you be FREE to enjoy the life God has planned for you. I assure you the blessings and gifts He has for you are amazing, beyond anything we could ever begin to imagine! I encourage you to put your HOPE in Him today!!!
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