These three words
Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patient hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God and our Father.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:3
Today's devotion comes from our
Decade of Dominion: 52 Week Devotional.
Faith, hope, and love—these three words bring comfort, inspiration, and motivation in ways that no other words can. The apostle Paul thought they were so important that he not only greeted the Thessalonians with them, but also taught the Corinthians their intrinsic value: “So now abide faith, hope, and love, these three. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
Scripture teaches us that faith comes to us in five ways: the gift of faith (1 Corinthians 12:9), the measure of faith (Romans 12:3), hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17), the fruit of faith (Galatians 5:22), and the impartation of faith (2 Timothy 1:5). Faith is indispensable in God’s Kingdom—without it, it’s impossible to please God. Any one of these ways will yield more than enough faith to move whatever mountain may stand in your path. Have faith!
God knows the plans He has for you; plans for a future and a hope, according to Jeremiah 29:11. Most of the time, people attach a negative, uncertain connotation to hope: “Well, I sure hope my team wins the game ….” But the Bible’s picture of hope is much different. Biblical hope is a confident and favorable expectation of a positive outcome. God is faithful and working on your behalf, so you can have faith and hope.
Giving exemplifies loving. To love is to give of oneself to another. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave….” Jesus said that everyone would recognize His disciples by their love. The reason why love is the greatest of these three virtues is love because love is the wellspring from which faith and hope flow. We are God’s image-bearers, created by love, in love, and to love God (Deuteronomy 6) and people (Leviticus 19). You have a great purpose as a believer: to demonstrate love, have faith, and express hope in the glorious future God has secured for you in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lord, thank you for your abundant, abounding grace. Thank you that we don't have to earn a drop of the mighty river of grace that flows freely for us today. Help me put myself in the path of your love and grace. Help me not neglect the disciplines I need to meet with you regularly and to drink from the water of life. Thank you for your rich love. Amen.
Further Reading
- Romans 10:17
- Romans 12:3
- Jeremiah 29:11
