And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor. 13:13. There are three things that will remain now and forever as we walk with our Lord Jesus Christ. The first is faith. Faith is critical if we want to live the spirit-filled life, a life that pleases God. For faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. The second is hope. In our Lord Jesus Christ, we have hope. This means that no matter what is going on in our lives today or tomorrow, we can endure and our endurance is inspired by the hope we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. For Christ in us is the hope of glory and everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. The next and the greatest thing that will last forever is love. What then is love? Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, 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. Love never fails. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 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 have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love I gain nothing. When our Lord Jesus Christ returns, where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. Remember, for we know in part and we prophecy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect dissapears. When the Lord Jesus Christ comes, that which we know in part will be fully known. Therefore, among these three that will last forever - faith, hope, love - the greatest of these is love. Shalom.
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 15:04:52 +0000