The Greatest of All
In his first letter to the believers in the Greek city of Corinth, the Apostle Paul said this:
“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13 NIVThis well-known verse is the conclusion of what’s often referred to as the “love chapter” of the Bible. In it, Paul explained that spiritual gifts (like prophecy or knowledge) are helpful to the Church but simultaneously meaningless without an undercurrent of love.
Faith and hope are at the top of the list, but love is the greatest.
Think about it…
Faith is crucial to Christianity. In fact, “Without faith it is impossible to please God…” (Hebrews 11:16). “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). But one day, faith will give way to sight and what was once foggy will suddenly become clear.
Hope is also essential to those who follow Jesus Christ. And we certainly have a great hope—based on facts, evidence, and witnesses—in the God who created us, gave His life for us, and will return for us once and for all. But one day, the future we hope for will become reality.
And so, Paul says, love is the greatest. Earlier in the chapter (1 Corinthians 13:4-8), Paul defines love in action.
Faith and hope are important, but love is the greatest of them all.
Tag: Hope
Life Watch
Our son’s mother-in-law was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer a month ago and given only a few months to live. Last night, our son contacted us to tell us that his wife was heading to PA as her mom was not expected to survive long. So began what I was calling the “death watch.” But, in all actuality, Patty is a dear believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, so it should be a “life watch.” She will be leaving this earthly life soon, with all of the trials and pain that she has had recently, and entering into a new life with her Lord and Savior. We here who know and love her will miss her face, her cheerful demeanor all the time and her sweet cards that she sends. But we are not without hope that we will see her again someday.
Our son contacted us again this morning and told me that Iris, our autistic granddaughter, is having a rough day because her mom was not there to put her on the bus. If you know anything about autistic children, they crave routine and get very upset if that routine is disrupted. A few weeks ago, my husband had to go to the school to get Iris because she would not stop wandering the halls, crying and screaming and refusing to be consoled. Although we live over an hour away, Harry rushed to be there for Iris, took her out of school and spent the day consoling her. Why was she so distraught? I think it was because she had been spending every weekend saying “goodbye” to her grandma and she didn’t understand or like what was happening. So, prayers for Iris and all of the family would be appreciated at this time. We are waiting now for the next communication to tell us how we can help and what our son wants us to do for them. I have done laundry in anticipation of traveling. My husband is going to pick up medications that he needs before we travel. Meanwhile, we are praying. I am praying that Patty’s deep physical suffering is not extended and that the God of all comfort will be right there beside Melissa and her other family members. I especially pray for her dad, a humble and loving man who has spent over seventy years with Patty.
Again, we are not without hope because we know that God has provided eternal life for those of us who believe in Him and accept His free gift of salvation. But it is never easy to say farewell, so for that reason I ask for prayers from anyone who believes.
The following are the verses that God gave me this morning to comfort and strengthen me. If you are facing the loss of a loved one, may they also comfort you as you realize the truth of God’s word stands forever.
God, Our Glorious Refuge by David Ettinger
ettingerwriting.wordpress.com/2023/10/26/god-our-glorious-refuge/
Please go to the original post and follow David.
Hope
The You Version Bible App is looking at hope for the next week. I pray you will join in this study.
narrowpathministries.wordpress.com/2023/09/07/echoes-into-eternity/
Powerful message of hope. Please go to the original blog and follow the author.
A Prayer for You and Me
I really enjoy finding prayers within the context of scripture. It’s like God is saying to me, “Pray this one.” So, I do and it always blesses my heart. May your heart be blessed with this prayer and may you indeed be filled with hope.
In the Name of Jesus. Amen!
Inheritance
Some people may dream of big houses and big cars, but I spent many years when I was younger dreaming of an inheritance that would take care of all of my financial woes. College debt? Gone! Car loan? Paid! Mortgage? Wiped out! Well, all of those things happened but not because of anyone leaving me a great sum of money. I paid off my college loans, my car loan and we are still working on the mortgage. Now my sites are set on a different kind of inheritance, having re-focused on what is truly important.
Since God is my inheritance, I don’t need to fret about the future, either here on earth or for eternity. God takes care of my needs, both physical and financial and the bonus is that He always takes care of me emotionally and mentally. My hope is in Him and who better to hope in than my Creator? I will never have a big house or a fancy car but that’s okay because I no longer care about those kinds of things. I just want to spend eternity with my Father in Heaven, rejoicing around His throne about the inheritance than no one can take from me. My future is secure with Him and I am thankful for it.
A Prayer for You
Sometimes, my devotional leads me to a prayer, a time of crying out to God for myself and for others. Such was the case as I read and studied my Bible verses this morning. May this prayer be true in your life today and every day in which you face darkness. May the light that floods your soul give you the hope that you need and the confidence to realize that you are His children. One day we will inherit the kingdom that He has prepared for us. Until that day comes, may our hearts be totally consumed with the light of His love, mercy grace and hope.
Watching and Waiting
I remember as a child watching out the window for my daddy to get home. He may have a surprise for me, but he always had a big hug and a smile. As I grew older, I watched out the window for a date to arrive, anticipating but also a little fearful. Once I got married, I watched for my husband to come home from deployment. I knew the general time of his arrival, but I never knew how long it would take him to finish the process so he could actually come home. So, I watched and waited. Once we had children, we watched and waited together for daddy’s arrival, making signs to welcome him home and some baked goods that he enjoyed. Now that I am older and the children have moved away, I watch and wait for phone calls, FaceTime and letters or cards. The watching and waiting never stops.
In the last six months, as I have faced numerous medical tests, I have been in a season of watching and waiting. But it is the Lord that I am watching and waiting for. I know that He is always there for me, so I am watching to see what He will do in my life and I wait for His answer. All of the doctors have their own opinions, but it is only God who has the real answer. So, I watch and wait and know that God is hearing me. He hasn’t failed me yet…years of watching and waiting have taught me that He is faithful and the last six months are building my trust. One more test on Monday, an MRA that the neurologist ordered to see if there is something going on with the blood vessels in my brain. Maybe. Maybe not. God knows. So, for Him, I watch and wait. He made me, He has healed me too many times for me to count, and He will also take care of this problem in His own way and in His time. His way and His timing is always perfect. Thus, watching and waiting while I hope in the Lord is a good, encouraging thing for me to do. It’s a blessing to know that God is right there, ready to send the answer to my prayers.
Some Thoughts about Light
“Be the light!” the preacher proclaims from the pulpit. “Shine in the darkness,” says the Sunday school teacher. All good advice, but the practicality sometimes escapes us as we hurry away from the darkness and try to stay near the light ourselves. We are missing the point that we are the light and in our haste to move away from darkness, we are missing opportunities to shine His light on a dark world.
We try to stay insulated in our protected group of Christians who all believe as we do when what we are supposed to do is go into the world and shine the light that we have on the people who don’t yet know that they need Jesus. When we are doing what we should be doing, we are going to naturally attract others and need to have an answer for the hope that is in us. Be ready at all times to tell others how Jesus has made a difference in your life! Like a moth is attracted to a flame or any kind of light, so people in darkness need to know that there is a light that they can turn to. At the most unexpected times and from some of the most unexpected sources, you may have people seeking answers from you because they have seen your light and want to know more about what makes you different. Be ready to be that light!
Many times we fear approaching darkness because we are intimidated by just how dark it is and the fact that we cannot see “two inches in front of our face.” That’s okay, Step into the darkness and it won’t be dark anymore because your presence brings the light with you.
The light that is in us comes from the Lord Jesus. When darkness is all around, we can continue to shine and attract others to the beauty of salvation and the peace and hope that it offers.
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