The Greatest of These. . .

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8) 

It is by faith in Christ Jesus we are saved.  Salvation requires no work, only an acceptance to the freely given gift of grace from our God.  We believe in Him, fill our hearts with faith and receive the forgiveness He offers.  Our faith in Him can move mountains.  Through Him all things are possible.

"We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.  In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.  May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you." (Psalm 33:20-22) 

As we continue our journey with Christ, we place hope in Him.  With each situation encountered, our hope in Him helps to persevere.  Under any trial our faith in Him strengthens our hope for Him to help and protect.  Our confidence lay in Him.  We believe, have faith and fill our hearts with hope in our fixed future in Heaven.

What about LOVE?

Well, you can be in relationship with another and stay faithful to them, hoping for the bright future you see ahead.  You trust the other, whether it is a spouse or friend, and know that the relationship is real, committed and strong.  You may long for the specific events planned for the future with the other.  You place hope in the other to help when needed.  As confidence in the other grows and the desires of the heart fulfill, the relationship strengthens.  But something remains empty; missing from the relationship. 

"For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.  For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." (Galatians 5:5-6)

"Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:8-10)

A marriage or friendship would not survive on faith and hope alone.  Expressing love to one another brings two hearts together, strengthening the bond.  My face lights up each time my husband declares love for me.  I will come home from a long day and he greets me at the door with a hug, dinner is ready to be served and the kids helped keep the house tidy.  My heart fills with joy.  Each time a friend invites me to spend time with them, I am ecstatic.  I know that I am loved through the acts of others to whom I have a relationship.

Well, God desires the same from us, His children.  He yearns to see the love you have for Him.  He first loved us and sent His Son to die and wash away all sin.  Now is the time for us to express our love and thanks to Him.  He sent us here to Earth to gain a relationship and further His Kingdom with children to enjoy what all He offers.  Yes, by faith we are saved.  Yes, through hope we trust and rejoice in what is to come.  But, if we do not love with all of our heart, the other two mean nothing.  God wants to feel loved, honored, important and accepted into our lives. 

What does love for God look like?  Well, for me, it is thanking Him each time I sit to eat, walk leisurely, go through a day without feeling the need to exercise, smile, laugh, receive comfort from my family or kiss my kids good night.  Love for Him reveals in my life by spending time with Him, inviting Him in each moment, mentioning Him with every opportunity and praying through deep conversation daily.  My love for Him cannot be put into words.  I am so blessed to have Him as my father and I cannot express to Him enough of the thanks and love I feel.  But, I plan on taking every day I am given to try and give back the love that I received from Him.  Will you join me today and express love to Him?

God, thank you for this day.  Thank You for my health, for saving me from the bondage I experienced, for giving Your Son to die and wash away all the yuck and sin in my life and for loving me just as I am!  My heart fills with faith in You and hope in all that You will provide for my life.  But most of all, my heart fills with love and such appreciation for the life I have been given.  I know your grace continues each day and I am free through You.  I love You.

Keep praying harder than the devil can work.
Sheree Craig