To experience the fullness of life that Jesus promised us, we need abiding faith, hope, and love, and it all begins with the revelation of God’s love towards us!
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
According to Strong’s Dictionary definition of Abide:
- To remain and abide. A. In reference to place: not to depart, to continue to be present, to be held, kept continually. B. In reference in time: to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure..C. In Reference to state or condition: to remain as one..
- To wait for, await one
The above definition gives us insight into the power of abiding faith, hope, and love. It shows that when these three are present they surpass time, place, and conditions. Faith, hope, and love work together and strengthen a believer to live an overcoming life. Since God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, He wants His children to also remain constant and consistent in their walk with Him.
Faith, hope, and love are the characteristics of the Kingdom of God and how He operates on the earth. The Apostle Paul stated that of the three love is the greatest. Reading the Gospels confirms this truth as we see Jesus speaking on love as the foundation of His ministry. The love of God opens the door for hope and faith to be present.
In John 3:16, Jesus told us that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…! For most of us, our relationship with the Lord started because we recognized that God loves us and that Jesus was willing to give His life as a ransom so we may be saved. This love in turn causes us to love Him back. We realize how much He has done for us and that He desires to have a relationship with us. His love also allows us to admit our true condition rather than excuse or deny it.
When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, he gave two commandments (Matthew 22:36-40). The first was to love God with all our hearts, soul, and mind, and the second one was to love our neighbor as ourselves. When we know we are loved and accepted by God, it brings hope and joy to our hearts. We begin to see our lives with purpose and that we are here because the Lord has plans for our lives.
We are here to honor and love the Lord and reach our neighbors with the love of God. As believers, we should be known by our love. We are called to show true love in a world that only offers cheap and conditional love. When love and hope in God are present, faith cannot be absent. The love of God and our hope in Him brings about faith in His character and His promises.
God has given each of us a measure of faith when we believe that Jesus died for us and that we are saved by grace and not by works. Faith also comes from hearing His voice and allowing Him to speak to us. When we obey God and His word, our faith is stretched and begins to grow. We see His merciful and gracious hand in our lives, and we develop confidence in His character and His promises.
We see faith, hope, and love in operation in Paul’s life as we read the epistles. He was deeply touched by God when Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus. He developed a deep love and appreciation for God revealing Himself to him and for being merciful to Him. The hope of salvation and eternity set him on a course of ministry that caused him to dedicate his entire life to it. He continued to have faith and encouraged others in the faith despite all the persecution he experienced.
To experience God’s abundant life, we all need to continue to grow in love, hope, and faith. As we experience and encounter the Lord, we grow into maturity. The Lord stabilizes us with His love and helps us to walk with confidence, hope, and expectation having faith in who He has is and what He has promised to do. In times of waiting, we look to Him with expectation knowing that He is working on things for our benefit, which in turn develops our faith. In this process, love, hope, and faith work together to help us grow up in God and become more like Jesus. Hallelujah!