Faith, Hope and Love
"And now these three remain,faith, hope and love." 1 Corinthians 13:13 Faith, hope, and love, are the only things that have the power to change yourheart. They are the only things that are eternal. It is easier to understandexactly what hope is by first examining hopelessness.
What is life without hope? How often is the word “hope” used? For instance, I hope that I pass thattest. We hope that we can beat thatundefeated team. I hope that I wake upon time tomorrow for that big day…all we have is hope? Can that be, is that it? Or is there more to life than just hope? Why are we born with this predisposition ofright and wrong? Why do we have thispreconceived notion of the heart and sensitivity toward an infant who isdefenseless or toward the person who is the victim and not toward theaggressor? I want you to go back andthink about the last time you needed hope in your life. Was it a time of desperation, or a time forno other lead but for hope?
What do Faith, Hope and Love havein common? The answer is complex, yetvery simple. They are the only thingsthat our eternal in this life. Besidesour creator, God and the beings that he created, what else is eternal? Faith, Hope and Love are more than justemotions, they are a life-song. Supposeyou have a relative or a dear loved one who is sick and/or seriously hurt. Suppose the doctors cannot answer what thecause is or if the diagnosis will be treatable. Suppose that they can treat the ailment, but they may have this diseaseor this disorder for the rest of their life- what then? Clearly, there has to be more than just thefact that we were born, that we will live a certain time on this earth and thenwe die and as ashes to ashes we are no more. What then, where do we go? Isthere more? There has to be more becausewe would not be hard-wired with the heart that we have. We would not be tied to the emotions that wehave, nor would we care about the littlest details in our life.
I have faith that God createdme. I have faith that God is in controlof this life and this world and that in the end every knee shall bow and everytongue shall confess. I have hope thatGod so loved the World that he gave his only begotten son, Jesus, who was bornof a virgin and lived a perfect life on this earth and shared and suffered ashe was both God and man. I believe thathe was crucified on the cross as an innocent man and that he paid the price atCalvary for my sin and yours. I havefaith and hope that he rose again on the third day and conquered death. I have faith and hope (Romans 10) that becauseI believe this that my name is written in the book of life.
So where is love? God so loved the world (Agape love) that hegave his only Son for you and me. I lovethat a God, who created me, would want a relationship with me and that he waswilling to send his son, a perfect lamb, as a sin offering to be in my placefor a death and punishment that I deserve. That is what I would call no holds barred kind of love. Love takes hope and faith and wraps it intomeaning and understanding and gives you security to know that God is real andhe is the one who gave us these three eternal emotions.
This past Saturday, my wife wastaken to the hospital for a life-threatening disorder that we are still tryingto diagnose. They believe that have thecause to what happened to the kidney and the muscle tissue, but they are notcertain to the connection to the liver and what is causing the breakdown inmuscle and why the liver is highly elevated. This is the point that some would reach despair. Some would argue as to why bad things happento good people. I always find thatstatement as very thought provoking, because when you say good people are wecomparing ourselves to other lower life forms here on earth or are we trying tomake a comparison to God and suggest that we are good enough to measure up tohis goodness? In either case, I amspeechless and I am full of tears as I look at my 5 year old son, my three yearold daughter and my 21 month old daughter and trying to love them and providefor them and to take care of their every need.
I am emotionally bankrupt. I have given everything to my three childrenand all of my hope and prayers and tears to my God. To my redeemer I say that there is nothingimpossible with Him. I have asked theHoly Spirit to intercede for me with my needs and my desires. I do not know where this medical case isgoing or where life will take us, but I do know this- Our God reigns and Hislove is more than enough. I hope that hewill answer my prayers. I have faiththat his will be done and I have love that nothing will ever separate me fromGod’s love and that because of his great, miraculous gift (His son Jesus) thatwhenever my time on this earth is through, that I will be in heaven on my kneesconfessing that He is God and His will be done. My heart hurts, my eyes are sore from tears and my body aches from theheaviness of the unknown. However, Iknow that my Father in Heaven will provide for all that I need. That his hope, faith and love in me is allthat I will ever need and that the wife and children that he has blessed mewith will be with me for all the days of my life.
