“We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist.
But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright!
We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation:
Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.”
~1 Corinthians 13:12-13 (MSG)
Isn’t it amazing how foggy are perception can become when we start looking to the right and to the left of us. Our direction becomes blurry when we take our eyes off of God! It’s impossible to see ahead if our eyes are focused on what’s behind us! God is ever calling us forward to His glory. Sure, the day is coming when every cloud will be rolled back and the sun will shine through. The day is coming when God’s Son will return for His bride. Will you be ready for His return? Are you doing whatever you can to prepare others for His return? The Bible says that we do not know the day or the hour of His return, so we must be attentive at all times!
The passage of Scripture goes on to share the three ingredients that will help us get to the day of Jesus return. The three main ingredients that help us lead a life of righteousness! Here is what I have found:
1. Trust Steadily in God ~ FAITH
*Who are you trusting in today?
*Have you put your faith in God?
*Faith comes from the Greek word pistis which means “having the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ, a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God.”
*Do you have a strong conviction that God exists? Do you believe that He is the ruler over all things? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the One who gives eternal salvation? Do you live like you know the answer to these three questions? Do you share the answers to these questions with others who don’t know the answers?
Remember this,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
~Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
2. Hope Unswervingly ~ HOPE
*Have you put your hope in God?
*Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God can come through in any circumstance that you face?
*The Greek word for Hope is elpis which means “expectation of good, hope in the Christian sense, joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation, the author of hope, or he who is its foundation.”
*There is no hope without God in your life. He is the Author of hope, the One who gives us hope for another minute, another hour, another day, and most importantly an eternity. Are you joyfully celebrating the eternity awaiting us? Are you hopeful for all that God is creating for you? He has the blueprints for your life and knows what the building of your life will look like when it is finished. Will you allow Him to work in you?
Remember this,
“God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in order of Melchizedek.”
~Hebrews 6:18-20 (NIV)
3. Love Extravagantly ~ LOVE
*How are your words speaking love to others?
*Have your actions shown God’s extravagant love lately?
*The Greek word for love is agape which means “brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence.”
*Love is the most important ingredient in this equation. In fact this verse shows us that,
FAITH + HOPE + LOVE = Completeness
The Scripture passage reveals to us the ingredients that help lead us to a complete and full life in Christ. Faith, Hope, and Love; these three together add up to a complete life. Each one is a total package, not one in itself. Sometimes we think one is enough, but God shows us in His Word that each one needs the other. We need Faith to remind us that God will come through on all that He has promised us, we need hope to keep us in full assurance that even when we can’t see what is ahead ~ God is still in sovereign control of it, and we need love to bind all of this together. Love continues to make all of this possible. God’s love through His Son continues to motivate us to live a life pure and right before the Lord!
Dear Father God, I pray that my life will be truly motivated by a steady TRUST in You, an unswerving HOPE in You, and a constant remind of the pouring out of Your extravagant LOVE for my life! I praise You always for all that You have done and all that You continue to do!
Keeping the Basic 3 Ingredients on Top,
Sarah