HOPE

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
I Cor. 13:13

To lose hope is to lose love.


Hope exists between faith and love.  Without hope the ecosystem of divine love ceases to function.

The Apostle Paul affirms in I Cor. 13 that three realities function together so that love can continue to exist among us.  These three are faith, hope and love.  Love is clearly the goal.

Faith is the human capacity to receive love directly from God in Christ.  Faith allows us to receive the love we need to be truly human.  We are truly dependent beings and all things begin in us by receiving or by faith.  It is only by faith that love is born in humans.

Hope is like a bridge over which we walk in order to deliver love to others.  Faith alone cannot deliver love.  Someone filled with hope must cross the bridge each day.

The enemy of our soul attacks our hope.  He attempts to destroy our hope and destroy the bridge over which love must pass.  It is no accident that so many disciples of Jesus are depressed.  The enemy of love is at work to destroy our hope.

To lose hope is not just painful for us.  It is also painful for those who wait for love on the other side of the bridge.  To lose hope always means some love goes undelivered.

Hope abides in every disciple because Jesus is the source of divine hope.  We must cultivate deep and lasting hope in Christ if we would guarantee the delivery of love.  To hope in Jesus is to prepare ourselves to cross the bridge of hope each day.

Cultivate a deep hope in Jesus.  Stay focused on Him moment by moment.  He is the source of hope.  To lose hope is to lose love as well and love must not be lost.
 

Bud McCord

Abide International