I Corinthians 13:13
“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But, the greatest of these is love.”

But, the greatest of these is love.

Faith, Hope, Love –
How great are these gifts?
They are gifts that do not stem from this world to be bought or attained through man’s ability, hard work, physical or mental attributes.
They are gifts presented to us by God to be held and cherished.

They are in unity. They cannot be grasped or held tightly, but must be released to flow freely from the heart.

Faith –
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith to walk in allegiance and loyalty to God in complete confidence, conviction and belief respecting man’s relation to God and divine things.
Faith is not blind, but believes, trusts and rests in God’s infallible Word.
By faith we receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour. In him we stand firm and know with confidence we will not fall.
Faith allows us to humbly come before the Lord as children, with a childlike faith.  Yet, it is so sublime for even the wisest to fully comprehend or explain.
Mathew 17:20 says, If we have faith like a grain of mustard seed, we shall move mountains. Believing, by faith, nothing is impossible.

Hope –
It is joyful and confident expectation for God towards man, even when there are no clear paths before us.
To hope, desire and long for with expectation of fulfillment.
It gives us opportunity to stand and rest on his promises for a future and a hope as he reaches his hand to us for safety.
The Lord is our helper in times of trouble, as he walks us through them.  When we fail, reach a place of helplessness or fall flat on the ground, we only need to turn to him for help. Under the shadow of his wings he is our shield, refuge and he sustains us.

Love –
The greatest of all, for it is inspired by God.  He is the source and the Author.

For God’s abiding love in us endures long, is patient and kind.  It is not envious or jealous.  It is not inflated with pride, arrogant or rude.  It is not self-seeking, insistent upon its own rights or way.  It is not testy, fretful or resentful.   It takes no account of evil or suffered wrong.

But, love rejoices when right and truth prevails.  It bears up under anything and everything for it is loyal.  It hopes, seeks good and never comes to an end.

On the human level we cannot truly love for our pride, many times, rises to the surface when we are threatened, hurt or crushed.  Relationships fail when it wedges its way into our lives to create resentment, shattered dreams and broken walls.

It is only possible when God’s love flows freely through us, as a river of Living Water.

It was God’s love in Christ he was upheld to suffer and endure the cross –
Love, his love towards us, nailed to the Cross.

Profound love reaches out to touch the untouchables with compassion and grace.  It cultivates with care and affection.  It is passionate to pursue the hurting and the lost.

It’s full expression of beauty, as in a rose.
Love’s softness and aroma, are fully active and enthusiastic to penetrate with a soothing ointment as it binds the shattered and broken pieces of our hearts.  God’s merciful love brings comfort and healing as it sheds his light on the dark crevices and hidden secrets of our souls.