When I think about 1 Corinthians 13:13, I think of love — God’s love for us and His command to love our neighbors as ourselves. We might also think often about faith, the type of faith that Abraham, Moses, or other heroes of the Bible had. Too often, though, we forget about hope.
But hope has its place among these three.
In Romans 5:3–5 we read, “But that’s not all! We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure. And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love” (CEV).
The hope of the world lies in things that perish — a better job, a higher income, a bigger car, a larger house. In contrast, the hope that God offers us is divine and eternal. He shows us a glimpse of heaven, people of His household and citizens of His kingdom.
This hope is a gift of God to His children. It is not only true for us, but also for the churches and the children and their families that we serve.
If some days we do not experience this hope in our lives, we can ask God to reveal Himself. We know He longs to give hope to us.
In Ephesians 1:18 we read, “My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God’s people” (CEV).
The apostle Paul encourages us to be joyful in hope. Jesus said He came to give us peace. The two go together. Without hope we can never fully know God’s peace and love. So let us hope in God’s promise of eternal life.
“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” —1 Corinthians 13:13, NIV
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we pray that You will open our eyes to the hope that You have in store for us. May this hope give us the faith we need to be joyful channels in our daily work to bless the children we serve.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Philippe Mermod serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Compassion Switzerland.
Read all the One in Spirit devotionals.
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