Often referred to as "the love chapter", 1st Corinthians 13 speaks to the excellence of love and of its necessity and value in the life of the believer. The chapter also speaks of the things that "will be done away" or that will "cease". In 1 Corinthians 13:13 the Apostle Paul wrote, "But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love." That love is the greatest of the three is not the purpose for my writing, as it is indisputable because the word of God declares it so. But it is my hope that we would consider and remember that faith, hope and love still abide! And for that, we should be grateful every day. We should praise God, that because of Him, faith, hope and love abide still. I'm okay when I consider the things that God says will be done away with or the things that will cease, but it is a troublesome thought when I consider what it would be like without faith, hope and love. It was by faith that I received Him and it is by faith that I live in Him, understanding that it is a life of faith that is pleasing to God. It is our hope in God that brings rejoicing, peace and encouragement to our hearts and steadfastness to our minds. It is the anchor of our soul and something we can take hold of and hold on to. We understand that God is love and that His only begotten Son was given because of it. Love is a constant and everyday reminder of God Himself as He loves us daily and calls us to love others. And all that we do is to be done in love and He makes such a life possible.
When I was reading this verse (1st Corinthians 13:13) I noticed that it took approximately 8 seconds for me to read it like I would if I were reading it out loud to others. Of course, as soon as I had that thought, I also thought of how an 8 second ride is required for a professional bull rider to have his ride scored. An 8 second ride is cheered by the fans and celebrated by the rider and his team. If you are following my thought pattern, you guessed it, my next thought was that there are times when it seems that we hang on to a great truth of scripture for about the 8 seconds it took us to read it. Riding a powerful and dangerous bull for 8 seconds, while holding on with one hand and knowing that the bull could maim or kill you if/when you are thrown off is no small feat. But 8 seconds of holding on to truth will not do it for you and I.
So today I just wanted to remind us of the things that God has graciously caused to abide still; faith, hope and love. And I want to encourage us to see the importance of holding on to these three abiding things each and every day. They are too vital for us to let go of after we have read and learned of them. We cannot let them be just verses that we quote and not truths that affect our daily lives as we grow in them and hold on to them. As the Apostle Paul admonished the Colossian believers, we too must "let the word of Christ richly dwell" within us. Our life in Christ, referred to as a "race that is set before us" in Hebrews 12, is one that we are called to run with endurance and is far from any "8 second" matter. We are called to hold fast, stand firm and cling to the important truths of our faith. And we must not attempt to use just "one hand" in this endeavor, but utilize all of the gifts of grace that God has provided for us. His precious abiding word, the gift of prayer, fellowship with other believers, the Lord's table, the proclamation of the gospel message, believing that He "has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness".
I would encourage you to thank God today that faith, hope and love still abide! And let us ask Him to help us grow in each of them. And pray that He might work in our hearts and minds and cause us to "let the word of Christ richly dwell" within us! May we look to and rely on Him for the endurance required in this race we are running!
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