Faith, Hope, And Love

Faith, hope, and Love are the building blocks of the kingdom.

They stand right alongside mercy, grace, and peace and wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.  And they all have to do with The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.  “Our faith and love come from our hope in God.”  

Faith is “the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Hope is our undying desire to be blessed by God.  Love is our high and holy calling—to become like the one who made us.

To appreciate these gifts of grace, maybe we should consider their opposites—doubt, despair, and hate (or indifference). Without hope in God, this unholy trinity can swallow us up and consume our lives.  Our God is faithful and he will deliver us from all the powers of darkness.  With his help, we will “soar on wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, and walk and not faint.”

It is no exaggeration to say that a life lived with faith, hope, and love will be a successful life.  You are a success if you can keep your faith when you feel all alone.  You are a success if you can maintain hope when all of your plans have failed. You are a success if you can love even when surrounded by hatred.

Even Christ lived by these essentials while he was here on earth, though he was God in the flesh and heir to the kingdom.  He set the example that it is possible to live a victorious overcoming life by the diligent application of these precious graces.  And we have not only his example, but, also, he himself living in us to accomplish his heart’s desire—our perfection!

~ Brad Heilhecker