Hope, Faith and Love
1 Corinthians 13: 1-13 “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Paul completed the chapter on love with words by saying we now see through a poor reflection as in a mirror, but then we shall know fully as we are known.
There are many things about heaven and life after death that I find no specific answer to in the Bible. I know it is a beautiful place where there will be no more sin, sickness, nor death. Also it is a place where I will be in the presence of God, Jesus, and all my Christian family and friends and live forever: what more could one ask? Yet if I wrote a book about heaven, much would be based on my thoughts and not facts that I can confirm. However, in chapter twenty of Revelation, we have an awesome description of heaven.
Some have remarked that when they arrive in heaven, the questions they will ask God, but I believe we will be so amazed with God and the things He has prepared for us that we will not have any more questions: only praise and thanks!
In the meantime let’s look forward to that time with faith, hope, and love: for it is through faith in Jesus that we become God’s heirs and joint heirs with Jesus. And
until His appearing or calling us home, we exercise hope for things anticipated, and God’s love will sustain us until that time.
Father, thank You for love I did not deserve, but a love that knew what You could accomplish through the years with a sinful life like mine. That task is not completed; so continue to refine me into the likeness of Jesus, give me grace and strength to
remain faithful. And thank You in His Name. Amen.
Doris Lisemby