“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13
In his famous chapter on love, Paul concludes, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). I remember being struck one day that hope was even included in his list. I realized in that moment that I had never seriously considered the importance of hope. How about you?
One doesn’t earn the title “the greatest” by going up against mediocrity. Michael Jordan and Mohammed Ali were not great because they emerged victorious against eight-year-olds. Love is, undisputedly, the greatest virtue. But this also makes faith and hope worthy contenders. If love is the greatest, faith and hope must truly be great as well.
We lose something essential in our walk with Christ if we abandon hope. It’s not only central to salvation, but to our sanctification and discipleship. To grow in hope is to grow in holiness (1 Peter 1:13-15). As Christians, we are called to be a hopeful people in hope-filled churches. Our faith is to fixate on Christ alone, the One who is our only hope.
One doesn’t earn the title “the greatest” by going up against mediocrity. Michael Jordan and Mohammed Ali were not great because they emerged victorious against eight-year-olds. Love is, undisputedly, the greatest virtue. But this also makes faith and hope worthy contenders. If love is the greatest, faith and hope must truly be great as well.
We lose something essential in our walk with Christ if we abandon hope. It’s not only central to salvation, but to our sanctification and discipleship. To grow in hope is to grow in holiness (1 Peter 1:13-15). As Christians, we are called to be a hopeful people in hope-filled churches. Our faith is to fixate on Christ alone, the One who is our only hope.
Scripture Focus
Romans 15:1-13; 1 Peter 1:13-21
Insight
“The Christian is not beneath hope as long as he is above ground, nor above hope as long as he is beneath heaven.” (William Gurnall, c.1655)
Bible In A Year
- Numbers 21-22
- Psalm 72
- John 13
