Faith, love, and hope. Paul uses these three words together in Romans 5:1-5, 1 Corinthians 13:13. Galatians 5:5-6, Ephesians 4:1-4, Colossians 1:3-5, and here in 1 Thessalonians 1:3:
remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father.
Paul refers here to the Thessalonians’ work of faith. Faith as the basis of all that we think, say, and do. Trusting God for wisdom, strength, and provision in all things. Faith as a way of living. Living by faith. Faith that produces good works.
Labor of love. Love as an action and not a feeling. Love as a choice. Love that is intentional. Agape love. Love that seeks the best interest of others. The kind of love that Paul describes in detail in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
Patience of hope. A confident expectation in the promises of God. Hope in Jesus Christ. A hope that provided a proper frame of view for all of life. Enduring all things with hope. Knowing that life is full of opportunities for loving God and others.
Faith is seen by its works; love, by its self-denying exertions; and hope, by its patience and endurance (Pulpit Commentary).
Faith rests on the past; love works in the present; hope looks to the future (Lightfoot).
It is Tuesday morning. The birds are singing, and so am I. Even though I am not feeling as well as I have lately, I am singing because I know that God is in control. H. H. Pierson put it this way,
I sing through the shade and the sunshine. I'll trust Him whatever befall; I sing for I cannot be silent - My Father planned it all.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I don’t know what to say about the points you raised. I have undergone family blessings
a lot of times now, so I guess I couldn’t put in a negative word or two. I do like how you got your views across. Good luck to you.
Post a Comment