A couple of weeks ago, a close friend of mine gave me a necklace. Engraved in a circle were three words: Faith, Hope, & Love. We all know that these three words are linked in Scripture, but have you ever taken a moment to reflect why Paul connected them together.

Faith: Rom 1: 17 For in the gospel a Righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

Without faith, we don’t seek God. We don’t try to mirror His Son or His Word. We lack assurance and conviction. Faith is built upon the foundation of Total Commitment. It means to believe God despite what we see, hear, or feel. It is trusting God in those dark, uninviting areas of our lives. In Matthew, we have all heard the story of Jesus walking on water, and telling Peter to come walk out to him. As Peter walked toward Jesus, he saw the wind, became afraid, and began to sink. Jesus caught him by the hand, and questioned him. You of little faith, why did you doubt? While we can learn from Peter’s lack of faith after taking a step into the seemingly unknown, can we also add to that lesson an even greater lack of faith in the remaining eleven who remained seated in the boat?

Hope: Romans 5: 3-4 Not only so, but we also rejoice in sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, HOPE. No one likes suffering, but how often are we faced with obstacles, situations, and direct attacks from Satan? Hourly? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? It is through these lessons of suffering and brokenness that we discover and portray the character of Christ within us. As this reflection of Christ emerges, our character strengthens, we begin to not only deepen our faith in God but to overcome our sufferings. Once we begin to overcome (through faith), we gain a new insight into our future and what we can become as a child of God.

Now that we have connected the first two: faith and hope, one still remains. Love. Paul sets the stage for love in 1 Cor. 4-8: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

When we intertwine the cords of faith and hope with that of Christian love, we create something far beyond the ordinary. It is an expression of selflessness that is directed outward towards others, not inwards toward our selves. Love gives meaning to our actions and our words. Each of us may possess different gifts, but love is available to all. The more we allow our minds and souls to imitate Christ, the more love we will show to others and through that love we are able to comprehend the love that our Father has for us, his children. Just as the circle, illustrated in the necklace, is continual throughout eternity, so are the words that Paul wrote to us in 1 Cor. 13:13; And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.