Abiding Gifts

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"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." —1 Corinthians 13:13

Bible Reading

1 CORINTHIANS 13

Devotional

The Lord Jesus gives many special gifts to his people. These gifts are richly varied and sovereignly bestowed. Yesterday we read about them.

However, next to these special gifts of the Holy Spirit there are also certain abiding gifts the Spirit gives to every Christian. These are faith and hope and love, sometimes called the three gifts that "abide" ("So faith, hope, love abide," RSV). Abiding gifts are gifts that endure, that remain.

The special gifts may never be used as a criterion for being Christian. Nobody may say, "Since you do not speak as I speak or teach as I teach, you are not a Christian." But of the abiding gifts it may be said, "If you don't have these, you aren't a Christian." A Christian has faith and hope and love—these three.

Faith is the means through which we receive Christ and all his benefits. Although it is a human activity, it is a gift of the Holy Spirit. That's what makes us so grateful and so humble about having faith in Christ.

Hope is the same thing as faith—but with a view to the future. It is the expectation of things to come—the kingdom, the great change, the completion, Christ himself. A church that does not live in expectation is no church.

"But the greatest of these is love." By faith we receive him, and by hope we stretch ourselves out to him, but in love Christ himself is present among us. Wherever there is Christian love, the presence of God has become a reality.

The value of all gifts must be measured by their usefulness for church-building. No wonder, then, that love is the greatest. Love is the cement that unites the members. Love is the Spirit of Christ putting us in his service for the glory of God and the benefit of others.

Next to these three gifts, a church and a person may possess other gifts. That is not only common but necessary. But faith, hope, and love— these three abide; and the greatest of these is love.

REFLECTIONS

Pick one of the three abiding gifts and reflect on its meaning for your life as a Christian.

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Let me start off by saying a big AMEN to this devotional. Understanding the three ESSENTIAL gifts is something every Christian must do. We have been given faith, given hope and the love of Christ is how we know He is with us. The reflection note says to pick one of the three abiding gifts and reflect on its meaning in your life as a Christian. I think I will choose Love. We'll see - you know me, I have a tendency to not pick one, I like to discuss the whole thing. But we'll see what happens!

Love. Without love, I am but a broken vessel unable to be filled. Without love, I am bruised and beaten without any hope of going on. Without love, I cannot serve God. Without love, I am not pleasing God. BUT - with love, I am a cup that runs over, I may be bruised and beaten but I have a hope of Glory, I am able to serve and please God. I think its imperative to understand what this love is. Have you ever noticed that I sometimes end my entries with the word, Agape. Its a greek word that means unconditional love. Its the love of Christ. Its not the hearts and flowers, romantic love that we tend to think of first. Its a love that sees all our wrongs and pardons us. Its a love that breaks bounds and provides us with joy and peace. "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." - Romans 5:8 That's real love.

I used to ask myself, if a person is not a Christian, is it possible for them to love someone else? I know that may sound like a strange question and you may even think - why in the world would you think something like that. But when you come to an understanding of the depth of love that Christ showed His beloved children, its enough to make you think something like that. The answer is yes. They can - but its a different love. Its a love that can only go so deep. I'm not trying to sound harsh, but you can only love so much and so deep without the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. It only goes so far.

I guess I will stop here, hoping that you all will start some conversation. Sorry this is a bit short. Let me know what you think and lets talk about one of the abiding gifts and its meaning in YOUR life! I love you, all. Grace&Peace.