How can we prioritize "faith, hope, and love" in our daily lives? Opening Verse “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13) Why These Three? • Faith looks up in trust. • Hope looks ahead in confidence. • Love looks outward in self-giving service. Together they shape a life that honors God and blesses people. Faith That Anchors Our Days • Feed it: “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17) – Start each morning with Scripture before scrolling a screen. – Memorize one verse a week; repeat it at red lights and lunch breaks. • Act on it: “Faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:26) – Pray briefly before every decision, even small ones. – Say yes to prompts to give, serve, or speak truth, trusting God with results. • Guard it: “Take up the shield of faith.” (Ephesians 6:16) – Limit media that stirs fear or cynicism. – Choose friendships that reinforce trust in Christ. Hope That Lifts Our Eyes • Ground it: “He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:3) – Rehearse the gospel daily: Christ died, rose, and is coming again. • Speak it: “Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess.” (Hebrews 10:23) – Replace complaining with sentences that end in “yet I will rejoice” (Habakkuk 3:17-18). • Share it: “Always be prepared to give an answer … for the hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3:15) – Keep one recent example of God’s faithfulness ready to tell a coworker or neighbor. Love That Defines Our Witness • Source of love: “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) – Reflect on Calvary; gratitude fuels generosity. • Measure of love: “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35) – Prioritize family meals, church fellowship, and time with those who can offer nothing in return. • Outworking of love: “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Galatians 5:6) – Schedule margin to notice needs: a crying toddler’s mom in the store, the widower down the street, the teenager at church. Keeping the Three in Balance • Faith stabilizes when hope wavers. • Hope strengthens when love is costly. • Love validates faith and hope before a watching world. • Picture a three-legged stool—remove one and the seat topples. Practical Weekly Rhythm Monday–Friday – Morning: Read a Psalm (faith), note one future promise (hope), pray for someone by name (love). – Midday: Briefly recall the morning verse, thank God for one unseen reality, send a text of encouragement. – Evening: Review the day, confess unbelief, write tomorrow’s hope point, plan an act of kindness. Saturday – Serve locally—food pantry, yard work for a shut-in, or church setup—turning doctrine into action. Sunday – Worship with believers; let faith be heard in song, hope renewed in preaching, and love shown in fellowship. Scripture Connections • Hebrews 11:1 – Definition of faith. • Colossians 1:5 – Hope stored up in heaven. • Romans 5:5 – Love poured into our hearts by the Spirit. • 1 Thessalonians 5:8 – “Putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.” Live these verses, and faith, hope, and love will move from admired ideals to daily realities. |
    |