The Big Three

CALL TO PRAYER

By: Stephen Osei Kuffour

Date: 03.03.2024

Title: The Big Three

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

In Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Church of Corinth, he taught them many things about the Kingdom and addressed many issues. He taught them about Christ being the wisdom and power of God, he addressed divisions and immoral issues in the Church and taught about marriage. He also taught about spiritual gift and how to use it effectively in the Church, made us understand that the body of Christ has different parts, but each is equally important.

After teaching and revealing all these truth and mysteries in the Kingdom, he concluded that all that he had taught hanged on these three: faith, hope, and love (1 Cor 13:13). He later pointed out that the greatest among the three is love but my focus today is on these “Big Three”. These three are very important in the lives of Believers. Faith is our foundation, hope is the motivation that keeps us serving the Lord and love is our nature or way of life.

As Christians, Faith is the foundation on which our relationship with the Lord is built. Without Faith, there is no Christianity! This is because we serve a God whom we cannot see physically with our eyes, but we see His works in our lives. That’s why without Faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him must first believe that He exists, and He is a rewarder (Heb 11:6). Also, Salvation depends on one acknowledging that he/she is sinner and having Faith in Jesus Christ as his/her Lord and personal savior (Rom 10:9-10).

Also, the life of a Christian comes with a lot of difficulties and trials. These difficulties and trials which the Lord sometimes use to build a character in us can become unbearable to the extent that a Believer might want to give up or give in (Rom 5:3-5). That’s when hope comes in. Our hope in the rewards and promises of God will help keep us strong in the midst of trials. Most importantly, our hope in spending eternity with the Lord when He returns or when we depart the earth also helps us to remain faithful to the very end (Matt 24:13).

One of the very main and well-known nature of God is that He is love (1 Jn 4:16). Just as parents expect their children to look like them, God expects His children to be like Him by exhibiting the character of love. Therefore, as Christians, love is our way of life. Our Lord Jesus Christ made us understand that the whole laws and the messages from the Old Testament Prophets hanged on love for God and love for our neighbors (Matt 22:40). There are not many commandments in the New Testament. However, the Lord Jesus commanded us to love one another (Jn 13:34). This explains how important love is.

Beloved in the Lord, the word of God makes us understand that this three are very important in the lives of Believers: Faith, hope, and love. Faith is our foundation, hope is the motivation that keeps us serving the Lord and love is our nature or way of life. Let’s desire to grow in these “Big Three”.

Prayer Point:

Let’s thank God for His word today. Let’s ask the Lord to help all Believers to grow in their faith, hope, and love.

God bless you all