And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
But the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13:13)
Hope is “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Heb. 6:19). Faith and love “spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven” (Col. 1:5). Yes, hope is essential but it is not the greatest. Had it not been for love, we would have little on which to rest hope.
In the body, remembering that we were all called to that one same hope is what propels us to “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” and to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:2-4).
In the busyness and stresses of life, it is so easy to forget or neglect the foundations which means we will not heed to the process of getting from faith to love. — “But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.” (1 Pet. 1:9)
For Those of You in Ministry:
Don’t think you are above the need to go back to your roots. If you are going to model the greatest characteristic, love, you must remember that it is only because of God’s grace that you are who you are and do what you do. That same hope to which those you serve were called, is that which anchors you and keeps you humble and spurred on to love.
About Those You Serve:
Unity will be threatened if people do not remember that the essence of body life and loving one another is found in that same hope to which they were all called. Provide constant reminders of that hope which comes from the cleansing of their sins to help keep people on the same page. Make sure you seek to build body life on the right foundation. Body life is not about being the same or all agreeing. Body life is not about fighting the same cause. We can be quite diverse and still love one another if body life is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ and that one same hope we all share in Him.