UNDERSTANDING FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE

10/04/2022

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (1 Corinthians 13:13) Very often, it is easier to illustrate spiritual things using money. So permit me to do the same later on in today's devotional. To understand faith, you need to gain a good grasp of hope and to understand hope, gaining an insight into love is paramount. So what is the love of God? It is the accurate estimation of value or worth. The Bible says that God is love, meaning that God is the precise estimation of the value or worth of everything in heaven and earth. And this would be right because by Him all things consist (according to Colossians 1:17). In the context of God's love for humanity, John 3:16 tells us that "...God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." In essence, the precise value of humanity to God is His Son which is why God loves you like you are His only Son. If you were the only one on earth, Jesus would still have been sacrificed for you. Now, understand love to mean the true worth or value of God for a person. Romans 5:5 says, "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." In essence, hope is a guarantee based on the love of God. Hope is like a certified check drawn on a bank or a treasury bond drawn on a government, only the worth of God is unimaginable. And when you draw on this God guarantee, it can never bounce. Hebrews 6:18 says, "that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us." So, if hope is a guarantee from God concerning whatever you desire to manifest in your walk with God, what is faith? Faith is cashing those guarantees that God has given. For example, when you pray according to God's will, you are cashing a guarantee in 1 John 5:14 which says, " Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." Be rest assured that each time you pray in line with God's will, He hears you and whatever you prayed about is answered. This is why the Bible says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is acting based on hope which in turn, is based on love. Understand that it does matter who you are. Everyone has access to these three dimensions of God. Galatians 5:6 says, "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love." What is it that you want to manifest this month? Look for guarantees in the Bible, knowing that the One that guaranteed these things can never lie. Have a blessed day! Faith-Filled Confession I am enamoured by the love of God and the guarantees that His love has made available to me. I act on these many sovereign guarantees, knowing that He that promised is incapable of failing. Therefore, I have the outcomes of the Word of God that I desire. Hallelujah!

ONE YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Isaiah 22-23; Ephesians 3