Reach • Devotion #1: Faith, Love, Hope
Dr. Randy T. Johnson
“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel.” Colossians 1:3-5
Three words jump out in this passage – faith, love, and hope. In 1 Corinthians 13:13, Paul writes, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Norman Geisler ties these three words together well, “Faith is the soul looking upward to God; love looks outward to others; hope looks forward to the future. Faith rests on the past work of Christ; love works in the present; and hope anticipates the future.” These words (faith, love, hope) are central to reaching others for Christ.
I think it is good to pause and ponder after reading about the “hope laid up for you in heaven.” Slow down. You probably have several things you are waiting to do and another dozen that will pop up as the day goes along. Some of the items are good but a number of them could bring some stress. Some of the items you might even dread. However, no matter how tough things seem right now, there is still hope. It is such an important topic that we find the word “hope” 76 times in the New Testament. Romans 8:18 captures this sentiment, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” That “glory” is the “hope laid up for you in heaven.” You might be asking, “How should I do this?” Romans 12:12 gives a practical answer, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Finally, Paul reminds us of the foundation being “the word of the truth, the gospel.” Faith, love, hope, and glory are all possible because of the Gospel. That truly is Good News!