1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 

 

We talk about love being greater than faith and hope (meaning “an expectation of good”), but the Apostle Paul indicates that these three “are to abide”. This means that they remain. The common quality of love, faith and hope is that they never, ever give up. It is a refusal to quit. When love fills a marriage, divorce is never an option. When hope fills the heart and mind of a believer, he or she chooses to see the goodness of God out of every situation and how that He makes “beauty out of ashes”. When faith captures the heart of a child of God, faith will cause them to endure through every trouble, trial and circumstance because they see the reward waiting at the end! If it looks like quitting, it can never, ever be considered love, faith or hope! 

 

Out of these three, why is love the greatest? It is because it is who God is (1 John 4:8). Love expresses God’s very character and nature. When you are filled with the spirit of God, love will permeate and flow through every part of your life. This is much easier to do when you experience God’s love for yourself. Once you really, truly realize how much God loves you, it solidifies who you are in Him. Also, you can have faith and hope but not love, but if you have love, you will most definitely have faith and hope! Everything stems from a true relationship with God the Father! If you want to grow in love, you must grow in the heart of devotion to God and His presence!