Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. 

1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT

This verse appears at the end of what has been traditionally referred to as the “Love Chapter.” Because the poetic and profound words in the other 12 verses parts of this chapter have been used in wedding ceremonies around the world.  I don’t think that is necessarily what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he penned these words but they are certainly appropriate within the context of a wedding. His conclusion is found in verse 13. 

There are moments and seasons in our life when we may ask, “What’s left?” We consider losses so big that we lose focus on the realities that are still there. The positives seem hard to find and yet the writer reminds us that there are three things that will last forever. Some translations say “These three things remain.” This is what we have left: 

Faith: Faith is the gift of God and if you ask Him, He will give you enough faith and enough of His presence to sustain you when life seems to be blowing up right in front of you. He promises to never leave us or forsake us.  

Hope: Hope always remains as long as we are drawing a breath. We have the hope of the next moment, hour, day, month or year. Hope gives us the courage to face our biggest challenges and fears in a positive way based on the strength we find in Christ. 

Love: There is God’s love of course and that is the best love of all. There will always be family love to support and sustain us through the toughest of times. There is the love of our faith community. Other than God’s love, all other loves are imperfect and may fail us but know that His love always remains. 

Walk by faith today filled with the hope of new things and new days. Accept the love that God offers to you and be encouraged and blessed. 

Dear Jesus, Sometimes I wonder what I really have to call my own. Today I am reminded that I have faith, hope and love. Thank you for loving me with a love that never fails. Your love gives me hope today! Amen 

- Written by Wes Humble