Thursday: Faith, Hope, and Love
Daily Lesson for Thursday 13th of August 2026
Thus far, we have learned that love is patient, kind, joyful, resilient, believing, hopeful, and enduring (or perseverant) because Jesus is all these things. Once we see these qualities in Jesus, the next step is to imitate Him. That was Paul’s wish for the Corinthians. However, if we remove the “not” in the eight negative features of love, “we get a pretty good description of the Corinthians’ conduct within their church circle: envious, boasting, arrogant, rude, self-seeking, easily offended, and looking to see what others were doing wrong. Paul is tailoring the verbs he uses here to the Corinthian situation.”—Verlyn D. Verbrugge, “1 Corinthians,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Romans–Galatians, revised edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008), p. 372.
The Corinthians had much to learn. So do we. After describing what love does and does not do, Paul concludes his section by emphasizing the everlasting nature of love so as to stimulate the practice of genuine love.
Image © Educational Concepts Collection at Goodsalt.com
One day, prophecies will no longer be necessary; we will speak only one language; and flawed human knowledge will be replaced by a brand-new knowledge of God (1 Corinthians 13:12). The gifts of the Spirit will cease only when the purpose for which they exist has reached its fulfillment (1 Corinthians 13:10). “But love will last forever!” (1 Corinthians 13:8, NLT).
Likewise, when Christ returns, faith will give place to sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), and that which we have long hoped for will be reality (Romans 8:24). And, most of all, love will endure as an emblem of the character of our triune God. Yet, there is a sense in which faith and hope will also last forever. Faith as the experience of salvation (Romans 4:3), and hope as the desire and expectation of new delights and knowledge in the new earth, will mark the experience of the redeemed forever. Yet love, God’s love, will eternally prevail.
Very soon, we will see our Lord face-to-face (1 Corinthians 13:12). Until that day comes, we are supposed to define our lives with these three virtues: faith, hope, and love. This triad is representative of the fullness of Christian life through the Spirit. That is why it was often referred to among Christians (Romans 5:1-5; Galatians 5:5-6; Ephesians 1:15,18; Ephesians 4:1-5). Love, however, is the greatest; after all, it is the only virtue used to describe the very nature of God Himself (1 John 4:8).
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Dwell on the statement “God is love.” How are we supposed to understand exactly what that means? And though we can grasp the idea only in part, why is that phrase such good news for us? |
Christians like to take ownership of the expression faith, hope and charity and we surround them with a faith-based language that is quite meaningful to us but it often loses its meaning outside the church’s walls. I would like to explore how our Christian faith hope and charity can work in a secular world.
In the secular world faith is often synonymous with trust. And during my lifetime we have seen an erosion of trust. We no longer trust our governments to do the right thing for its citizens. We do not trust medical science to heal us. We don’t trust our religious leaders when so many of them have moral lapses. Some of this loss of trust is well deserved but at its core we find a fundamental rift in our society that magnifies our differences and increases our level of conflict. The media, of course, has a vested interest in conflict because it grabs attention and attention means money and profits. The big casualty is our trust in one another.
Non-religious people think of hope, not in terms of wishful thinking but in active planning, problem solving and strategic planning. It makes the assumption that if we do something now, we have the potential to have a better future.
Self-sacrificing love may not appear under that name in the secular world, but altruism exhibits itself not in the occasional gift to a good cause, but in planned and consistent volunteering to homeless care, refuges from domestic violence, environmental care and so on. Folk give of their time and substance, without expecting a reward in the hope that they are making the world a better place.
And now I would like to quote a scripture:
Jesus used Isaiah’s messianic prophecy to describe his work of restoring faith/trust, providing hope, and acting in unselfish love for the good of others. And the conservative religious leaders of the day wanted to kill him for that.
We are to be partners in this work when we become followers of Jesus.
The knowledge that GOD is love; gives us hope for a better ending in this world.
We might have been in the church for so many years, even born in a generation of Seventh Day Adventists families, the truth of the matter is that we have a great deal of spiritual growth to pursue. Looking at the portrait of love in 1 Corinthians 13 as a mirror we might be tempted to see our helplessness and hopelessness. But praise be to God that same God who gives the high standard provides the transforming grace. On the other hand, the mirror is an instrument of hope. The mirror reflect our helplessness in need of help. 1Corinthians 13 should make us uncomfortable. It should disturb our complacency and expose the gap between the love we profess and the love we actually demonstrate.
It is interesting to note why love is the greatest among the three virtues: faith, hope and love. Faith is necessary because we have not seen all what God has promised yet and when we see God face to face, will be its climax. Hope is necessary because we have not obtained all that God promised and the new earth with be its climax. However, love will never have its climax because it is the very essence of God’s character and through eternity we shall be growing into His character. It is no wonder that the standard of agape love is so high that even in eternity we shall be growing towards it.
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
Omwenga, as I studied the attributes of love described in 1 Corinthians 13, I found myself looking in that mirror and realizing how far I fall short. I even wondered, How can anyone fully reflect all of these qualities?
But the mirror is not meant to leave us in despair. It shows us our need for Christ and for the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. The very fact that we see our shortcomings can be evidence that God is working in us.
So, rather than giving up because we don’t yet reflect the love described in 1 Corinthians 13, let us allow it to humble us, draw us closer to Christ, and motivate us to keep growing.
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
We may not yet be where we need to be, but praise God, He is not finished with us yet!
The greatest power for living is found in the three realities that Paul identifies in 1 Corinthians 13:13: “Three things will last forever: faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” These are not mere religious ideas or virtues that we are meant to admire from a distance; they are the spiritual forces that carry us through this life and prepare us for eternity. Everything we build in this life will one day fade and pass away. For possessions fade, achievements are forgotten, positions change, and even our earthly bodies return to dust. Yet Paul tells us that three things will remain: faith, hope, and love. Faith teaches us to trust God when we cannot see Him at work. Hope teaches us to look beyond what is happening now toward what God has promised. Love teaches us to live beyond ourselves and reflect the very character of God. Together, faith, hope, and love move us from self-reliance to complete dependence upon God.
Our trials are not meaningless interruptions in the Christian journey; in God’s hands, they become instruments through which He strengthens our faith, deepens our hope, and enlarges our capacity to love unconditionally for life has never been and will not be never be a smooth journey. For there are mountains we did not expect to climb, valleys we never planned to enter, and storms we never imagined would come. It is in these moments that the power of faith, hope, and love becomes most evident. Faith says, “I may not understand what God is doing, but I will still trust Him.” Hope says, “What I see is not the end of my story; God still has a future for me.” And love says, “Even in my suffering, I will continue to love God and love others.” This is why Paul could write in Romans 5:3–5 that we can rejoice even in suffering, because suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope.
Faith, hope, and love are therefore not simply things we possess—they are componets that sustain us when everything else is shaken. Faith keeps us standing when we cannot see the road; hope keeps us moving when the journey becomes difficult; and love keeps our hearts alive when disappointment could make us bitter. Faith looks upward and trusts God. Hope looks forward and anticipates His promises. Love reaches outward and reflects His character. And Paul reminds us that “the greatest of these is love” because love is more than something God gives—it reveals who God is. One day our faith will become sight, and our hope will become reality. But love will remain. When the journey is over, when suffering has ended, when every promise has been fulfilled, love will still stand. So let faith guide you, let hope sustain you, and let love define you—because these three are the enduring powers of a life lived with God.
I have shared your post. Thank you for sharing these thoughts and encouragement.
Dear Motanya. I am often blessed by your posts. This one in particular is rich in spiritual gems. Many thanks
Although we may become parents, which resembles what God feels for us, it is still difficult to comprehend someone with infinite power incarnating a mortal body to die for His own creatures — while He decided to start calling them friends! We may really have to spend eternity to fully understand what the true love of God means.
Love is patient, kind, and resilient. But even good qualities need boundaries. Otherwise, what begins as love can slowly become enabling.
Patience has limits. If someone continually disrespects or mistreats you, endlessly tolerating it doesn’t necessarily make you more loving. Sometimes it simply gives them permission to keep doing it.
Resilience has limits, too. A relationship cannot be held together by one person forever. Enduring hardship doesn’t mean you have to continually absorb the damage.
Hope needs to be grounded in reality. We can believe in someone’s potential, but we shouldn’t ignore their present choices and behavior. That’s not always faith—it can become denial.
Setting healthy boundaries doesn’t mean you don’t love someone. It means you also recognize the value God has placed on your own dignity and well-being.
True love doesn’t require you to destroy yourself in order to keep someone else whole.
Indeed Beverley! Love isn’t codependency, and co-dependency isn’t love.
With Christ being our standard / blue print/ mirror of Love, I don’t think we ” Man” offered anything to Christ,to be loved to that/ this extent ” Sacrificing Himself for us” .
To my understanding, the love we are seeing here has no limits, strings attached, whether righteous or unrighteousness as we may categorize ourselves, Christ loved us all 🤝🤝
The lesson author made a statement that I feel could lead us right into works Righteousness.
The truth of the matter is that we are totally incapable of ourselves to live out the ideals of Christianity. It’s not something that we do or struggle to become. Rather it is totally surrendering myself to Jesus so that he can live out His life within me. Nothing less will accomplish it. We need a Righteousness that surpasses that of the Pharisees (Matthew 5:20). We need the righteousness of Christ imputed and imparted to us. When Christ is the central focus of our life then his life will be lived out within us.
It’s the only way. No amount of trying will accomplish it. One of Larnelle Harris’s most requested songs, “The Strength of the Lord,” reminds us all that it is “not in trying, but in trusting, not in running, but in resting, not in wondering but in praying that we find the strength of the Lord”
I pray this song uplifts you today and each day you hear it!
The Strength of the Lord, Larnelle Harris
H’mm … I didn’t even notice that on first reading.
Perhaps a better way to put it would have been this:
“When we see these qualities in Jesus, we need to submit ourselves to Him, so He can develop these qualities in us as we cooperate.”
We have been reading in Testimonies to the Church Vol 3, and the author makes clear that no one will be saved without works of faith – imitating Jesus. As I understand it, only Jesus saves, and no one will be saved by works. But no one will be saved without works, because works are the evidence of our faith, and faith without works is dead.
Inge, indeed there is a measure of our cooperation necessary. Perhaps an illustration from my childhood will help. One time our family went to the beach. My Mom wanted to put tanning oil on me to keep me from getting sunburned. I didn’t want to wait for her to put it on and instead ran to play in the water. She had purchased the oil, it didn’t cost me a dime. She was going to apply it on me if I let her. I didn’t want to wait. She warned me that I would get sunburned. I didn’t care, until later that evening when the heat of the sunburn started to trouble me. When I complained of the sunburn, Mom simply said, “maybe next time you will let me put the oil on you.”
Justification is the imputed righteousness (the tanning oil) provided free of cost. Sanctification is the imparted righteousness (the oil applied by the Holy Spirit), which results in good works. Yes, there is necessity of myself allowing the Holy Spirit to change me. It is the work of a lifetime. I think we may be saying the same thing only in different ways.
I agree with you, Tim. No amount of trying makes us like Jesus.
I do feel when we encounter God’s love, ideally we want to be like Him. And we try to be like Him and realize pretty quickly that it isn’t so easy. After that, hopefully we turn to Him for the power to be like Him. Jesus gives us the answer in John 15. It is to remain or abide in Him. If we do, we will bear much fruit. There isn’t trying involved here besides trying not to do it ourselves. Which actually can be a hard thing to give up.
The beloved Apostle John writing to the church says “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8 NIV.
The Apostle Paul writing to the Galatian church says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love,….” Galatian 5:22 NIV.
It appears to me, that according to the Scriptures, that God alone is the source of genuine love. He is not only the perfection of that attribute; He is also its only source.
This is my understanding of the phrase – “God is love.”
A lesson on forgiveness that has stayed with my family. Our older 3 children were 15-21. They went on a back pack trip with our church. The youth pastor and one of the youth leaders led out in that week long trip. Our son, the 21 year old became very quiet after the trip and would not share his frustration. A couple of weeks later the youth pastor led the Sabbath worship service and at the end said his wife had left him and he was going to have to leave the ministry. The church was very quiet and prayerful. However he left church that day in a pick up with the youth leader’s wife. The truth of what happened on the back pack trip was revealed and the church was in shock. Two families were broken apart. Fast forward about 3 years and the wife of that youth pastor was visiting our home on Sabbath afternoon – Our son asked her “aren’t you angry and mad at what …. did?” With the peace and security that only God can give she replied, “I forgave him, he is the father of my children. If I cannot forgive him how can I ask God to forgive me?” She did not return to her ex-husband but she forgave him.
I am puzzled by one statement in the lesson today. “Love will endure as an emblem of our triune God”.
The wording is strange and, I feel, inadequate. An emblem is something you wear on your clothes or an ornament you have in your china cabinet. Describing love in that way sells it short. In eternity, the saved will not love because they want to point to God (although certainly their love will point to God). They will love because it has become their nature too. They are fully committed to the law of love, which really is the principle that everything is founded on.
Love existed before there was any sin and it will exist after sin is gone. It is important for us living in a sinful world, but if we just see it as something we need to manage an imperfect life, I don’t think we understand it.
I want to clarify right at the outset that it is the Father’s Love ‘which is patient, kind, joyful, resilient, believing, hopeful, and enduring (or perseverant) because it is His Love which is examplified in Jesus Christ, His Son by being all these things’.
By some, I might be perceived as a ‘contrarian’ when pointing out certain spiritual aspects of these lessons, though I find it so critically important to properly understand our inability/capacity to ‘imitate’ Jesus as the lesson calls for. To me, the Father’s Love is the most important aspect of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and cannot be dealt with lightly.
‘Love and being kind’ cannot be reduced to the effort of the will, and we cannot use ‘works’ to satisfy the ‘Spirit of the Law’ by ‘imitating Christ’. This is why God changed the requirement of ‘satisfying the Law by works’ with offering to all who believe His Holy Spirit to change our old nature and to form the new one in His Image – so giving us the capacity to return His Love to Him and showing kindness to our fellow man through the power of His Spirit.
Jesus Christ was given to be our real-life example by which we can ‘calibrate’ our acts of kindness; He is our compass. Using our willpower to ‘emulate’ Him, dismisses the Truth that God’s Love is the fruit of His Spirit and not based on our works. As we humbly live in Christ Jesus awaiting His return, God’s Love within us changes us forever – 2 Cor.5:17.
Please note, Christina, that the triune GOD – Creator, Redeemer, Savior and Sustainer – IS LOVE. (1 John 4:8)
I feel somewhat like the Corinthians, still learning much during this week’s lesson discussion. What great points of clarity are being shared, though! Never again will I read 1 Corinthians 13 with simple surface interpretation.
God has indeed demonstrated His exemplary and infinite plan for the lives of His obedient children. May we – through the aid of the Holy Spirit – be defined by the virtues faith, hope and charity … till Jesus’ second return. Amen.