June 2nd, 2023
Friday, June 2
The Greatest of These is Love
Anna Williams
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:12-13 ESV
Have you ever had life experiences that made you feel like you were constantly jumping back and forth between the proverbial pan and the fire? Like no matter what you did to insulate yourself from pain, the hits just kept coming?
Living for an extended period in that sort of season can chip away at our hope. We can even settle into a mindset that is expectant of the next hit. We feel on edge all the time in anticipation of it. New questions might arise, challenging our faith. How can a life like this ever feel abundant or fulfilling? Why hasn’t God intervened here? When is he going to show up?
I love how the Gospels describe many encounters of Jesus with “hopeless” situations.
One of my favorites is the account of Lazarus’ resurrection from the dead in John 11. There are so many different emotions being felt by those in mourning when Jesus arrives in town. Martha feels certain that Jesus could have healed Lazarus but consoles herself in the knowledge that she will see Lazarus again one day in the final resurrection. Some of the onlookers question how a prophet who has healed the blind could mess up the timing so badly. Mary is distraught and essentially says “If only you had been here, this would not have happened.”
In the face of the partial faith and obliterated hope held by his dear friends and followers, Jesus did not lose patience. He did not condemn them or get angry with their lack of understanding. Jesus wept. He loved them exactly where they were and despite their shortcomings. He gave them room for their emotions. And then, in God’s perfect timing, He restored Lazarus and blew them all away with the unimaginable.
Our faith and hope can falter at times, but God’s love is always enduring, always pursuing, always patient, always forgiving and it never fails. If we seek to love Him back with our whole hearts, He will bring us to restoration.
The Greatest of These is Love
Anna Williams
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:12-13 ESV
Have you ever had life experiences that made you feel like you were constantly jumping back and forth between the proverbial pan and the fire? Like no matter what you did to insulate yourself from pain, the hits just kept coming?
Living for an extended period in that sort of season can chip away at our hope. We can even settle into a mindset that is expectant of the next hit. We feel on edge all the time in anticipation of it. New questions might arise, challenging our faith. How can a life like this ever feel abundant or fulfilling? Why hasn’t God intervened here? When is he going to show up?
I love how the Gospels describe many encounters of Jesus with “hopeless” situations.
One of my favorites is the account of Lazarus’ resurrection from the dead in John 11. There are so many different emotions being felt by those in mourning when Jesus arrives in town. Martha feels certain that Jesus could have healed Lazarus but consoles herself in the knowledge that she will see Lazarus again one day in the final resurrection. Some of the onlookers question how a prophet who has healed the blind could mess up the timing so badly. Mary is distraught and essentially says “If only you had been here, this would not have happened.”
In the face of the partial faith and obliterated hope held by his dear friends and followers, Jesus did not lose patience. He did not condemn them or get angry with their lack of understanding. Jesus wept. He loved them exactly where they were and despite their shortcomings. He gave them room for their emotions. And then, in God’s perfect timing, He restored Lazarus and blew them all away with the unimaginable.
Our faith and hope can falter at times, but God’s love is always enduring, always pursuing, always patient, always forgiving and it never fails. If we seek to love Him back with our whole hearts, He will bring us to restoration.
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