The trinity of faith, hope, and love has always resonated with me. It’s bound to, since my name, Darlene Hope, already ties together love and hope. When 1 Thessalonians 1:3 snagged my eye, I found myself praying, “Let this be true of me.”

What I saw — what I desired — was to have the Thessalonians’ faith. It was evident in everything they did. It was motivated by love, put into action by faith, kept going by hope. Imagine my delight when my fellow nursing home residents tell me, “We need you to pray for us because God answers your prayers.”

Praise God! They saw my faith in action.

Faith sees the possibilities and acts on them, love motivates us to work, and hope keeps us going. Put another way, the invisible qualities of faith, hope, and love are meant to be made visible in what we do.

Our faith should bring observable results. I’m not talking about major miracles. I am saying that when God calls us to obedience and action, we obey and act.

When we act in faith, love should motivate us. We act not only because God tells us to, but because love prompts us to obey and to help others. In fact, love often opens our eyes to the need in the first place.

And hope keeps us going when the going gets tough. Hope won’t let us give up.

I want to be like the Thessalonians. Don’t you?

Lord, let me recognize the Thessalonian attitude in my life. Thank you that faith, hope, and love come from you. Use me in visible ways. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Go Deeper — Which is the easiest for you to exhibit, faith, hope, or love? How does each assist us to do the other?



Tags: 1&2 Thessalonians 1 Thessalonians 1
Photo Credit: Ben White