ABC's

Today's Reading: Judges 4 & 1 Corinthians 13

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

Observation:
The ABC's of the Christian life are contained in this verse. Faith is the system of truths upon which I build my life. Hope is my positive reaction to that system of truth. Love is a self-giving attitude that flows vertically to God and then horizontally to those around me.

Application:
It is amazing just how backwards the Word of God is from my own logic. The Bible says that the greatest thing in all the world I could pursue is love. That is not to the neglect of the other items listed in this verse. My faith must be pure. I must always guard against adding things to my faith or twisting my beliefs to fit my own preferences. I must also guard my hope. The world is a mess and I am undeniable part of that mess. It is easy to get overwhelmed and lose heart. Hope is the constant reminder that things will turn out for the best.

The reminder to me this morning that that I can be theologically sound, full of positive energy and still be lifeless and useless. If my self-giving love is not flowing upward to God and outward to those around me everything else is for naught. I spend a great deal of time strengthening my faith or looking for hope but I often neglect to learn how to give more of myself away in order to better love God and others.

Prayer:
My natural reaction to frustration is anger. I have been dealing with a great deal of frustrating circumstances lately and consequently have been left holding onto a good bit of anger. My anger kills my love. My loss of love erodes my hope. The erosion of my hope cause me to question my faith. It is a vicious cycle and my enemy has really been pressing down me through it.

I confess to You this morning that I am harboring some things that I need to let go. A slave has no rights and I am a slave to You. Forgive me for feeling like my rights are being trampled or that I am being deprived of something owed to me. Reality is that You have given me more than I deserve.

I release to You today the dark things I hold in my heart. All my anger, frustration, resentment and disappoint I surrender to You today. Empower me today to walk in love, full of hope, and grounded in Your truth.