Thursday, September 8, 2016

Thurs., 9/8/16 Devotion (1 Cor. 13:13)

Today's encouragement comes from 1 Corinthians 13:13, which says this:

"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

Love is greater than faith and hope, because love, like Christ, salvation, and the church lasts forever. As great as faith is—and it is *very* great because it is the grace by which we apprehend Christ and His righteousness—nonethe-less, in glory (heaven) it will not be necessary. The same can be said about hope, (which is also a marvelous mercy of God to us).

But love is special, because it will be perfected (and continued forever) in heaven; and it is to be our creed here on earth. True faith and true hope al-ways lead to inevitable (and invincible) love. Let us live in Christ's love today, and in so doing, bring Him lots of glory.

[Puritan quote of the day: "It is a sinful modesty in Christians that they are not more free with their ministers and other spiritual friends in unburdening them-selves and opening the sores and troubles of their souls to them.” —Thomas Watson, in, "The Doctrine of Repentance"]