These words seem pretty simple and straightforward, but are they really?

Let’s look at what the original Greek meant. See, sometimes in translation, we don’t get the full picture that the writer was painting. It’s like when the movie made for the big screen is cropped for the television screen. Some things are left out.

From the Amplified Bible:

≈ faith is conviction and belief respecting man’s relation to God and divine things
≈ hope is joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation
≈ love is true affection for God and man, growing out of God’s love for and in us

For me, this understanding relieves stress. As in everything God expects of us, it’s not about our actions and deeds. It’s not about anything we DO, it’s all about our hearts – the motives behind what we do. See, I can behave a certain way in certain situations, even if my heart isn’t in it. Don’t we all do the same?

C’mon. We all behave a little differently in the presence of our parents and grandparents. Be real. You know it’s true. Whether it’s tempering our language or some other action, we don’t want to hurt or offend them, so we modify our behavior somewhat.

The reason we make those changes is what God is concerned about. If we make the changes just to fit societal norms without a heart of faith, hope, and love, we’ve missed the boat.

Let’s ask God to examine us and our motives today. Are we living with the conviction and belief respecting man’s relation to God and divine things? Are we walking around with the joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation for ourselves and others? Do we bear the true affection for God and man, growing out of God’s love for and in us? Let’s let God answer those questions deep in our hearts and make whatever changes He says we need to.

Coffee, Bible, Journal.