The author of Hebrews 11:1 writes, "faith is the substance of things hoped for." He uses the words faith and hope in the same sentence suggesting a cause and effect relationship. What this means is that faith inspires hope. The apostle Paul also uses these same two words, faith and hope, in one sentence found in I Corinthians 13:13 when he writes, "faith, hope, love abide, but the greatest of these is love." What is implied here is more than cause and effect. Paul is telling us that love is the very engine by which faith and hope empower our lives.
Think of it like this . . . Faith, without love, grows cold leaving us with little more than theological postulates to debate and argue. Hope, without love, grows dim leaving us with no vision for God's promises that are yet to be realized. Faith and hope need love in order to survive. What Paul wanted the Church at Corinth to learn is what all Christians of any denominational church must learn ... that faith and hope are nothing more than empty words if they are not empowered by a love that calls us to love God, be loved by God, love ourselves and neighbor as self. It is little wonder Jesus called loving God, self and neighbor he two greatest commandments. Love teaches us how to value others, even those who do not share our same worldviews on life.
Today, when you are tempted to judge another person for their wrong views, do remember the more excellent way. This does not mean that you cannot hold views opposite than those who sit across the conference table, or living room table, from you. What it does mean is that love should inspire the way we have conversations of difference. Our goal should never be to prove our own righteousness, but to show that we can make life work, in spite of our differences. To do this requires both respect and an appreciation for what makes us different from each other.
Maybe someday, those who serve our nation in Washington D.C. will follow the more excellent way. We can always pray, can't we? - I Thessalonians 5:16 - 18
Dennis
