LOVE HOPES

1 Corinthians 13:7

Before we start I’d like to remind us all what is written in James 1:22-25. Lets read that. Everyone who hears the word and puts this into practise is wise. Those of us who hear the word and then leave here and forget it, and don’t practise it, we are not wise. God considers us as fools. So lets all be listening to the word tonight and lets all do our best to remember it and lets all practise it so that God will see us as wise and He will bless us. So be blessed tonight.


What is the greatest spiritual gift?
Love. I Cor 13:1-3.

I thought of three ways that love hopes and if there are more maybe you can tell me.

1. To hope in the manner of trust
When you hear something bad about someone, or you observe somebody doing something or saying something, instead of judging them and thinking badly of them, you will hope that all is not what is seems. For example, if Sylvie is told that Michael was caught stealing. She will not believe it because love trusts. But after years of court cases and everything seems to be pointing to the fact that he did it, because Sylvie loves Michael, she will continue to hope that he didn’t.

2. To hope for the best for that personWhen you love someone you really want the best for that person. You want God to bless them and you are happy when He does. Because you love that person you hope that they will live a good life and everything will be wonderful for that person. Because of love you will pray for that person so that God will fulfil your hopes for them.

Love is not jealous as we have learnt, so you will not be jealous when you see someone you love getting something that you would like. Love does not envy so we can only be happy when we see someone get something that we would like. But sometimes we can’t say that we are happy. Sometimes we grumble to God and say, ‘why did you give Michelle a new car while mine is too old’. Sometimes we are even jealous when we see someone younger than us spiritually gaining more spiritual gifts than us. Sometimes we are jealous over someone growing faster spiritually than us. But love is not jealous, envious or proud. Love hopes for the best for that person so we should pray that they will grow spiritually.


3. To hope for that person’s repentance and salvation
It is really important to love someone to the point that you will not believe bad reports about that person. But sometimes you can’t escape the truth. For example, if Sylvie finds that Michael really did steal then because of love she will hope for his repentence.

Sometimes when we are with non-christians we can grumble against them because they do not know how to live the way we do. Maybe you work with someone annoying, or someone who is rude, or someone who is unkind but because of love, you will not think about these bad behaviours but only hope for their salvation and transformation.

I’ll leave you with one verse that should help us to practise love;

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34,35.

By Hayley Boud