But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
Good afternoon!
This is a great and a rare opportunity for me to be able to talk this afternoon. I did not expect this that is why I am happy and at the same time honored. I hope that I could share some thoughts which you may find useful in doing you day to day activities.
I would like to start with faith. Faith is a belief in something that can’t be seen or proved by scientific methods. A trust that is so strong it causes us to act on it. Faith means believing that Jesus lives and loves us and that he will bless us if we do what is right. If we trust him and follow his teaching, we will be happy. Our faith in Jesus can grow by learning about Him.
Why are we sometimes afraid of strangers? Because we don’t know them and we don’t know if we can trust them. It is hard to have faith in someone whom we do not know.
Faith in Jesus, we have to know Him.
In Matthew 17:20 “He told them, "Because of your lack of faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” In this verse Jesus taught about faith by comparing it into a mustard seed because it can grow into a tree.
Faith usually begins as a small thing. Sometimes it begins with only the desire to believe. Like the seed, it has within it the ability to grow in strength and power. To grow, it needs to be planted, and taken cared of.
Our faith fills our lives with blessings and we find miracles happening in our lives. Our faith can grow if we pray to the Lord, learn all we can about the Savior and follow Jesus’ example and his teachings.
Usually, when we have faith, we hope for better things to come into our lives but sometimes the word hope is misunderstood. In our everyday language, the word “HOPE” often has a hint of uncertainty. Example, we may say that we hope for a change in the weather or a visit from a friend. In the language of the gospel, however, the word hope is sure, unwavering and active.
In Romans 15:13 “Now may God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace as you believe, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”. In this verse, you increase in hope as you pray and seek God’s forgiveness. You also gain hope as you study the scriptures and follow their teachings. The Apostle Paul taught in Romans 15:14 “I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are filled with goodness and full of all the knowledge you need to be able to instruct each other”. With hope you can find joy in life. You can have patience and bear all your afflictions. “Happy is he”, said the Psalmist in Psalm 146:5 “The LORD God of Jacob blesses everyone who trusts him and depends on him”.
Since I have finished with faith and hope, I would like to share about love. I know most of you are waiting for this word to be mentioned because it is one of the reasons why we are here.
Love is a feeling of deep devotion, concern, and affection. Love for God and follow men is a characteristic of disciples of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 22:35-40; John 13:34-35)
Jesus taught us that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our hearts and souls. The second greatest commandment is to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40 and Luke 10:27-28). A lawyer asked Jesus a question that many of us have asked ourselves: “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29) in answer, Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan, as recorded in Luke 10:30-37.
As far as person-to-person assistance is concerned, the greatest compassionate service each of us can give maybe in our own neighborhoods and communities. Wherever we live in the world there is pain and sorrow all around us. We need to take more initiative as individuals in deciding how we can best be of service.
When we get emotionally and spiritually involved in helping a person who is in pain, compassion enters our heart. It hurts but the process lifts some of the pain from another. We gain a better understanding of what was meant in Matthew 25:40The king will answer, "Whenever you did it for any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did it for me."
Charity or the pure love of Christ should be the motivation for our service to our neighbors. When we have charity we love all people. We serve them not because we have been told to do so but because we want to do so. We are able to cast aside our own fears in order to help them because “perfect love cast out fear.” (1 John 4:18)
God loves and blesses all of his children.
How can we nurture others with love?
1. Be nonjudgmental. (Matthew 7:1) People tend to become what is expected of them. Labels convey those expectations. Pigeons may feel comfortable in designated pigeon holes, but people can be offended when labeled or classified. In the eyes of God, all are brothers and sisters. But we progress at our own pace. Each of us, regardless of struggles, is a choice soul, precious in the sight of the Lord. Many of us, if not most, will slip and fall somewhere along the way. So we should be a true friend. (Proverbs 17:7)
2. Accept diversity. Everyone is not “like us.” We have opportunities to work with love and fellowship those of different backgrounds, races and cultures. Each of us needs to feel love and accepted, regardless of differences.
3. Be sensitive to the feelings of others. We need to be sensitive in our conversations and relationships. Sometimes we are careless or unaware of the feelings and circumstances of others. We should treat everybody well and do what is right and cultivate the spirit of kindness towards all.
Lastly if we love we should learn how to forgive.
In closing, I would like to share this scripture John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.
This is the highest expression of love of which we can conceive. A parent who should give up his only son to die for others who are guilty if this could or might be done - would show higher love than could be manifested in any other way. So it shows the depth of the love of God, that he was willing to give his only Son into the hands of sinful men that he might be slain, and thus redeem them from eternal sorrow.
This scripture is the best example is the greatest love. Called the “Agape Love”. The love of God is unconditional. Whoever you are, God loves you. God love us.
God bless us all. Once again, good afternoon!
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