Perfect Recipe

We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. (1 Corinthians 13:12-13, MSG)

In this passage of Scripture we find the perfect recipe for a life of completeness.  Let’s cook a batch of this up and see how it changes our perspective!

Faith, Hope, and Love. 3 Basic Ingredients for a life of Completeness!

1.  Trust Steadily in God ~ FAITH

*Who are you trusting in today?

*Have you put your faith in God?

*Faith comes from the Greek word pistis which means “having the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ, a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God.”

*Do you have a strong conviction that God exists?  Do you believe that He is the ruler over all things?  Do you  believe that Jesus Christ is the One who gives eternal salvation?  Do you live like you know the answer to these three questions?  Do you share the answers to these questions with others who don’t know the answers?

Remember this,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

2.  Hope Unswervingly ~ HOPE

*Have you put your hope in God?

*Do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God can come through in any circumstance that you face?

*The Greek word for Hope is elpis which means “expectation of good, hope in the Christian sense, joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation, the author of hope, or he who is its foundation.”

*There is no hope without God in your life.  He is the Author of hope, the One who gives us hope for another minute, another hour, another day, and most importantly an eternity.  Are you joyfully celebrating all that awaits us in eternity?

Remember this,

“God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.  We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.  It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.  He has become a high priest forever, in order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6:18-20)

3.  Love Extravagantly ~ LOVE

*How are your words speaking love to others?

*Have your actions shown God’s extravagant love lately?

*The Greek word for love is agape which means “brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence.”

*Love is the most important ingredient in this recipe.

“We love because he first loved us.”
~1 John 4:19

FAITH + HOPE + LOVE = Completeness

Read more of 1 Corinthians 13

Dear Father God, I pray that You will cook up a good batch of completeness in my life.  May my faith increase daily, my hope be renewed in who You are, and my love be stretched.  I pray that these three things will be evident in my life, as I daily surrender myself to You!

Can you smell that cooking?  It’s a good batch of completeness!  May you experience the complete life in Jesus today!

 Complete in Jesus,