Love's Hopes Are Fadeless

Love's hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Hopeth all things, is the KJV of 1 Cor 13:7 for the study we will look at today. This word Hopeth, all by itself, was "elPIS" in the original text and simply meant to desire of some good with the expectation of obtaining it.

Generally. Spoken especially of those who experience the hope of salvation through Christ, eternal life, and blessedness. Of a hope in or on someone, i.e., trust, confidence. Hope is one of the most distinctive marks of the Christian life in opposition to the hopelessness of the Gentile world. The conclusion of Paul's hymn of love in 1 Cor. 13:13 speaks of hope not as something that is future, but as something that is not going to be needed in the future.

13. "And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love."

The word "greatest" refers not to the inherent value of love, but to the continuation of its function in the future. Faith and hope, on the other hand, are aspects of the Christian's experience that are exercised only on this earth and will not be needed in heaven.

I used to tell my little Sunday-school students that BIBLE stands for: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. It's kinda cute, but, you chew on that a little bit and you'll see, it really is true. Heaven will make that which is now unseen in the graces of faith and hope to become sight.

Vine's, says this about hope: Favorable and confident expectation. It has to do with the unseen and the future. Hope describes the happy anticipation of good, the ground upon which hope is based, and the object upon which the hope is fixed.

For a better understanding of the text we are looking at, we, again, must put "hopeth all things" into the context of what Paul was talking about.

All of these "fruits" or elements of Love that we've been studying were written in the "continual, keep on doing this, don't ever stop" format.

We also must consider that we are talking about a hope of something ultimately good. Not because "we" are just wanting it, but because of the nature of the One whom this kind of love (Agape) is coming from... God. And we know God is Good. And so, this hope is in things that are now or will add up to good.

Next, we see that the "all things" is referring to "life", everything that we will be going through. Circumstances that are beyond what we might have chosen, not what we would have ever dreamed of... The events someone else (God) intimately selected for us to deal with, go through, "endure."

And so, we put all we know about this verse together, we understand that, Love's hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

"The Love that is from God, now living in me, is anticipating good and believes that it will come about and doesn't stop believing that, no matter what happens, ever".

Wow, now I don't know about you guys, but from the pain and suffering (mostly in the heart) that I've gone through, I know this Hope was what brought me this far.

Years ago when my wife changed her mind about our life together, I had to move far away from what she was doing in order to minimize my pain, for one thing... And in doing so, I also gave up everything I had worked hard for, for so many years. My children (teenagers, at that point) were caught up in the excitement of suddenly being around lots of money, jet skis, racing boats, and all. It had taken their attention away from what was eternal and onto the things of that moment. It was so painful.

And so, leaving everything I loved and had been used to for so long was very hard to endure. But, on the inside of me was a HOPE that was not of my own fashioning. I remember the Holy Spirit kept showing me that I had to get somewhere where I could get myself well (mentally) and get my feet back on the ground (financially) to be prepared for my children when they might see what was really happening and search for their Dad's lifestyle. I remember that, Listening to my own thoughts like, "maybe she will change her mind", and "don't you think you are abandoning your children to a Godless lifestyle", left me with hopelessness. Listening to the Holy Spirit allowed me to trust God. Trusting God allowed His love to operate within me and that gave me Hope. So, with just the clothes on my back and a couple suitcases, I moved here to N.C. to live with my parents.

Through the darkest time of that period, there remained, in me this HOPE, this wonderful, "miraculous" fruit of God's love coming up from inside me. Love, not just operating within me but coming out of me as well. Keeping me going even though I couldn't see ANYTHING good with my eyes. You see, I could not see my children coming here six months later, getting back into school, finishing their education here, going to church with me again, finding their mates and even getting married here, and having my grandchildren right here.

God has the only "Box Office Seat, in this game", so-to-speak. Not bound by time, nor distance, nor anything, He alone could see all of these things coming together while I was Trusting in and Relying upon Him.

This Hope that we are talking about is something that I for one, know is REAL because I have experienced it. It came when Love moved into me. One day, years ago, all I wanted was to find out if God was real or not, and instead of just revealing Himself, He moved in. Hope came into me with all of the other fruits of His Love. Its still there, because I still feel it... It won't stop lifting me, driving me to keep on. It moves out through me and into my children and their children, my friends, strangers, and even people I didn't used to like. It's still in me because He's still in me.

Romans 5:5 "Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us."

Love's hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

Colossians 1:27 "To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory."

I love you.