Build Your Life on the Big Three

It seems like our world is becoming less stable all the time. In the past few weeks, there have been dramatic swings in the financial markets as the possibility of a double-dip recession looms. This week the revolution in Libya is again shaking up the Arab nations which could bring major realignment to the world.

And now hurricane season is upon us--after a series of earthquakes and tornados have already altered many lives and have given some of us the jitters.

Instability seems to be the order of the day. Actually, in a fallen world, it's the nature of things. Human existence is not easy.

So what are some firm foundations upon which to build a happy and successful future?

I encourage you build your life on the Big Three...

First of all, let's talk about the importance of character.

One assignment I like to give my students is this: "Name the three character qualities that you believe are most important for your future success. Tell me why they are the most important ones upon which to build your life."

Usually the students choose some great qualities like loyalty, perseverance, joy, being merciful, seeking justice, or being caring and generous to others.

Years ago I singled out three characteristics that I felt were necessary for me. One is humility--a quality that I constantly need to work on.  Another--hard work--is a stength that I somewhat naturally possess and want to harness for God's glory.

I won't tell you the third. It's one of the Big Three.

What's your list of important qualities?  If you were to choose three characteristics upon which to base your life dreams and activities, what would they be?

Saul of Tarsus, who became known as the Apostle Paul, was a very smart guy. Next to Jesus Himself, Paul's writings have probably impacted the world more than any other human being.

We know what Paul's Big Three were. He told us in 1 Corinthians 13:13:

"There are three things that will endure--faith, hope and love--and the greatest of these is love."

Faith. Hope. Love.

We may need a greater portion of them in the coming years of change and difficulty. Let's look at them one by one.

FAITH

Faith was the first choice of my original three characteristics. I reasoned that faith in God was the starting point of reality, growth and maturity.  The Bible says "it's impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).

In 1968 I began to base my life on conscious faith in God. He has rewarded me for that faith many  times over during the past forty-three years. My faith in God is truly the engine of my daily existence. Without it, life would have no center.

God is really that centerpiece. But faith is the vehicle that brings me to Him.

I can't imagine navigating the tests of life without faith in God. And what is faith? "It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see" (Hebrews 11:1). 

Faith is confident trust in a Person and his promises. It brings a steadiness and serenity to life which is filled with problems and challenges.

There is the matter of finances. How do we make a living? How do we pay the bills? How do we navigate the monetary uncertainties of volatile markets and scarce resources? We do it by trusting in the One who made and owns it all. We follow his principles--work hard--seek his face in prayer--and ultimately rest in his faithful provision of our needs.

Faith brings an unworldly peace to our lives.

Then there is the challenge of relationships. There are relatives, children, and friends that need to know the Lord but are currently separated from his grace and power. Our hearts ache for their needs--and the problems that engulf their lives.

How do we cope with such difficulties? Faith "sees" beyond the brokenness and knows that God is going to do great things. 

A prominent family in our community recently lost a thirty-six year old son. He left behind a young wife and two small children. Hundreds turned out for the memorial service to find some meaning in his death.

I spoke to his mom and dad afterwards. They assured me that their faith was the only thing that held them up, and would guide them into the future. I admired their resolve and told them, by faith, that God would use this tragedy to bring many people to himself.

Faith is desperately needed for life's many problems. It really boils down to this:

Whose hand are you holding during moments of pain and confusion?

Choose faith as one of your building blocks. Be "faithful"--which means to be FULL of faith in God. He is the one person who will never fail you.

HOPE

Paul's second building block is the character quality of hope. It is related to faith, but actually sees a bit farther.

Faith is here to help with the present--to handle the daily pressures and situations that are a natural part of life. Faith to get out of bed; Faith to go to work and accomplish your tasks; Faith to heal and bless loved ones; Faith for a life partner and children; Faith to pay the mortgage and other bills; Faith to point others to salvation.

But hope is looking at a higher mountain. It is looking past the here and now and anchoring itself in a future that is both secure and wonderful.

Hope is vision for eternity. It realizes that there will be both good and bad in this life--but that is not the end. God has promised an amazing eternal future for those who have been reconciled to Him through the death, resurrection, and Second Coming of his Son.

New Testament followers called his return that "blessed hope." And Paul describes it magnificently to his friend Titus in Titus 2:11-14:

"For the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and appearing of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds."

Hope not only trusts God in the present, but it anchors its security to the future promises of God. Jesus is coming again! There will be a heaven!  There will be a place of eternal joy and blessing! There will be complete fullness of relationships and sense of family!

Hope is not essentially for this life--because we are just passing through and do it rather quickly (Psalm 90:3-10).

But we can face the problems of this life--including the moment of physical death--because "our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness."

There's a Savior. A Heaven. Eternal Life.

Whose unimaginable future blessings are you counting on?

Build your life on this one-and-only lasting hope.

LOVE

As great as faith and hope are, Paul makes it clear that the most important quality in the Big Three is love. 

"The greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Why?

Because "God is love"--and the goal of life is to become like God and enjoy Him forever.

1 Corinthians 13 is not the only love chapter of the Bible. The other is 1 John 4 where we find these words:

"Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God--for God is love.

"God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we may have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

"Dear friends, since God loved us so much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love has been brought to full expression through us. And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he is us" (1 John 4:7-13).

These verses point out an interesting difference between the Allah of Islam and the Triune God of the Bible. First of all, the Koran says very little about God loving us or being "love." This makes sense because Allah is only one Person--not one in essence with Three Persons. If Allah is only a one-person-God, then from all eternity, Allah had no one to love--because love requires an "other."

No wonder he doesn't love human beings. He had no eternal "practice."

But the God of the Bible is Three in One--three Glorious Persons who love each other from eternity and who created human beings to expand the horizons of that love.

Notice that 1 John 4:7-13 mentions all three of them--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Triune God is infinite love! Through Jesus Christ and our salvation in Him, that love is brought into our human hearts to be shared and enjoyed forever. That love covers your sins, brings meaning and power to all your relationships, and will be your prized possession throughout eternity.

Paul says "the greatest of these is love."

Who cares for you, empowers you, and will enjoy you forever?

I encourage you to build a great life on these three pillars: Faith for today, hope for tomorrow, and love in every relationship.

With them as your foundation, you will not fail.