Wednesday, February 12, 2025

New Testament Reading Plan: Romans 7

Threes are significant. They can create a trifecta of unprecedented success or, at least, make you believe that success is within your grasp. Think about the big threes you’ve witnessed or heard about. 

Movie franchises typically gain prominence if they achieve at least three films. Everyone knows The Godfather and The Lord of the Rings trilogies were fantastic, even if you haven’t watched them yourself. 

By the time you read this devotional, The Chiefs will have completed the difficult three-peat championship in sports—or failed to—leaving my Kobe and Shaq Lakers as the last professional franchise to do so. And sports fans know Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls three-peat will be immortalized in conversations forever.

Those things, along with books, music, and relationships can endure for a lifetime. However, only one big three truly lasts forever and a day.

1 Corinthians 13:13
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Human nature pushes us to pursue happiness and glory, but God calls Christians to chase after something more valuable. Our faith in Christ gives us hope that God’s promises will come to fruition. Faith isn’t always easy, but what’s the risk? You put faith in people every day who continually let you down. You’ve hoped for change, but have you prayed for it? 

A key to understanding 1 Corinthians 13:13 is realizing that faith and hope are attributes God has given us to pursue his heart. He is our perfect Creator and has no need for either, but we do. He instills faith and hope within us through his Holy Spirit as we go on the life changing adventure with Jesus—so that we can draw closer to him. 

One day, when we finally enter God’s Kingdom, or Jesus returns to earth, all of God’s promises will be revealed. But until that day arrives, the best way to maintain our faith and hope is to put our trust in Christ and rest in God’s love. He accepts you no matter your race or political affiliation. God loves you when you win and when you fail, and even when you hide from him. 

Out of The Big Three, love is the greatest, because God is love (1 John 4:8). Until the day he calls you home, have faith in Christ, hope in his promises, and love yourself and others as he loves you.

Questions: 
Do you struggle with faith, hope, and love? What’s stopping you from making The Big Three a priority?

Next Steps: 
Start living by faith by utilizing prayer and studying Scripture. Join a Bible study Group that focuses on God’s promises. Find a Group of diverse people and start learning about them. Be open to understanding differences. It’s a good way to start loving others.

Prayer: 
God, I struggle with my faith when my focus is on my wants. Sometimes, I find it hard to love those who go against my earthly values. Guide me through my purpose, Lord. Help me remember that everyone belongs to you, and you love me through my failures and flaws. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:
Romans 15:4
Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

This post was written by Jaron Camp, a Findlay attendee and regular contributor to the LivingItOut.