1 Corinthians 13 ends with one of the most famous lines in the Bible: "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
Paul writes this in the middle of a letter to a church in conflict. Corinth was not a church of people who had everything figured out. They were divided, litigating against each other, misusing the gifts of the Spirit, confused about sexuality, unclear about resurrection. And into that context, Paul writes one of the most profound chapters in all of Scripture about what actually matters.
The three virtues that remain are worth building your devotional life around.
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A Devotional on Faith: What It Actually Means to Believe
Hebrews 11 is the great gallery of faith in Scripture. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. The chapter runs through name after name and describes what they did by faith.
Notice what is not in the list: people who had everything figured out, people who never doubted, people who lived comfortable and uncontested lives. Noah built an ark in a world that had never seen rain. Abraham left his home without knowing where he was going. Moses chose suffering with the people of God rather than the pleasures of Egypt.
Biblical faith is not confidence that everything will be fine. It is confidence in the faithfulness of God even when everything suggests otherwise. That is a harder and more demanding thing, and it is also more honest.
A devotional reflection: Where are you being asked to trust God with something you cannot control or see? Name it specifically. Then read Hebrews 11:1 and ask: what would it look like to treat God's promise in this specific situation as more reliable than what my circumstances are currently suggesting?
A Devotional on Hope: The Kind That Does Not Disappoint
Romans 5:3-5 is one of the most counterintuitive passages in the New Testament: "We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."
The sequence is worth sitting with. Suffering does not produce discouragement, at least not for the Christian who understands what God is doing in it. It produces perseverance. Perseverance produces proven character. And proven character produces a hope that "does not put us to shame," meaning it does not disappoint, it does not fail, it does not lead you to a place where you feel foolish for having trusted God.
This kind of hope is not dependent on your circumstances getting better. It is dependent on your character being developed. The suffering that feels like the opposite of hope is actually the soil in which biblical hope grows.
A devotional reflection: What are you currently walking through that feels like the opposite of hope? Read Romans 5:3-5 and trace the sequence: suffering, perseverance, character, hope. Where are you in that sequence right now?
A Devotional on Love: What 1 Corinthians 13 Is Actually About
1 Corinthians 13 is read at more weddings than almost any other Scripture. That is a beautiful thing, but it sometimes causes us to miss the context. Paul is not writing a poem about romantic love. He is writing to a church that was failing to love each other.
The qualities of love in verses 4-7 are remarkable: patient, kind, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth, always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Read that list again slowly, and then ask which of those qualities most challenges you personally.
Not easily angered. The church in Corinth had a lot of people who were easily angered. So does every church, including yours, including mine.
Keeps no record of wrongs. This is possibly the most countercultural quality on the list. We live in a culture that keeps meticulous records of wrongs. The gospel proposes something different.
Always hopes. Even for the person who keeps failing. Even for the relationship that keeps breaking down. Love does not give up on people.
Building a Devotional Life Around These Three
A devotional practice built around faith, hope, and love is not just thematically rich. It is practically orienting. These three virtues address the three directions of the Christian life: faith orients us toward God and His promises, hope orients us toward the future God has promised, and love orients us toward the people He has placed in our lives.
A week-long framework:
Monday and Tuesday: Faith. Where are you being asked to trust God? What promise applies to your specific situation?
Wednesday and Thursday: Hope. What in your current circumstances feels hopeless? What does Scripture say about God's purposes in difficult seasons?
Friday and Saturday: Love. Who in your life needs to experience the specific qualities of 1 Corinthians 13 from you? Which quality is hardest for you to give right now?
Sunday: Integration. How are faith, hope, and love showing up in your life this week? Where do you need more of each?
These three remain. They are worth building your devotional life around. You can deepen your engagement with them through the free FaithSpark devotionals and journal at mindgardenpress.com/faithspark-app/.
