We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints—the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel that has come to you.
Colossians 1:4-5
Remember when you learned to swim ladies? I do. How exhilarating, to be able to even dog paddle my way through the waves. Wow! And then to learn to flat out float for longer bits of time, trusting myself to the water. I was in seventh heaven. In the years to come, I would glide serenely on cool, clear lakes, as well as dive deep into murky northern waters.
Faith is just that—being spiritually afloat!
But first, gospel truth begets hope, the hope of a glorified future in heaven because of God’s grace and the cross. When grace is grasped, hope becomes what it is intended to be—wave after wave of positive expectation based on the good news of the gospel, be the circumstances crystal clear or murky.
Hope then begets faith as it dawns on you that the glorious riches of the mystery that was kept hidden for ages and generations is none other than Christ in you, the hope of glory (1:26-27). I began to float spiritually when I abandoned my life to Jesus.
Hope also begets agape love. Once you’ve placed your faith in Jesus, love for others should spring forth from the depths of your being. How can it not, with Christ in you! (Yes I know, some days loving is not the first thing on your mind. But agape love does not depend on you. It is a fruit of the Spirit and will ripen with time if you draw close.)
And so you have that delightful trilogy of hope, faith, and love flowing from God’s grace.
This year my youngest grandson Ty, at age nine, learned to spiritually float. His whole life he’s heard the story of Jesus, but it was up to him to abandon himself to the good news. Sure, there’ll be dips and dives. Just imagine, however, the whole ocean of promises ahead of him. Thank you Jesus!
Nancy P
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