As Christians, we are called to conduct ourselves in a way that transcends the ordinary. This does not mean that we should not have convictions. It does not mean that we should not take a stand on issues. It means that our conduct and character—even in conflict—ought to be marked by the virtues of faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13:13).
Faith is trust at its core, and in times of trials, it is the belief that while the world around us seems like chaos, God is still good and accomplishing his purposes. It is the conviction that our sufferings are neither meaningless nor the final word.
“Faith over fear” has become a T-Shirt. While sometimes what I see being done in that T-Shirt looks more like “Folly over fear,” it is true. When we feel fear, we must choose to reorient our vision from the threats in front of us to the one who is greater than all.
Hope is the ability to see through the present suffering and pain to better days on the other end. It is more than just seeing a silver lining. It is the belief that God is at work to accomplish his good purposes. It is the belief God brings evil to an end, and that our suffering will give way to joy.
We despair when we have no hope. We cannot see light in the darkness. We cannot see how the present suffering could ever end. This despair darkens our vision and leads to pessimism and cynicism. The hopeful ones recognize pain is temporary and muster up the courage to persevere.
Love is the commitment to another. When we look at love this way—as opposed to mere affection or acceptance—it makes sense of the difficult commands of Jesus to love even our enemies. You may not have affection for your enemy, but you can be committed to their good. You can pray for them, bless them and even do good to them.
In Romans 12:21, Paul ends his appeal for the Romans to do good to their enemies with, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” This is the logic. Evil cannot be overcome by evil means. We must conduct ourselves with love, seeking the good for others even for those who do not seek our good in return.
Theophilus, when you look around the world today, you will see a lot of fear. Underlying all of the anger and frustration, you will see people afraid. People are scared to death. They are scared of death. The amazing testimonies of Christians facing persecutions, tortures and even death with a song come because they understood that death had lost its power.
The resurrection of Jesus meant that death had lost its sting and no longer needed to be feared. It cannot be that they never felt fear, but the fear of death gave way to their belief that Jesus had risen from the grave…and they would, too!
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