Faith, Hope and Love

1 Thessalonians 1: 2&3

2We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. 3We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith works, love labors, hope patiently endures.

Working out our faith. Putting our faith into action. The definition of Work is; exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something; labor; toil. This is giving us the picture that you can't have faith without some sort of effort or action backing it up. Faith alone just doesn't work. Our faith will produce fruit, or works. When your faith is junk... what it produces will be of no value to Christ. Is what pours out of our lives something that one would remember before God and thank Him for?

Laboring in love As any mother who has given birth knows, being in labor is an act of love.The definition of labor; productive activity, physical or mental work, esp. of a hard or fatiguing kind. Love is hard, it's not some mushy feeling you have for another person. It is an act of the will (at times) to love another person. People disappoint us, they let us down, they can hurt us. Choosing to love in spite of all this can be very laborious. What does our love for others look like? Are we willing to do the tough stuff love requires of us? Is our love something others would give praise to God for?

Enduring Hope, to endure means; the ability or strength to continue or last, especially despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions; To hope, to hold on for dear life to what is good, pure and lovely. When all around you is screaming to let go.
Are we willing to endure to the breaking point for our Hope in Him? Would there be someone who could say of you that your Hope is enduing and they thank God for it?
These are three nice words aren't they. Faith, Hope Love, usually they give you a warm fuzzy feeling. But when broken down we need to realize these are action words, not fuzzy words.

Are you working out your Faith?
Are you willing to Labor in your Love for others?
Is your Hope one that will Endure?
And would your fellow sojourner Praise God for those things in you?