Love Is?Намуна

Day 2 - Love (Agape) Is the Greatest Motivator

To motivate means to stimulate, inspire, or encourage. The Apostle Paul ends the love chapter with what comes across as both a motivational message and a challenge. In verse 13 he says, "And now abide faith, hope, love these three; but the greatest of these is love."

Faith, hope, and love are essential elements to the doctrine of Christianity. Everything we believe and do is centered around these three principles. Here, Paul points us to their order of significance and he clearly distinguishes love as the most important and prominent characteristic. 

So, why does he do this? Why does he single out love? It's because love is the one thing that motivates the other two. You can't hope without love and you can't have faith without love. Love is the springboard from which the other two are launched. 

Think about it. If we don't love God, then we are not motivated to live by faith as the scripture instructs us to. Faith works by love. It is our love for God that prompts us to trust what He says and live a life of faith based on what He says to us and not based on what we can see. When you love someone, that love translates to faith and confidence in who they are. Love is the greatest motivator. 

Agape is the igniter for hope. Hope is like desire, aspiration, expectation, and anticipation. Our endurance as believers is inspired by our hope in Jesus Christ. When we feel like our faith is failing, hope is what jumps in and re-ignites our faith. The anchor for that hope is God's love for us and our love for Him. Love is the greatest motivator.

How does your love walk motivate you, and in turn, motivate others?