We continually remember [you].
—1 Thessalonians 1:3
Paul had fond thoughts of the Thessalonians, saying he remembered, “your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope” (1 Thes 1:3).
Calvin called possession of these three qualities “a brief definition of true Christianity.”
Each is directional: faith is directed toward God, love toward others, and hope toward the future.
Each is time-related: Faith links to the past, love operates in the present, and hope looks to the future.
Each is productive: faith works, love labors, and hope endures.
This triad of traits shapes our lives: we are drawn up to God in faith, out to others in love, and on to the second coming in hope.
Motivated by faith, love, and hope,
we walk not into the darkness but into the dawn.