Faith, Hope, and Love

            1 Corinthians 13 is commonly known as the “love chapter,” and its last verse is one of the most famous verses in the Bible: “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”  Love is an action and a decision, not an emotion.  Since Paul placed it above faith, some might say that works are more important to salvation than faith.  So it would seem, if we did not look at the context.

            Verse two in the same chapter is similar to verse thirteen—maybe not at first glance, but certainly when you study it.  “If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” 

First, Paul addresses hope.  If one had the gift of prophecy and knew all mysteries and all knowledge, they would be certain of the future.  Hope, according to Dr. Keith Krell, is a “confident expectation based upon God’s promises.”  If one knew the future or had knowledge to understand God’s promises fully, they would have even more sure hope than the average Christian. 

            Second, Paul addresses faith, “so as to remove mountains.”  This is a reference to Matthew 17:20; 21:21; and Mark 11:23f when Jesus told his disciples that if they had even a little faith, they could cause mountains to be cast into the sea.  In the context of these verses, it is clear that Jesus is speaking about faith to work miracles, not faith in him, initial faith, by which we receive grace, by which we are saved (Ephesians 2:8).  It is important to make a distinction between these two kinds of faith—or perhaps, more aptly, these two instances in which one must use faith—because one is essential to salvation and the other is not. 

            Lastly, in verse two, Paul addresses love, saying that without it, prophecy and knowledge (hope) and faith (“so as to remove mountains”) are worthless.  Now we can see the similarity to verse thirteen—faith, hope, and love, but love is the greatest. 

            One thing in verse two is clearer than in verse thirteen, however: the type of faith.  According to the context, the faith about which Paul writes in verse thirteen is faith to work miracles, not faith as it pertains to salvation.  So we can see that faith to work miracles and love are still not essential to salvation, whereas faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ is.  One can be saved through the grace of God without having faith to move mountains.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLEÒ, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.

Obsession

            I stare at my phone, wanting to text you, yet wishing you would take the initiative.  And then not wishing it…because I actually want to get some sleep tonight—because I feel like I should think about something else for a change.
            I consumed that book in three days.  It was a busy weekend, actually.  You’d think I would have been distracted, like I intended.  I did a lot, but I feel like I spent all my time thinking of you.  How did I go so many places?
            I get on facebook, but you don’t get on often.  When you do, you post cryptic statuses that make me questions your motives—and your sanity.  But then I remember that if somebody’s insane, it’s me.
            I can’t delete your text messages.  I can’t forget your comments.  Your face is the backdrop for my life.  I feel helpless.  I’m obsessed.

Occupy Wall Street

            Shouting, sign-holding, protesting.  Occupy Wall Street has reached beyond New York City.  All across the United States, average citizens are protesting the way the government is running things.  They’re fed up; they want change.

            But I foresee dire consequences to these protests, and I’m afraid even the most adamant protesters may regret rising up (albeit non-violently) against the government.  Should we allow things to continue when we’re dissatisfied?  No!  But if we undermine the institution that protects us, it can no longer do its job.

            If you want the government to fix the roads, enforce the laws, and protect your safety, you can’t pull the government apart.  If you take down the government, you take down ALL of it.  If you’re unhappy, change the government from within; it is purposely set up so you can do that.  But protesting in the streets is NOT the way.

            Now for a moment imagine you’re not American.  Maybe you live in Japan, or Europe, or Iran.  News of Occupy Wall Street has reached you.  America—land of the free and home of the brave—is having trouble controlling its own citizens!  There’s rioting in the streets.  The people are unhappy.  Your opinion of America would go down.  As a result of Occupy Wall Street, tourism could drop, foreign trade could drop—we are more vulnerable to attack from other countries.  We are seen as weak; this is their opportunity to take advantage of us.  Is this what you want?

            The United States of America has an amazing—indeed, a remarkable—constitution.  We need to learn it and stand up for it; shouting won’t get us anywhere.  Occupy Wall Street, or Destroy America?

$225 at Armani vs. $1 at elf.com

            I have just set aside a magazine which featured an article on how to survive the winter months if you have dry skin.  The author recommended multiple moisturizers, most in the twenty to sixty dollar range.  They priced one little black container, however, at $225!  I gaped—until I read the label: Giorgio Armani.  Oh.  “Well,” I thought, “I could just go down to Wal-Mart and get some for five bucks.  Or better yet, buy some for only one dollar at www.eyeslipsface.com.”  Of course, it wouldn’t be Armani, but who would know?  Who is going to see you walking down the street and go, “My, that girl is wearing Armani moisturizer!”?  How much of that $225 is paying for high-quality moisturizer and how much is paying for the label?

            I do not have anything against designers.  I own a Guess bag and a Coach coin purse; I almost bought some DKNY jeans when I was in London.  I chose not to buy the jeans because I knew I could get jeans I liked just as well as PacSun or, better yet, Plato’s Closet.  I would only be paying for the name.  How much is a name worth?  I bought my bag at Ross for less than half the original price; I have used it for years and never regretted the purchase.  The coin purse was a birthday present and I find it a very convenient way to store my $1 lip glosses in my purse.

            Two of my favorite scarves cost $5 each at Wal-Mart.  Often, my friends compliment me on them, asking if I got them at Wet Seal (one of my favorite stores, by the way), or other, more expensive stores.  I smile and tell them it came from Wal-Mart; their surprised expressions make me laugh inside.  Who shops at Wal-Mart, really?  Those of us not too arrogant to take advantage of the great deals.

            Of my everyday makeup, two products cost me more than $3: my CoverGirl eye shadow (the shade I haven’t found anywhere else) and my CoverGirl concealer (it’s a little hard to buy this online).  I ditched the ever-faithful Maybelline mascara for the elf Earth and Water Mascara Duo—considerably cheaper and much better quality!  In fact, I buy almost all my makeup at www.eyeslipsface.com, where the most expensive products (besides sets) are still under $5.  I even like to group order with my girlfriends so we all save on shipping.

            Lucky magazine advertizes outfits where everything is under $100.  That may be revolutionary for women who commonly shop at designer stores, but I look for under $10.  My wardrobe is much more complete when I buy four or five store-brand items for the price of one designer item.  What do you think?

Slavery Today: Breaking Bonds

            A girl disappeared one morning on her way to school.  Police recovered her two years later, bloody, hurting, and spoiled.  This girl was a victim of the slave trade, one of the largest illegal trades in the world.  Slaves work in fields, factories, and stores.  Teenage anti-slavery activist Alice Nyquist says, “They clean houses.  They farm.  They work in restaurants.  They work in nail salons.  They nanny.  They’re like us, except that they’re unpaid, abused, intimidated, and trapped.”  Slaves may have packaged the chocolate bar you ate last Saturday; they may have picked the apples in your fruit salad.  Your waiter last night may have been a slave.  Slave traders capture ordinary people, snatching away their lives and replacing them with torture.

            “I first heard about human trafficking at the Do Hard Things conference in Colorado in 2007,” Alice says.  “After the conference, I went to my library and took out Zac Hunter’s book Be the Change, which had been recommended at the conference.  The chapter on slavery changed my life.”  Unable to rest until she did something to help, Alice began researching, thinking and praying about what she could do to be the change.  “I wanted to provide girls with a safe, loving place to go after they’d gone through so much,” Alice says, “and I knew that was expensive.”  She began thinking about wristbands, since she knew they were popular, especially among teenagers, and they would raise not just money, but awareness.  After finding the supplies at a local craft store, Alice made some wristbands out of hemp and silver beads that spelled the word FREED.  In March 2010, her web site bandstobreakbonds.org opened, and the public was able to buy FREED wristbands through her organization Bands to Break Bonds.

            “I was nervous!” Alice says of opening Bands to Break Bonds.  “I didn’t know if it would work.”  But now Alice has not only sold many hemp wristbands with different words on them, but now green silicone wristbands are available on her web site.  The proceeds from the bands go to organizations that fight human trafficking.  “We donate to a different organization every few months,” Alice says.  “We started out donating to Rapha House; after that, we donated to the HOME foundation, and now to Children’s HopeChest.”  Bands to Break Bonds runs purely on volunteer power and Alice takes no money for herself.  “Right now, the number [of volunteers] fluctuates from fifteen to thirty, depending on who you count. … As far as steady volunteers go, I have eight people who are really dedicated, and they’re my life support.”  Besides donating a few dollars to a worthy cause and getting a cool bracelet in return, you can help Alice by selling wristbands to your friends and acquaintances or by making videos for YouTube to educate about slavery.  For more information about Bands to Break Bonds or ways you can help, you can email Alice at contact@bandstobreakbonds.org.   

            If you want to help fight slavery in other ways, there are lots of things you can do.  “We need to be aware of the people around us, train our friends to be aware of the people around them, and be able to report potential instances of human trafficking so that victims can be rescued,” Alice says.  Resources for educating yourself and others, spreading awareness, or fighting slavery are at the bottom of the article.  One huge thing we can do is to stop supporting companies built on the backs of slaves.  Many of the products we find in stores were produced or packaged by slaves.  To find out which companies are careful not to contract out to slave labor, go to freetowork.org.  Slavery didn’t end with Abraham Lincoln and William Wilberforce; it thrives today, but we can do something to stop it.  Raise awareness, support organizations and people committed to ending slavery, and stop supporting the trade.  As Zac Hunter says, BE THE CHANGE.

Resources:

Be the Change by Zac Hunter

Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-88-3737-888

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/about/fact_human.pdf (What is the legal definition of human trafficking?)

www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/about/brochures.html  (How do I recognize victims?)

http://www.BandstoBreakBonds.org/about-slavery.html  (About slavery)

http://www.freetowork.org  (How can I avoid products produced by slaves?)

http://www.polarisproject.org  (About slavery)

http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/index.htm  (About slavery)