Real Love “Hopes All Things.”

This flows out of the previous statement. If we are living with a confident trust in the words and sovereign plan of God, we will also have reason to “hope all things.” Our faith in God’s grace means we can believe that human failures aren’t final. Real love can hope because of what God can do in a person’s life.
It wouldn’t make sense to think that Paul was asking us to hope indiscriminately, any more than he could be asking us to believe without discernment. But of all people, only those who trust in the God of the Bible have a sound basis to be loving and hopeful in this present world.
The psalmist said of God, “My hope is in You” (Psalm 39:7). Paul wrote, “Hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5). And Peter added, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who. . . Has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).
This is the power of love. It is fueled and sustained not by an ever-changing emotional or physical state, but by deep beliefs and hopes given by God to those who trust Him. Real love has a capacity to view life — and live it — with a refreshing optimism because of “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

Real Love “Endures All Things.”

Paul concluded his description of love where it began in verse 4: “Love suffers long.” The difference between that first usage and this one is found in the words Paul chose to describe this wonderful element of real love. With the insight that the secret of real love lies in right believes and hopes, Paul has given us a basis for saying love “endures all things.”
In verse 4, the Greek word focused on “suffering long” in the face of mistreatment at the hands of other people without becoming resentful. Here, the emphasis is on how we respond to life in general. Love doesn’t give up. It doesn’t quit. It doesn’t walk away. It perseveres in the face of pain, knowing that the goal is worth it.

We’ll conclude this look at “Real Love” tomorrow.