I have another guest writer today! Also my good friend and fellow minister of the Gospel, Eddie Taylor. Whoop!
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“But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13, MSG
Paul is correct. Love is the best. However, we must not overlook hope in these present days. Hope has been misunderstood and reduced to wishing by our contemporary society. Hope is actually the joyful expectation of a good end, and it remains alongside faith and love. When we live without hope, our hearts grow sick and cold. The miracle of Christmas seems like a history lesson or, even worse, a fable without hope.
We usually look backward toward the shepherds, angels, and manger of Bethlehem during this season. That is not wrong. It is just incomplete. The complete consummation towards which Paul directs the young church in Corinth is the return of the Lord, Jesus. We celebrate Advent because He did come and to remind us that He will certainly come again.
Advent must hopefully direct our eyes and hearts towards this future. The pressure and pain of waiting may attempt to squeeze the vibrancy out of our faith and love, but true hope calls us not to surrender to despair. Like the ancient Jews, we may cry, “How long, O Lord,” but we must keep trusting in His goodness. Our hearts must remain rooted in the promise of His return. Because He came, He will certainly come again. If it is not good, it is not over.
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Eddie Taylor is a leader to leaders, pastor, and conference speaker. Eddie and his wife, Beth are the co-founders of the Taylor Ministry Group. The Taylor Group is a trans-local ministry focused on preparing the church to live Heaven now. They also co-founded the ministry network, Family Discipleship Ministries (FDM). He has also served on several ministry leadership teams and currently serves on the Lead Team for Lee Grady’s Bold Venture Ministries. Eddie loves life & leads with his wife of 32 years, Beth. They have three sons, two daughters-in-law and a chihuahua.
For more information about Eddie, visit
Brave Sparrow 