When I was about five years old, I hoped my birthday present would be a baseball uniform. Specifically, I wanted a uniform like our hometown team and my heroes, the Spokane Indians.
Despite my hoping year after year, the uniform never came. My hope for a uniform faded as I grew older. Eventually, I gave up hoping for a baseball uniform, but I didn’t give up hope.
Sometimes we get the things we hope for, and sometimes we don’t. But, whether we do or not, we don’t give up hope.
Strictly speaking, to have hope is the desire to have something happen or the expectation something will come true.
Christian Faith is Based on Hope
The Bible has a lot to say about hope. In fact, our Christian faith is based on hope.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).
In 1834, Edward Mote summarized the Christian’s hope in his now famous hymn:
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
Our expectation, our hope, derives from God and His promise. In His mercy, God has promised us a new life through faith in Jesus’ resurrection.
Having hope in the promised eternal life through faith in Christ changes how we live and has its own unique rewards.
The Result of Hope
Hope impacts our lives in three specific ways:
1) It impacts how we see ourselves. The earthly world we are living in is temporary. Our eternal home is with the Lord in heaven. This life, however long it may be, whatever trials or pleasures, is only practice for the life to come.
2) It impacts what we value. In light of eternity spent in heaven, we should spend our earthly life focused on the things of heaven, not of this earth. Jesus, Himself warned us not to lay up treasures on earth. Instead, we are to lay up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).
3) It impacts how we live our lives. We should live our lives using our time, talents, and treasures to bring glory to God. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) reminds us we will be rewarded for our good stewardship of what God has entrusted to us in this life.
The Reward of Hope
Beyond eternal life through Jesus’ finished work on the cross, our hope brings us three important rewards:
1) It brings us joy and peace. Paul, writing to the Romans, prayed the God of hope would fill the Romans with all joy and peace because they believed in Christ (Romans 15:13).
Paul admonished the Thessalonians to always be joyful no matter their circumstances because it was God’s will for them (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
2) It gives us strength and courage. David called on all those who believed in God to be strong and let your heart take courage (Psalm 31:24).
3) It gives us confidence. God’s truth and His Word endures throughout time. The prophet Isaiah wrote: “The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever” (Isaiah 40:8b).
Spiritual Hope Depends on a Spirit-Filled Life
Spiritual hope is a life-saver, an eternal life-saver.
As I look around the world today, it occurs to me that many, if not most, of the issues we face in society, result from people not having spiritual hope.
Think about it. People live for the here and now. They value power, prestige, and possessions, but not the things of eternity. People living in comfort lead miserable, bitter lives, lacking joy and peace. They run from trials and tribulation, blaming others for their own failures.
Christian leaders, we need to be a light to the World. People without spiritual hope are easy to spot. They need to see the light of God in our lives and be drawn to the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us (Matthew 5:16).
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. How can the strength of your spiritual hope draw those without hope to the Father?
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Category: Personal Development | Dependence on God
a good message . I will take this in my church today – arun ramakrishnan- Kochi, kerala India