it's monday night... and i'm sitting at my favorite coffee shop in town surrounded by friends.. all of them from different walks of life.. all of them have a different dream.. all of them are promised a hope and future... and as i sit here in my chair i can't stop thinking about the word hope.. have you ever considered the definition of hope? it is such a common word.. and it is everywhere in the Word of God.. we all talk about hope all the time... especially when it comes to the future... and i can't speak for everyone, but i think i've had the wrong idea of what the word actually stands for.. because i've always seen having hope about the future as just simply being optimistic.. having a positive outlook about life.. and maybe.. (fingers crossed) just maybe God will work things out in my favor... but if he doesn't... i'll just figure out how to be content with whatever happens... but after examining that belief... i'm positive that that view doesn't really line up with what i know about my beloved Jesus... nope. my God says it's safe to hope in Him.. so then what is the real definition of hope? the dictionary will tell you that hope is the feeling that what a person desires will turn out for the best... but the kind of hope described in the bible is more than a feeling.. having hope is more than seeing the glass as half full... i'll explain..
I am doing a beth moore bible study right now called "living beyond yourself" it's about the fruits of the spirit.. and today i started learning about patience.. one translation of the greek word for patience is a word that means endurance.. 1 Tessalonians 1:3 tells us that endurance is inspired by hope.. and there it is the infamous word: HOPE. the ability to persevere is born of hope.. think about it... to persevere means to be relentless in pursuit of a purposed goal... even in the face of opposition.. and the ability to do this comes from hope. there is no way that someone could acquire the strength and motivation to keep going.. and going.. and going... in the midst of wind and rain and trial and tribulation.. from hope.. if hope is just an optimistic feeling... because feelings are fleeting.. and they change like the weather... and they can't be trusted..
i learned today that the Greek word for hope is elpis, and it means the "desire of good with the expectation of obtaining it." EXPECTATION. hope is the expectation of promises fulfilled. there are no 'maybes' involved in hope.. it is not wishful thinking. It is expecting. believing. knowing. KNOWING that the fight is worth it.. no matter what you're facing... or how confused you are by what is or isn't going your way.. you KNOW that the outcome.. though it may be completely beyond your control... will shine with the glory of the Lord.. because He works all things together for the good of those who love Him... to Hope in the Lord is to KNOW His goodness.. and to swear by it.. to brace yourself with that knowledge.. and so we know the Word tells us in psalms to "be strong, take heart, all you who HOPE in the Lord.." but it could also be worded like this... "be strong, take heart, all you who know the Lord comes through on His promises..." and Jeremiah 29:11 says that the Lord's plan is to GIVE us hope for the future... so here is some good news.. we don't have to come up with hope on our own... hope comes from the Lord.. hope is a gift.. the ability to expect the Lord to deliver on his promises is a Gift.. a gift that comes along with being filled with the spirit... hope inspires endurance::patience... so as we wait on the Lord to deliver... he fills us with hope.. which is the knowledge of His faithfulness.. and we are able to smile at the future :)
1 comment:
a few of my favorite verses on hope are "no one whose hope is in You will EVER be put to shame..." Psalm 25:3 and "...those who hope in me will NOT be disappointed" Isaiah 49:23 and also, "and hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us" Romans 5:5. It helps me because I sometimes am scared to hope... like you said, we hope that what we hope in comes true, but just in case it doesn't we have decided to just 'be content' with whatever. it helps me so much to be reassured in the word that it is indeed okay to hope, that in hoping we will not, can not be put to shame... because Jesus can never be taken from us... and He always has had a plan, we just have to be patient to be 'let in' on it, and trust that whatever He has, is in fact, better. Love you. :)
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