HOPE
We live in a world that is fueled by hope. Whether that be the children hoping for a good grade in school or the business executive hoping they meet the board's expectations, we all long for hope. Pulling our feet out of bed in the morning, we hope that we're going to have a good day. Moms hope that their children behave. Teens hope that their friends accept them. Men hope that their wages is enough to pay the bills. Grandparents hope that they stay healthy. We’re all searching for hope that won’t disappoint us.
Romans 5:1–5 talks about a hope that won’t disappoint us. Where can we find this kind of hope? Well, it is not found in a place or thing, but in a person... Jesus Christ! We may not even know it yet, but what our heart really longs for and has been looking for is a life that really satisfies. Jesus promised life... abundant life in John 10:10.
Jesus gives us hope, not only for the every day events and relationships from this life on earth, but also provides hope of eternal life and an everlasting love relationship with the God of heaven after this earthly life. If you have not already done so, right now is the best time to trust completely and only in Jesus, receive His free gift of salvation, and claim that hope of eternal life.
Paul Tripp in his book "New Morning Mercies" writes that there are 5 things we have to know about hope:
1. God hardwired human beings for hope. We don’t live by instinct; we all find our identity, meaning, purpose, and inner sense of well-being in something.
2. What you place your hope in will set the direction of your life. Whether you know it or not, your life path is directed by hope. Whether it’s hope in a philosophy, a person, a dream, a location, or whatever, your life will be shaped by what you place your hope in.
3. Hope always includes an expectation and an object. I am hoping for something and hoping that someone or something will deliver it.
4. Hope, to be hope, has to fix what is broken. Hope that does not address your needs isn’t very hopeful. You place your hope in your mechanic only if he has the ability to fix what’s broken on your car.
5. You always preach to yourself a gospel of some kind of hope. You’re always reaching for hope and preaching to yourself the validity of what you reach for. But here is the radical truth of the gospel. Hope is not a situation. Hope is not a location. Hope is not a possession. Hope is not an experience. Hope is more than an insight or a truism. Hope is a person, and his name is Jesus!