Created for an Undeniable Expectant Hope

Church Family:
You and I were created to hope. Hope is what motivates us to get out of bed in the morning and keep doing what God has put before us to do – go to work, teach the kids, go work out, serve the Lord and others, or whatever else may be on our schedule for the day. The general equation of hope goes something like this: You hope that if you do _____ you will then receive _____ as a result. When you jumped out of bed this morning what were you hoping for?

But what exactly is this biblical hope that Christians are called to be empowered by and filled with? The word "hope" in most English dictionaries is defined as “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” With that definition it is common to use the word hope to say something like this, "I am not sure about the weather, but I hope that it is sunny this weekend." This mundane understanding of hope is not much more than questionable confidence or maybe just wishful thinking. Either way, this kind of hope is not the biblical hope God calls us to embrace. When you have little or small hope in the Lord you also will have small expectations that shackle God limiting Him to being small and weak in your life. Instead, God wants you to have undeniable expectant hope in Him.

What is biblical hope that God has for us to enjoy everyday? Christian hope is a powerful trusting response to all that God has promised to happen from His Word. Our Christian hope is an undeniable expectation that something is going to happen because God has promised it will happen. This is the hope that we are called to embrace as children of God. Christian hope pushes you forward when you are in the midst of difficult things in this life while others without hope are paralyzed with fear or even run the other way.

But how is Christian hope meant to impact our daily lives today? God designed our undeniable hope in Him to empower us to live fearlessly and expectantly no matter what situation or suffering we find ourselves in. Hope empowers you to live life motivated to do difficult things because God has promised to be faithful to His promises to you. Hope empowers you to live in boldness believing that the best is yet to come instead of hiding in fear of failure. Hope empowers you to press on in courage and resilience instead of giving up when things get difficult. Hope empowers you to live with expectation that God has great purpose for you today and every day. Hope empowers you to see that God is working in all suffering and difficulties. Hope is empowered by the God of hope so that no matter what you do you can do that with joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:13). The stronger you hope in God, the more joy and peace you will experience through the Holy Spirit.

How do you make hope powerful in your life? Establish your hope completely on Jesus Christ, knowing that He is God's perfect sufficient grace for you no matter what comes your way (1Pet. 1:20-21). God has done everything for you through Christ so that you would put your faith and hope in God rather than what you can do for yourself. Hope in God (Ps. 43:5).

See you Sunday, with a powerful hope in God: Steve