Hope

Romans 15:13 - Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Lately there does not seem to be a lot of hope in the world. You cannot turn on the television or log onto the web without reading or seeing a sad, disturbing, or unbelievable story. Even in my own experiences, I cannot believe what little hope people have. Just recently, there was a multiple murder suicide a few houses down from the group home where I work. A man shot his wife and two of his children before shooting himself. It even made national news. Where is the hope?

I researched hope on the web and found many different things from charities to definitions. Many of the definitions I found defined hope as a "wish" or a "feeling". According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary hope is defined as follows: "to cherish a desire with anticipation" and "to desire with expectation of obtainment". Even with all the definitions on the web, none of the definitions fully describe hope as a Christian.

As a Christian, my hope is in Christ. According to Romans 5:5, hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. In Romans 12:12 we are to rejoice in hope. In Romans 15:3-5 we are given the Scripture that we might have hope. Throughout the New Testament it speaks of the hope of eternal life. This hope is not a "wish" or a "feeling". It is a promise from Jesus Christ.

In light of His coming, Jesus Christ promised in John 5:24 - 25: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live."