On Sunday the word “hope” stood out in one of the scriptures referenced. A quick look this morning could not identify the text but the point made is worth repeating.
When Christians talk about hope we run into the wall of common English. To most people hope is what you express when you buy a lottery ticket. It is the feeling you get when the “low fuel” light comes on. It is a wish, a fervent desire. We all know what it is to have dreams.
Christian hope is better expressed with the word “expectation” or “assurance”. That is an important distinction. I think of a recent conflict in our church. We did not know how it would work out. We know what we wished to see but our focus was on the assurance we had of God’s will being done. In the past year we have had two ladies struggling with cancer. One died. One has recovered. Both were sources of joy to those around them because they had the hope within them.
Look at our political world. We are so focused on Iran that we forget the aggressive nature of their Muslim beliefs. We forget the spread of Islam into the west and the simultaneous pressure of Marxism. We often wonder if there are any political voices that are in tune with what God wants to see. In the midst of that we have hope.
Historically there have been many times of disaster and chaos. We may be headed into another one of those. It is already there for much of the world. In the midst of that we need to never let go of the hope that is in us. God has worked through rebellious leaders and decadent societies before and He will do so again. Our job is to be salt and light and to be faithful.
One verse that keeps resonating in my mind is,
1 Peter 3:15 (NASB95) but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
Let us live in hope, not of political progress or military victory, but in the assurance that we know the God of the universe.
homo unius libri
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