Hope in God

I Timothy says

That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

The only thing that sets believers apart from those who do not believe is that our hope is in God, not in ourselves, not in others, not in the government, not in anything but HIM.

That hope is misplaced throughout our lives until one day we get it.  Hope in anything other than the living God will disappoint.

The hope we have in Him is the reason behind all that we do, hope in the Savior of all people.

When we have purpose to our lives, hope in something real, and a Savior who gave his life for us – nothing is impossible to those who believe.

Love Poured Out

Romans 5 says,

…but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Isn’t this passage interesting?  Suffering starts this domino effect of good things in us – perseverance, character, and hope.  All qualities in people that we admire.

But we have to experience suffering in order to produce these character qualities in life.

Somehow we see suffering as a part of life to be avoided at all costs.  It’s too hard and too costly, so we’d rather not suffer.

But because these great qualities hang as fruit from the suffering tree, we are supposed to “glory” in our sufferings…because God’s love has been poured out on us.

Food for thought:  The very things we see in our lives as being too hard to tackle, too much to handle, and too heavy to bear just might be God loving all over us, pruning, cutting back, and watering so that the fruit that appears is astounding.

Read the verse again and see what it says to you...

No Disappointment

Isaiah 49:23 Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.

Have you ever been disappointed?  I know I have.  And most of the time it’s people and circumstances that disappoint.  However, there are times when I’ve been disappointed in God.  But this verse says if I really know the Lord and place my hope in him I will not be disappointed.

So what happened those times when I was disappointed in Him?  My hope was misplaced, most certainly.

When we are toddlers, we hope that our dads will give us candy and toys.  So when he instead offers us vegetables and sends us to school, we can be disappointed…until we mature.

The times when I’ve been disappointed in God are times when I’ve reverted back to toddler-hood.  It’s when I’ve shaken my fist at him because I didn’t get what I wanted or thought I deserved, or when I was given something I didn’t at all want and thought he didn’t care.

Placing our hope in the Lord is a process over time of letting go of our hopes and dreams and relaxing into His plans.  For sure there will be battles and wounds and losses, but as we hold His hand we can be confident that he never allows anything to come our way except He turns it around for good.

If you’re disappointed in Him and your perception of his inattention or silence in your darkest of times, remember to place your hope in the truth of who he is – the sovereign Lord and Father who made you, knows you, and cares for you in the very BEST of ways.

You will NOT be disappointed when you get to really know HIM.

Hope Renewed

Isaiah 40 – one of my favorite passages:

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint.

Hoping in the Lord is not only wise, it renews our strength. 

Are you completely spent, today, wondering how you’ll make it until tomorrow?  Put your hope in God.

Are you tired and weary, unable to put one foot in front of the other?  Hope in the Lord and let him lift you up on his wings where you can soar.

Are you about to faint, due to the longevity of the hard times you’ve been experiencing?  Hope in Him and you’ll stay awake, strong, and upright.

You cannot help but be tired and weary when life hits you hard with difficult circumstances.  But the hope that we have in the Lord enables us to rise above those circumstances, see them from above instead of peeking out from underneath, and we WILL soar, run, and walk – in full stride – because when we are weak – he is strong.

Speaking

Another verse, similar to the one in yesterday’s devo:

Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them. (Proverbs 29)

To think before I speak might be a New Year’s goal I make every year.  This truly is an art and a gift, one that if we master it, we have achieved a great thing.

When we are angered, words fly out of our mouths that damage little ears that hear.  And words cannot be taken back, once they’re uttered.  The damage is done.

When we speculate and “think” something about someone, we speak degrading words of accusation and assumption, oftentimes to find out later we are completely wrong.  Again, damage is done.

When we are hurt and wounded, we even speak words against God, judging him to be a non-caring father, one who abandons and forgets.  And yet he’s right there, all the time, to hold us and keep us from fear.

So how do we choose to not speak in haste, and thus keep our hope intact?

We must pray and ask God to tame our tongue, settle our hearts, and we must train our minds to keep hope alive in Him – the author and finisher of our faith. 

Foolish Hope

Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them. (Proverbs 26)

I love the Proverbs – they’re so blunt and to the point – there’s no mistake about that!

We all try to be wise “in our own eyes” at some point in our lives. In fact, this type of behavior is prevalent in our teen years, when we think we know it all.  It doesn’t take long to realize that our own wisdom is quite lacking.

We pursue riches because we see that they bring happiness.  However, when they’re gone, we’re lost.  Or when they’re present, we worry we might lose them.

We pursue beauty, because we want others to like what they see when they look at us, and to compliment us.  However, as we age we realize that beauty fades, and we’re left grasping for air as our self-esteem tanks.

We pursue fame, because we see that famous people are well-liked and drive fancy cars and live in big houses – all things we see and desire.  But every day, we hear of another “famous” person on drugs, depressed, and completely messed up by their so-called fame.

If we continue in this sort of “wisdom,” this verse says there’s more hope for a fool than for us.

Enough said.

Our Prospect

Proverbs 10 says The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.The prospect of the righteous is joy,but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless, but it is the ruin of those who do evil.

I have often heard friends comment on how it doesn’t pay to follow the Lord, because they see a co-worker or a neighbor who certainly discounts God, yet prospers. And yet, they themselves are struggling through one hard time after another.

This sort of thinking couldn’t be farther from the truth.

When we love the Lord, we have eternal life – those who don’t only have this life.

The outlook for our future is one of joyful living (yes, even through sorrow and hard times) – for others their suffering just might be their demise.

God’s ways in our lives will always bring us refuge and strength, when we allow him to work – but God’s ways are despised by those who do not live him – and their future is ruin.

We need to pray for our neighbors who are prospering, so that when hard times come they are grounded in his love. And we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, looking for, expecting for, and hoping for his life, joy, and refuge to be ours – on a daily basis.