“Hope will determine America’s Resurgence or
Decline,” is the title of a recent blog post by Jim Clifton, Chairman of Gallup
Research. Clifton summarizes the
importance of hope saying, “When you think the future will be better than the
present, you start working harder today.”
Recently I spoke with a high school student who had begun to receive
letters of interest from colleges and national scholarship programs. I was struck by the affect that they had on
him. He said, “It helps me know that
someone is interested, that I am smart, and that I can do something with my
life.” The letters gave him hope that his effort today would lead to a brighter
tomorrow.
Hope is a powerful force in the
present that positions us for the future.
In Romans the apostle Paul writes “[because] we have gained access by
faith into this grace in which we now stand… we boast in the hope of the glory
of God… 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.” –
Romans 5:2,5(NIV)
The good news of Jesus Christ is
that hope is not dependent upon our performance. God understood that we could not reach
perfection and therefore made a way for us to know Him despite our
imperfection. He did this by sending His
son who lived a sinless perfect life, yet suffered and died a murderer’s
death. John 3:16 gives us a glimpse of
God’s heart saying, “For God so
loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life.”
When we place our faith in Jesus
Christ, God’s love and hope pours into our hearts. The more we understand and experience this
love the more hope we will live with. Furthermore,
we gain strength to believe for a brighter tomorrow.
Paul continues in Romans
explaining the depth of God’s love; “You see, at just the
right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a
good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God
demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ
died for us.” – Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)
Perhaps you feel unable today to
believe for a better tomorrow. Be
encouraged! It is just the right time
for God to visit you. Yes, we will
continue to have trials, but our hope is that through them our God will always
stay. We can take hold of the truth that
“[nothing] in all creation, will be
able to separate us from the love of God that
is in Christ Jesus our Lord [Romans 8:39].” Will you place your trust in Christ Jesus
today?
