Romans 15:13
May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy
and peace in believing, through the experience of your faith that by the power
of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing with hope.
It’s so easy these days to lose hope. I never liked using the word hope because I thought of
hope
as something I desired. Sort of like
wishful thinking as in “I hope I get this or that, I hope this or that happens." According to Merriam
Webster’s dictionary, the definition of hope is to want something to
happen or be true and think that it could happen or be true. This definition implies that hope
is associated with our own willingness to want and to think something will
happen. But learning how the
word of God uses and defines hope has taught me to change my
thinking and perspective on many things in my life. What is hope then you say?
The biblical definition of hope is "to have a confident expectation." Hope is a firm assurance regarding things that are unclear and unknown. Romans 8:24 says: “For in this hope we were saved. But hope which is seen is not hope. For how can one hope for what he already sees?” So how do we hope in something that is unclear or not seen? Well, this is where God comes in. We need to learn to trust in his promises for us. Hope is simply about that which cannot yet be seen. To have hope is to have a confident expectation that God will get you through all of your trials. That in the midst of your storms you can confidently enjoy life because God is with you and his presence brings joy to your life.
Before my recent move to Florida many people asked me how I could leave just like that. Many of my friends and family had more questions than I had answers to.How can you move to Florida and quit your 12 year old teaching career? And what about your pension? Do you have a job secured in Florida? And what about your family? How can you leave your kids, grandkids, parents, sisters, friends and family behind? Do you have any family out there? Do you know anyone in Florida? Where will you live? What part of Florida will you move to? Why this, why that?
Every single question was valid. I wondered some of the same things myself. But let me tell you, I learned that God is not so interested in our questions as much as he’s interested in our trust in him.Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t just drop everything and move to Florida. I had a five year plan but even after five years, I still came here with many questions unanswered. But this is how I learned to trust God. So, I focused on his plan for me trusting him completely instead of asking him so many questions because I knew that if he would get me to Florida he would take care of everything else. And there’s only one way I can do all of this and it’s because of this little word called-hope. A word I never really believed in using because I always thought of hope as my own doing.
But now, I clearly understand that to have hope is to be confident in the promises that the bible declares to have been given to me. It is because I believe, not because I can see; that I rest assured that my God fills me with daily joy and peace. And by the power of the Holy Spirit I overflow with hope. I am totally confident that that God is with me, that his protection covers me, that he sends me his help and frees me from all anxiety, fear and worry. I am confident in the plans he has for me.
His plans are to prosper me and bring me hope (Jeremiah 29:11).As promised in Romans 12:12 and 15:13, hope produces joy and peace inside of us through the power of the Holy Spirit. So, if you were wondering how I did it and how I continue to enjoy my life every day while still lacking so many things, now you know. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit and the hope that produces joy in my life that I can live a life in peace regardless of my pain and struggles. I rejoice in knowing that my God gives me strength, gives me his love, but most of all hope.
I pray this devotional has blessed you and inspired you to live your dream and most of all to hope. If so, please comment and share your story.
Be Blessed…
The biblical definition of hope is "to have a confident expectation." Hope is a firm assurance regarding things that are unclear and unknown. Romans 8:24 says: “For in this hope we were saved. But hope which is seen is not hope. For how can one hope for what he already sees?” So how do we hope in something that is unclear or not seen? Well, this is where God comes in. We need to learn to trust in his promises for us. Hope is simply about that which cannot yet be seen. To have hope is to have a confident expectation that God will get you through all of your trials. That in the midst of your storms you can confidently enjoy life because God is with you and his presence brings joy to your life.
Before my recent move to Florida many people asked me how I could leave just like that. Many of my friends and family had more questions than I had answers to.How can you move to Florida and quit your 12 year old teaching career? And what about your pension? Do you have a job secured in Florida? And what about your family? How can you leave your kids, grandkids, parents, sisters, friends and family behind? Do you have any family out there? Do you know anyone in Florida? Where will you live? What part of Florida will you move to? Why this, why that?
Every single question was valid. I wondered some of the same things myself. But let me tell you, I learned that God is not so interested in our questions as much as he’s interested in our trust in him.Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t just drop everything and move to Florida. I had a five year plan but even after five years, I still came here with many questions unanswered. But this is how I learned to trust God. So, I focused on his plan for me trusting him completely instead of asking him so many questions because I knew that if he would get me to Florida he would take care of everything else. And there’s only one way I can do all of this and it’s because of this little word called-hope. A word I never really believed in using because I always thought of hope as my own doing.
But now, I clearly understand that to have hope is to be confident in the promises that the bible declares to have been given to me. It is because I believe, not because I can see; that I rest assured that my God fills me with daily joy and peace. And by the power of the Holy Spirit I overflow with hope. I am totally confident that that God is with me, that his protection covers me, that he sends me his help and frees me from all anxiety, fear and worry. I am confident in the plans he has for me.
His plans are to prosper me and bring me hope (Jeremiah 29:11).As promised in Romans 12:12 and 15:13, hope produces joy and peace inside of us through the power of the Holy Spirit. So, if you were wondering how I did it and how I continue to enjoy my life every day while still lacking so many things, now you know. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit and the hope that produces joy in my life that I can live a life in peace regardless of my pain and struggles. I rejoice in knowing that my God gives me strength, gives me his love, but most of all hope.
I pray this devotional has blessed you and inspired you to live your dream and most of all to hope. If so, please comment and share your story.
Be Blessed…
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