Our Hope Is Different
I have talked about how difficult the life of a believer is, but there are definitely many advantages. We have HOPE. I’m not talking about wishful thinking. I’m talking about the HOPE of the bible. Elpis. Confidence. Trust. Eager Expectation. Our hope is different.
Look at this excerpt from Brave the Wave,
I’ve come across people in my life who have little or zero faith. I’ve seen the look in their eyes at the death of a loved one. One thing’s missing. Hope. Not the hope of wishful thinking, but the hope of the Bible.
Biblical hope is conveyed by the Greek word elpis, meaning “confidence” or “trust.” Our hope is to be more like eager expectation. I’ve seen this kind of hope in people of faith when they’re nearing death. Sometimes they’re eagerly awaiting it, almost like they’re in line for a ride at Disneyland. Excitement and eager expectation. Smiling and waiting. They have total confidence in the beauty and wonder of the place that Jesus has prepared. They believe Jesus when he says,
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.”
After saying that, Jesus was asked (by the disciple Thomas), “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Here’s the answer from Jesus:
I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him. (John 14:1-7 ESV)
We either believe Jesus about heaven or we don’t. We either believe this promise or we don’t.
Living with Hope
We should live with biblical hope. Our hope is different. It is the hope of eager expectation.
So yeah the hard road and the narrow road are difficult, but we have access to hope. We have access to power, clarity and vision.
When we think about hope, as believers we have faith and trust. We have “eager expectation”.
Think about going on vacation with your family. Maybe you are going on a cruise. Maybe you are taking a flight. You have been waiting for the week off from work so you can relax and spend time with your family and just sit back and enjoy yourself. If you have ever been on a cruise, the one thing that is funny to me is the smile on everyone’s face when they are going through the check in process. Everyone is happy and laughing and joking. Including me. Why? Are they hoping to get on board? The hope that we have grown up with and we are used to is more of a “wishful thinking”. “I hope I win the lotto.” It’s wishful thinking.
As believers, we have the hope of “eager expectation.” Just like when we are checking in for the cruise, we are eager and we fully expect to board the ship. We are never in doubt that we will board the ship. When we have faith and trust in Jesus, we fully expect to see Jesus and check out the place he has “prepared” for us. That is the HOPE of the believer. It’s different.
Anxiety, Hope Or Joy ?
If we think about our stress and our anxiety, most of the time we are anxious or uncomfortable about something coming in the future. We are afraid of an outcome or some other circumstance that exists only in our minds. We think of all the possible bad outcomes that can occur. This interferes with our Joy. Our hope is different.
How do we live with hope? Where is that elusive joy? Peace? It’s nowhere to be found. The answer is in our relationship with Jesus. He is the answer to all of these. Hope. Joy. Peace. All of them come from a relationship with Jesus.
“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:10 NLT)
“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” (John 15:11 NLT)
We should ask ourselves. Do I have a rich and satisfying life? Why not? Is my joy overflowing? Do I have joy?