Overflowing hope…a term that you don’t hear every day. What a beautiful description of the essence of the Christian life. We not only have hope, we overflow with hope. Hope is pouring out of us, exposing everyone around us to the hope that not only resides within us, but cannot be contained by us.
We have this hope because we serve the God of hope. Hope is one of the dominant characteristics of His attitude and being. He is never discouraged, and never without hope. He is always hopeful for us, believing the best of us and for us.
Hope is a powerful quality in that it is never discouraged. It is very hard, if not impossible to be discouraged and hopeful at the same time. Hope is greater than fear, greater than unbelief, and greater than pessimism and cynicism. Hope is the great overcomer when it comes to godly attitudes we cultivate as believers and followers.
Peter says we have been “born into a living hope”. As in all things in the Christian life, the Lord Jesus is the source of our hope as well. He is the living hope we have been born into. The certainty of His life at work in me causes Paul to exclaim, “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”
Hope is so powerful, Paul says that it does not disappoint. It cannot disappoint because the Holy Spirit has poured the love of God into our hearts. The love of God is the assurance of the fulfillment of that which we hope for. Because he loves me, I will always have hope; not hope as the world hopes, without certainty, but a hope that is certain because it has already been secured through the cross and resurrection. And as in all other promises in Christ, the ascension of the Lord Jesus “sealed the deal”.
Paul says that because of the certainty of this hope, we will be filled with “all joy and peace” as we trust Him. Joy and hope, peace and hope; it seems hope is the catalyst for the others as well.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Now these three remain: faith, hope and love.” Faith we’re very familiar with, and love has always been sought after, but it is hope that the church needs now more than ever. If the greatest is love, hope can’t be far behind.
by Rick Martinez
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