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Real Hope According to Webster’s Dictionary, “hope” is a desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. Hope differs from wish and desire in that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety. Pro 13:12 (KJV) “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but [when] the desire cometh, [it is] a tree of life.” If our hope in Christ is accompanied by disappointment and nervousness, and anxiety, we must realize that something is not right. If our hope is not bringing us pleasure and joy, it is most likely that we lack the proper understanding of hope. The misinterpretation of words and their meanings can cause even the most sincere people to error. For example: If people choose to live a sin-filled lifestyle, and claim to have a hope of salvation at the same time, they have of a truth cancelled out the latter by living the former. Hope is an obtainable expectation; therefore, if we hope for something, we will actively participate in the avenues that lead to the fulfillment of that expectation. Jer 17:7 (KJV) “Blessed [is] the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.” Jeremiah says that those who trust in God and place their hope in Him will be blessed. That word “blessed” is defined by Webster as meaning: Happy; enjoying spiritual happiness and the favor of God; enjoying heavenly felicity. There is not any room in that definition for gloom, despair, and agony; although there is still the need for the means by which we must acquire and apply that which is necessary to obtain the proper results. In this next scripture is found a prime example of how this hope works. Lam 3:21-26 (KJV) “This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. (22) [It is of] the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. (23) [They are] new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness. (24) The LORD [is] my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. (25) The LORD [is] good unto them that wait for him, to the soul [that] seeketh him. (26) [It is] good that [a man] should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.” In Lamentations the writer was blessed because he had found hope and comfort in the word of God. His faith in the truth of what he had read motivated him to keep the words active in his mind, and led him to cease from other pursuits that he might wait upon the Lord instead. The same can be true in our lives. Anyone who chooses to believe and act upon the word of God is going to be blessed by the hope therein. It is this hope that causes people to praise the Lord, and most of the time it is those blessings and praises that draw others to do the same. Psa 40:2-3 (KJV) “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, [and] established my goings. (3) And he hath put a new song in my mouth, [even] praise unto our God: many shall see [it], and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” -Kurt Thurston November Newsletter 2005 | Testing, God's Way | No Strings Attached part 2 of 2 Pastor's Journal November 2004 | Real Hope | Church As Spiritual Zion part 2 of 3 |
Biblical Counseling for Leaders
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