Romans 5:2-5
"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (NIV)
"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (NIV)
One day we will see Jesus face to face (1 Cor. 13:12). Our questions will be answered. Our tears wiped away. And our hopes realized. But, until that day, God does not abandon us to wander in confusion. He leads us with hope. He leads us to hope.
Hope is a journey and a destination. We don't have to wait until hope is made complete in us to actually have hope. Romans 5:2 says that we can "rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." We can have hope now! What does this mean? To rejoice in the hope of God is only a choice away. To focus our minds and hearts on God getting his glory, or worshipping him, stirs up hope within us. This hope is the fuel for our journey.
God is also leading us somewhere. The destination is hope. He says to "rejoice in our sufferings," because they are producing hope in us. With this in mind, we are able to rejoice in all moments of life - the good and the bad. Typically, we complain about the difficult circumstances. The truth, however, is that our difficulties are leading us somewhere… to hope. As we grow closer to God on this journey, we realize that our suffering is not a dead end. It is working greater perseverance in us to know God and to look like God (character). The more we know God and look like God in our character, the more hope stirs within us.
The hope of seeing Jesus face to face is meant to grow within us on our journey. We begin to see our lives on earth in light of eternity. We realize that our "light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV). We can focus on this heavenly reality right now… and hope will come. And we can focus on this heavenly reality when suffering looms over us… and we will arrive at hope.
Hope is a journey and a destination. We don't have to wait until hope is made complete in us to actually have hope. Romans 5:2 says that we can "rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." We can have hope now! What does this mean? To rejoice in the hope of God is only a choice away. To focus our minds and hearts on God getting his glory, or worshipping him, stirs up hope within us. This hope is the fuel for our journey.
God is also leading us somewhere. The destination is hope. He says to "rejoice in our sufferings," because they are producing hope in us. With this in mind, we are able to rejoice in all moments of life - the good and the bad. Typically, we complain about the difficult circumstances. The truth, however, is that our difficulties are leading us somewhere… to hope. As we grow closer to God on this journey, we realize that our suffering is not a dead end. It is working greater perseverance in us to know God and to look like God (character). The more we know God and look like God in our character, the more hope stirs within us.
The hope of seeing Jesus face to face is meant to grow within us on our journey. We begin to see our lives on earth in light of eternity. We realize that our "light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV). We can focus on this heavenly reality right now… and hope will come. And we can focus on this heavenly reality when suffering looms over us… and we will arrive at hope.
