There are two kinds of people in the world: the hopeless and the hopeful.
According to the Bible, Christians should be the hopeful. Because of God’s grace and the promises found in the gospel of Jesus Christ, our hearts can be filled with “the full assurance of hope” (Hebrews 6:11 ESV).
You just read God’s definition of hope. It is “full assurance” rather than wishful thinking. It’s the certain and confident expectation of God’s now and forever goodness toward his people.
The best way I know to maintain and increase our hope is to focus on God’s precious promises found in Scripture. Here are seven of them. Meditate on these words and God will fill your heart with hope. Each of these promises is fulfilled when we experience the presence of God, as indicated by the italicized words.
Psalm 16:11 – Eternal Life, Joy, and Pleasure
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalm 49:15 – Redemption from Death
But God will redeem me from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.
John 14:1-3 – Being with Jesus in the Father’s House
1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
John 17:24 – Seeing the Glory of Christ
Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
2 Corinthians 5:6-9 – Being at Home
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
Philippians 1:21-23 – The Gain of What is Far Better
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far
1 John 3:2-3 – Being Like Christ
2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
Which of these promises resonates most in your heart today? And why? I’d love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts.
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