Today, I want to point us towards a virtue that is either seldomly thought about or completely misplaced and misunderstood. But learning about its amazing power can make our lives, and hopefully that of others around us, more fulfilling and satisfying. So let me ask: are you familiar with the story of the man who was sick for 38 years? You can find his sad, yet miraculous story in John 5:2-15. On Day 2 called “Among Us,” the authors say about this poor invalid, “He had no ability to help himself, no way to reach the water, and no one in his life who cared enough to get him there. Enter Jesus.” (p16) Jesus changes everything! Jesus fills us with a virtue that causes all the things we thought we knew to dramatically be transformed. What is this virtue? Listen to what these authors say, “What was it like for the Creator, Redeemer, and Healer to walk among the suffering? Certainly His heart broke, and not only because of the people’s pain, but also because of their misplaced hope. Or total lack of hope.” (p16) Do we see it?
Hope. And not just general hopefulness. The Bible is not talking about wishful thinking or optimism. This is a real, solid, concrete confidence in God who is above and beyond all things. It is a deep seeded knowing that God Loves us, and because of His unconditional Love, will do, or allow, whatever He must because it is what is best for us. When we put our Hope in God, instead of anything, and everything, of this temporary fading world, then we can benefit from all the goodness of God’s Grace.
Think 1Corinthians 13:13 here which says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Co 13:13) Faith connects us to God, so we can have a relationship with Him, now and forevermore. Hope opens up our hearts to grow in this the new nature we have been given, so we can enjoy this new relationship with God. Then Love empowers us to share this New Life with those around us, so that they may know God for themselves too, in real and tangible ways. We, then, simply display God’s Love as we live love. The problem is too many, in and out of the Church, are placing their Hope on the wrong things! More on this tomorrow…
