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“May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, And fulfill all your purpose. We will rejoice in your salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petition” Psalms 20:4-5 (NKJV).
Religion without hope is not religion because life without hope is not life, and religion is the way we weave hope into our lives. We’re hopeful because we believe that God has made us in His image and has laid up for us in the world to come in Heaven a life for our souls after the death of our bodies. Nevertheless, His even without the promise of heaven, is the indispensable source of my hope. Even without the promise of heaven, God’s compassionate creation of us as moral beings made in God’s image makes my hope not just a naive expectation, but a certain gift. The reward of our hope is a joyous life, and the punishment of evil is the destruction of hope. Hope and righteousness are connected and connect us to joy and God. Cruelty deprives us of that connection and makes our hope vanish like dust in the wind. Christianity took this Jewish teaching and built a glorious religion upon hope. How is your hope? Does it bounce back after being hit? Does it cause you to doubt when you lose hope in a situation? God knows that we all struggle with finding and holding onto hope. When you are facing tests of faith, even the strongest Christians can find it a challenge to find hope. When you need encouragement and refreshment for your soul, turn to these Scriptures from the Old and New Testaments that offer hope and encouragement. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress” Philippians 4:13-14 (NKJV).
One of the biggest challenges we face is figuring out exactly what we want to do with our lives. For many believers, our purpose and passion in life are obvious and clear. We’re born with a set of talents and through persistent practice, we develop our talents into skills. But all of the genetic weaknesses you didn’t have any say in are part of how God shaped you for a purpose. Only as you understand and embrace your life’s purpose, you become the best you can be. We’re all differently abled and gifted, but God looks at us the same: with love. God knows that we all struggle with finding and holding onto hope. “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them” Matthew 25:14-19 (NKJV).
No matter what you’ve been told by someone in your life or by culture or by the lies Satan puts in your head, you are infinitely precious to God. He thought of you, he made you to love you, and he cares about every detail of your life. Your life reveals God’s purpose and shows his glory. You are valuable, no matter who you are or where you’re from. And the same is true for every person, from the moment they are born. Have you stopped lately to consider what the true purpose for your life is? None of us are perfect, but the Bible tells us God accepts responsibility for all our genetic defects. It doesn’t include the problems in our lives that we brought on ourselves because of poor choices. Then you will have the greatest positive impact on the people in your sphere of influence. When you know your purpose, it gives meaning to your life every day. In seeking to find and achieve your God-given purpose, consider the need not just to dedicate yourself to what will give the greatest fulfilment in your life, but also to something that is greater than yourself. Begin by asking God to show you his plan for your life. You might not get the whole picture of what he has for you at one time, as you open your heart, little by little he will unfold it to you. Then, as you move forward, ask God to guide your steps. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand” Psalm 37:23-24 (NKJV).
God has the purpose for your life and the roadmap to reach it. In fact, the plan that God has for your life is greater than you can ever imagine. You would want to pursue it because you want all that your loving Father has in store for you. Having hope propels us to achieve our dreams and drives us forward toward our pursuits. It also keeps us afloat when everything seems to go wrong, when we feel that we're drowning. Hope is the light at the end of the tunnel, the northern star by which we navigate our lives through trials and difficulties towards our dreams of a better day. When we lose hope, we are like a rudderless ship being tossed about without direction. Having and finding hope, then, is essential for keeping our dreams upright and continuing to sail in the direction of their attainment. Everyone needs to be reminded from time to time of the hope that God, Jesus and the Bible offer to us in our daily lives. The hope for a return of Jesus as the Christ is the most powerful religious belief in the world. It is not my belief, nor is it my hope, but it inspires me greatly. Jesus was able to give people who saw no hope in this life a hope for a glorious future in heaven with him; so that has transformed our lives and our world more than hope. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV).
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