real hope
reading from the playbook› Romans 5:5-8
It has been said that as oxygen is to the lungs, so hope is to the human heart. We need hope. What is real hope? Perhaps you can recall an occasion in your past when you failed to study for an exam. When someone asked you whether or not you would pass, you responded, “I hope so.” That type of hope could better be described as baseless optimism. Because you did not properly prepare for the exam, you have no reasonable grounds for confidence that your desires will be fulfilled. You are simply exercising wishful thinking.
Biblical hope is trustful expectation. It is the confidence that God will do what He said He would do. Titus 2:13-14 reads, “We look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.”
What do you draw hope from? What is it that keeps you going and gives you reason to live? Many people rely on false hope or simply on wishful thinking. They may depend upon wealth, possessions, accomplishment, good deeds, or their righteousness. While these may temporarily energize us, there is no sustaining ability for the long term, much less for eternity.
Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:3, “It is by His great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.” Real hope can only be found through our faith and trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If we are placing our hope in anything else, it is simply wishful thinking.
—Bill Sampen, former major league pitcher
executing the game plan›
• Sometimes we need things to look forward to. List three things that give you hope.
• How can you make sure your key hope is in God?
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