Hope

"High Hopes" could be the subtitle of the Bible, the New Testament in particular. The Bible authors understood that people aren't content to live, but need to have something to live for. It is human to wonder about the future, for God made us that way. Happily, he gave many promises of a blessed future to those who follow him.

Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again -- my Savior and my God!

The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked are all in vain.

Love the LORD, all you faithful ones! For the LORD protects those who are loyal to him, but he harshly punishes all who are arrogant. So be strong and take courage, all you who put your hope in the LORD !

The LORD watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy.

Blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.

Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. They give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises.

There are three things that will endure -- faith, hope, and love.

We who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive everything promised to us who are right with God through faith.

In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from God's people, Israel, and you did not know the promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you belong to Christ Jesus. Though you once were far away from God, now you have been brought near to him because of the blood of Christ.

This is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory.

Brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died.

He declared us not guilty because of his great kindness. And now we know that we will inherit eternal life.

God has given us both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence.

This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain of heaven into God's inner sanctuary.

Without wavering, let us hold tightly to the hope we say we have, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.

All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God, in his mighty power, will protect you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to see. So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.

The Book of God's Promises -- Copyright, 1999 by J. Stephen Lang. All rights reserved, used with permission.