Hope Does Not Disappoint!

This morning I was led to read from Paul's letter to the Romans - Romans 5:1-5 NIV:

[1] "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, [2] through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. [3] Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; [4] perseverance, character; and character, hope. [5] And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."

Another translation for verse 5 (NASB) says "and hope does not disappoint.." The theme this morning seemed to be focused around hope. As Paul says here, one of the sources for hope is living in difficult circumstances. It is the belief and knowledge that there is a better experience coming ones way. It is mean to be held onto, to be relied upon, because it is based on the promise of God (see my earlier blog entry on hope - http://amomentwithgod-srh.blogspot.com/2014/02/hold-onto-hope.html ).

The simple message that hope does not disappoint is a powerful reminder to us all to not give up, to hold onto hope, to press through difficulty and suffering, knowing that our hope will be justified. God is good! God is faithful to fulfill His promises!

Hope turns our eyes upwards and outwards, and enable us to step free of the shackles of introspection and self focus. We should not be surprised if we encounter difficulty or struggles or even persecution (1 Peter 4:12; 1 John 3:13), for these are common among all God's people. However, we should recognize that in hope we have the tools necessary to overcome these things, and bring glory to God our deliverer and savior.

Hope Does Not Disappoint! Amen!