Faith and hope a powerful force in the heart of a christian. Part 1.

As we enter into 2011 I believe that a message that is very necessary for us to repeatedly hear is one of hope. So much of that which we hear in the news media is weighted towards a negativity.
Whether it is news of the economy or of terrorist threats or of the flu or of rising joblessness or of anti social behaviour so the list could go on and on.
But the prevailing culture of the society in which we live is one of scepticism and the more that we listen to the news the more that it is calculated to inspire bad news.
When a message of hope does arise people are eager to latch on to it almost as if it gives to them a brief respite from the mainstay of bad news.
Take for example the recent story of the former radio station presenter who was "discovered" on the streets in Ohio,"the man with the golden voice"
Twenty four hours after his images were posted on utube he was not only off the streets but was fielding multiple offers from radio stations around the US keen to offer him some work.
His story which was one of hitting the bottom after succumbing to alcohol and drug abuse (he had been clean for two years but had still been unable to get himself off the streets)became a story of one mans path to redemption, a classic tale of being offered a second chance.
What struck a chord with thousands around the world was that his redemption offered hope to others, as one commentator said "his story inspires hope".
As a footnote to this story when the man himself was interviewed and asked to assess his feelings about the situation he said "The Lord is Good",and proceeded to quote from memory proverbs chapter three about trusting in the Lord with all of your heart and leaning not upon your own understanding.
Or think of the miraculous discovery and rescue of the Chilean miners who were snatched from the jaws of death.
The scenes of them emerging from the bowls of the earth many of them falling to their knees and openly giving thanks to God inspired hope.
The world is crying out for hope.
As Christians we have a message of hope that is unchanging and the bible says that we are to abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit(Romans 15 13)
It is so important that we have a mindset of hope and actually cultivate hope in the midst of a society that is so often geared to attempt to take this away.
So where is hope found? It is wonderful when we hear hope inspiring stories such as those that I have mentioned,however that is only a fleeting hope,and it quickly passes away.
By contrast we have an enduring hope that does not pass away and the source of that hope is found in the Word of God.
As we meditate upon the Word of God and most especially upon the promises of God we are feeding our hearts and our intellects upon that which creates and sustains an unwavering hope within us.
Hebrews chapter 11 and verse one says that"Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen"
So it is evident that in order for us to be strong in faith we must first be strong in hope.
Hope must precede the development of our faith.
What we need to understand therefore is what true biblical hope is like,as opposed to the worlds view of hope.
One of the clearest definitions of hope is found in a statement made by Paul the apostle in Philippians chapter 1 verse 20 which says "according to my earnest expectation and hope.
Paul is here describing hope in line with his earnest expectation,an expectation for the desired end for which he and the Philippians church were praying.
Hope is not a wistful sentiment or a vague wish that something may happen in the future that you desire to happen.
The worlds often repeated sentiment of "I hope so" has no substance to it whatsoever and is in stark contrast to the way that the bible describes true spiritual hope.
True biblical hope is therefore a eager earnest expectation for something desirable and good to come to pass.
It is a desire for future good to happen, a change of circumstances in a positive way,a promise being fulfilled.
And that is why our hope is so linked to the promises of Gods word,because it is precisely as we feed upon those promises and hold them in our minds eye, in contrast to the bad news or undesirable end that so often presents itself to us, that our hope is kindled and restored.
We could say that it is the pratice of biblical meditation upon hope.
Consider how important the cultivation of hope is to our lives.
Proverbs chapter 13 and verse 12 says that "Hope deferred makes the heart sick.
But when the desire comes it is a tree of life"
There are many people who are sick at heart because they have nurtured negative thought patterns and almost never have a positive thought.
Dr Caroline Leaf is a leader in the field of the study of the human brain and a Spirit filled christian.
She has written a book entitled "Who turned off my brain?"
In the book she gives medical evidence of how doctors have now been able to see the effect that thoughts have upon the physical body.
In the instance of people who have developed thought patterns of anxiety and fear and negativity those thoughts actually begin to break down the bodies own immune system to disease.
In contrast to those individuals who have learned(and the key word here is learned)to develop thoughts of hope and faith it actually has a chemical effect that enhances the capacity of their bodies to fend off sickness and disease
So even on the level of our own general health and sense of well being it is important for us to be a people full of hope.
But there is an additional reason why we should be a people of hope given to us in 1 Corinthians chapter 13.
In that passage which deals with the supremacy of Gods love in the heart of the christian it concludes with saying now these three remain faith hope and love.
Paul has just spoken in this passage about how in heaven that which is partial or imperfect will disappear and that which is complete and perfect will remain.
"Where there are prophecies they will fail,where there are tongues they will cease where there is knowledge it will vanish away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect has come than that which is in part will be done away."
When we leave this life and are ushered into eternity we will not enter into heaven either prophesying or speaking in tongues or striving to gain knowledge.
Those things are given to us for our earthly pilgrimage.
We will know completely even as we are completely known.
However Paul says that faith hope and love will remain.
In other words we will carry those three virtues and graces with us from this life into eternity.
We begin cultivating those qualities now but we will carry them into eternity for they are eternal realities that we will exercise throughout eternity.
Should we not given some greater time and thought to the cultivation of these three graces within our lives therefore?
Several years ago I decided that since Paul specifies these three qualities as remaining I would focus my efforts upon the cultivation of these three.
Think in our world today how much time and effort and industry and labour and money and resource and pursuit and passion is expended upon the obtaining of goals that do nothing to strengthen these three virtues in a person life.
What a tragic delusion.
Peter calls our christian hope "a living hope" and says that we were born again into this living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
We have become children of God for a purpose;to manifest this living hope not a dead hope,but one that is based upon the fact that Jesus is raised from the dead.
Because he has been raised from the dead no more to see corruption he has triumphed over sin and death and evil,and by his resurrection life he has given to us a new life.
He has given to us a promise of an eternal inheritance and the assurance that in this life we need not be overwhelmed by life's problems, but know that his life that overcame when he walked this earth is now living in us as his body and triumphing through us over all of his enemies.
"If God be for us who can be against us Paul proclaims and we may say the same.
As innumerable as our challenges that we may face we can rest in the certainty that "the Lord is in our side"and" he that is in us is greater than he that is in the world."
And he has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises by which we become partakers of his divine nature.
As we feed constantly upon the promises of God we can rejoice that our faith hope and love are being nurtured and fed,and that by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead these promises of God are assured and they are ours and in Him they are yes and they are amen.