Hope

This hope will not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5

 

Hope, genuine hope, does not disappoint. It is not fleety, it is made of sterner stuff.

 

How can it boast this? Genuine hope is birthed through affliction and endurance, it is formed in fire. Faith that stands steadfastly in affliction produces endurance, which in turn produces Hope.

 

So then Hope is not fairy floss stuff, it is rock solid.

 

I watched a show on ABC the other night about Britain and especially Cornwall and Devon. The presenters were talking about a particular lighthouse built out in the ocean on the remains of a dormant volcano. The remaining rock was the cold core that had once been molten lava. This rock was so solid it resisted the sea's efforts to wear it away.

 

This rock was birthed in fire, hot fire. The remaining rock was immovable. This is what hope is like.

 

When you hear people say: 'oh! I hope so!' they haven't got a clue, this is not hope, it is wishful thinking.

 

Hope is the guardrail, it protects you, you know it is there and you can venture out in faith, because it is there. You know it won't let go, because you went through the fire with it and know it didn't melt.

 

Another reason you know it won't disappoint is the presence of the love of God in your life, in the person of the Holy Spirit.