Hope, Day 2

Why do we cheapen Faith? Why do we cheapen Christ? Why do we cheapen Hope?

If we don't believe in it's power, it no longer has any.

It was only a few short years ago that I had one of those "ahh-haa" moments and truly realized what Hope was/is. I don't remember what we were discussing at the time. We were at our small group in Cedar Falls and someone defines hope; "hope is confident expectation". What? Confident Expectation? What does that mean? Okay, so whatever the group continued to talk about was completely lost to me. I had just realized that all I had ever considered of the word hope was like "wish" or "luck". It was a pat on the back, a word of encouragement to let someone know you were, well, hoping that whatever it was they wanted to do or accomplish or have was going to happen for them. I don't know that up to that point in my life I had ever said the word hope with the thought of expectation.

May I encourage you to take time to reflect on how you use the word hope. Do you cheapen it like I did? Do you use it like a wish and not like putting expectations on/in Christ? Be intentional when you use the word hope. Every time you say Hope, may it be a prayer of expectation to your Savior.

1 Thessalonians 1:2,3
We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers;
constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father

Please continue to pray for Shawna L this week