That is why we
never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small
and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs
them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we
fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon
be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. 2
Corinthians 4:16-18
Never lose hope. We
all encounter situations where things seem hopeless. You feel like you will never be right
again. The path forward looks dark and
filled with dead ends, and every time you do something right, you find a way to
do two more things wrong. Nothing feels
either secure or safe, and no matter how you approach a situation or person,
you always end up with the same negative result. This has been me at various points in my
life. However, I have watched God do
things that have always proven that no matter what my present circumstance may
be, there is always reason to hope. I
can continue to pray knowing that God has got my back, and things will be
alright. Yes, it may be hard right now,
but as a sermon I heard once said, sometimes God is using your present
circumstances to prepare for His future glory.
Furthermore when all is calm for too long, I need to ask myself if my
walk of faith has become too safe. Is
there darkness in my life that I am afraid to face?
Through His spirit, God gives us an infinite supply of
hope. In the fourth chapter of 2nd
Corinthians, Paul speaks of this endless supply of power that is built on our
faith. We are inspired by God daily
because of His gift of grace. We are to
look at our current troubles not as obstacles but instead as preparation for
God’s glory to be revealed. And our
faith is not to focus on what we see in front of us. Instead, it is to envision a future where
Jesus comes to reign again, and we along with all those who chose to follow Him
will live with together serving the one true living God. From these truths, we should never be a
victim of our circumstances. We are
instead fighters trusting in a God who has delivered us time and time again. This is what hope sounds like. It never surrenders. It never relents, and like love, it never
fails.
You are the hope of the
world. In saying this, it sounds overreaching
or unrealistic, but if Jesus is the light of the world and the Holy Spirit
dwells within us, how can one see it any other way? Phillipians 4:13 says, “I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me.” (NKJV), and later in 2 Corinthians, Paul says,
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV) Therefore if we are truly believers, we must
believe that we are indeed filled with an unlimited supply of this hope, and
thus, we indeed represent hope in a fallen world. How can you be hopeful today? Who can you inspire with the hope God
instilled in you? My prayer is that we
look beyond our present circumstances and see ourselves for who God see us as;
hope for the world. Amen.
