Building a Greater Hope

The life of a Christian is not a life without struggles. Quite often, the struggles of a Christian become more evident as we align ourselves more closely with the truth of Jesus and walk each day in the will of God. We take comfort in knowing that despite whatever happens in this life, our salvation and future home is securely in the hands of our Lord. Also, because of our faith in Jesus, we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit who brought with Him our access to God’s Throne of Grace. Understanding this access to God’s grace is essential to building a stronger faith, which in turn builds in us a greater hope.

Romans 5:1-5 tells us, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 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. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 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.”

Faith and hope are spiritual muscles that require conditioning and exercise in order to grow strong and become more effective. As with any muscle, it will only grow stronger under stress and exertion. Our struggles and the challenges of life are what God uses to strengthen our faith, our hope, and our resolve. Suffering in our life may come about through our own actions and wrong decisions or God may orchestrate the events. Regardless of the cause, each of us has access to the grace of God, through our love for our Lord and through the gifting of the Holy Spirit. 

This is not to say that our suffering will be diminished or will suddenly go away. What is being said is that through the grace of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can endure all. Our understanding of grace helps us to persevere and stand strong in the faith that God will see us through it all. That refusal to despair builds the kind of character that Jesus displayed to the world. It is a character that strengthens our resolve and builds our hope in God. 

Our faith, our hope and our trust are always in our God. He has proven His faithfulness to us many times over. May we prove our faithfulness to Him by refusing to lose hope in our Lord.