The Advent of HOPE and the Object of Our Faith.Sample

The New Testament Greek words for hope are elpizein (verb) and elpis (noun), which speak to confident expectation and trust. When the New Testament uses the word hope, it’s not referring to a feeling or a wish. It’s not “I hope I lose weight this week,” or “I hope I get that job,” or “I hope everything works out.” Those things change. They fade.

Most years as a child, my Christmas wish list included the most trendy, heavily advertised toys on TV. Each Christmas morning, I would wake up hoping with everything in me that the shiny things I’d longed for were under the tree. The anticipation of Christmas morning was always centered on what was to come in the gifts we received. But each year, those hopes changed — because there was always something new. There were many Christmases when I got what I hoped for, but the joy and satisfaction never lasted until the next year. The focus of my hope changed.

We do this as adults too; it just looks different than a Christmas morning wish list. Often, our hope is fixed on things we think might change our situation or offer satisfaction — like a new job, a new house, or a new relationship. But just like Christmas gifts, those desires are ever-changing.

The hope of Christ is different — it is an objective focus. It’s a confident trust in the One who died for us and a steady expectation of eternity through Him. It’s living differently here on earth because we trust the One who is coming back.

We do not place our hope in things that change. We place our hope in the One who never changes.

It’s an anchor — and anchors don’t move. They stay steady. They keep you grounded even when everything around you is shifting.

What is your hope fixed on? What is your focus?