Hope Is ContagiousPrøve

HOPE IN HARD TIMES Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Romans 5:1-5) Three life sentences were the punishment handed down to the prisoner falsely accused of the horrible crime of murder. As he entered the prison system, he found himself stripped of everything that he knew; his pride, public perception, physical freedom, a life lived with friends and family, and a future. Everything was gone except for his hope. While all external perceptions of promise were taken away, there remained the critical component needed to persevere in hard times... and that is hope. That is the hope Paul is speaking of in his encouragement to the believers in Rome. This hope was not one of wishful thinking that ignores the current crisis and conditions, but the kind of hope that is born in adversity. For biblical hope is not blind to the problems and issues of the present, but it looks beyond them and unto the promise of God’s word and the purpose of our future. Embracing the fact that every trial and setback is building Godly character, which causes these traits to be identified and fortified. What is being built is Patience, which is the capacity to accept or tolerate difficult situations. Patience leads to experience, the knowledge of the skill that is acquired over time. Then this all leads to Hope, a Confident expectation of good. As sickness, bankruptcy, and family issues circle you, trust in the conviction and assurance of the promises of God's word. As the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into years, the wrongly convicted prisoner held on to his hope and fought for his freedom. He ended up walking free after 20 years. Whatever your crisis may be, please never surrender your hope. “Hope itself is like a star—not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. ” – Charles Haddon Spurgeon Every find yourself locked in self-pity? Pray that God would help you remember that hope can be a choice.