Redefine :: Part 1

An Introduction

Hope. I have been musing on the meaning of this word a lot. e tend to hope in a lot of things. We hope that we graduate. We hope that the love of our life will find us in college. We hope our parents get back together. We hope our mothers disease can be healed. We put hope into a lot things trivial and eternal.

But was is real hope? In Colossians Paul calls the mystery of Christ in us (Which by the transitive property we are then part of the mystery) the hope of Glory. How can we be the "hope" of glory?

I was in a conversation with Lauren the other night about the idea of hope. I put forth the idea that hope cannot be disconnected from expectancy. Lauren gave her rebuttle by saying that in situations where the odds are against your favor you tend to hope, but you do not expect the inprobable outcome. I argued that expectancy is the foundation of hope. With much deliboration, we decided to consult our dear friend Apple Dictionary. I will admit. I had an advantage because I had been thinking on this a while and had recently visited this specific entry, but we did find that in fact expectancy is the foundation of the word. Also, after further research (BibleGateway) we found that it is the only noun I will be discussing in these entries that have a future connotation.

I think we have lost the definition of hope. We say that we hope that something we happen, but we often jsut mean desire. But even then have we lost the true meaning of desire. Do we not expect our desires to be fullfilled? I believe we pray too much in disbelief. We don't think God is as big as he is. We fail to hope. We fail to be a mystery. We fail to be the hope of glory that we are. We are a hope to the world. We represent an expectant glory, but we seldom live like it.

I challenge you to join with me. Pray expectantly that what is to be in heaven it be done on Earth. Hope in the fact God is infinite. Be expectant in your thoughts. Hope in you desires. Hope in the faith you believe in. If we have hope we will be more urgent in our purpose. We will understand what it means to expect Glory.

Redefine :: Hope

This is a conversation not a sermon. Please leave your thoughts...