Hope. Defined in the dictionary
it is as follows:
VERB:
intr.
intr.
- To wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment.
- Archaic To have confidence; trust.
VERB:
tr.
tr.
- To look forward to with confidence or expectation: We hope that our children will be successful.
- To expect and desire.
NOUN:
- A wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment.
- Something that is hoped for or desired: Success is our hope.
- One that is a source of or reason for hope: the team's only hope for victory.
- often Hope Christianity The theological virtue defined as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with God's help.
- Archaic Trust; confidence.
In a recent study it was found that workers who have hope
are 14% more productive than those who don’t.
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This is not surprising. We as human beings live on hope. When there is no hope we shut down. Depression, being one of the most diagnosed mental disorders, can be defined simply as having no hope. But, where is this hope to be found?
In the world we can hope for many things. We hope to earn more money. We hope to have a nicer home, a newer car, a promotion, to become famous, etc… We can hope for many things. In the end though, can we truly find happiness in these worldly things?
We can finally get that new house, but it needs upkeep as it gets old and needs repairs. We can finally get that fancy car, but after a while we have to take it to the shop for repairs. We can get that promotion only to find that there are more headaches and pressures than we had before. We can get more money, but find that the more things we bought with it require more time and effort to maintain, so we again hope for more. It’s a vicious cycle that leaves one continually empty, never quite fulfilled.
In James 4 we find this summed up this way, “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not,” It’s a vicious cycle.
King Solomon, who was wealthier and had more possessions and power than anyone ever had says this in Ecclesiastics 1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. When we hope in worldly things, what profit is it really, for in the end we all die. We cannot take it with us. Thing break, economies fail, power wanes, all things decay and fade away. The hope for things is indeed vanity, for it is only temporary.
There is a better hope though. Jesus in Mathew 6:19 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:” Jesus is just stating the obvious that we all know, so where are we to hope? What are we to look forward to? Jesus goes on in verse 20 to say, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:” This is where we can have a sure hope, one that gets satisfied. In this hope we can rest eternally, but how do we attain this hope?
Jesus also says that, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” In John 14:6. We obtain this hope, in God, through Jesus. What hope can we have in this world where everything breaks and we all die in the end? Jesus offers us more, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40) This is a hope that no one can take away, a hope that never fails, a hope that never is disappointing, a hope that brings life.
We lay our hope on Jesus who died for our sins (I Corinthians 15:3), was resurrected on the third day (Acts 10:40), and ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of God (Rom 8:34) and intercedes for us. In John 14:2 Jesus says, “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” We have a place waiting for us where we can place our hope, store our treasures, and be constantly hopeful for despite any circumstance. This is so much better than the temporal hopes the world has to offer, that when fulfilled, leaves us more unfulfilled. Accept Jesus, and the true eternal hope that is offered through Him and experience what true hope is. Experience a hope that will allow you to live freely apart from the cares of this world, a hope that even death cannot take away.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100537689?__source=yahoo%7Cheadline%7Cother%7Ctext%7C&par=yahoo
This is not surprising. We as human beings live on hope. When there is no hope we shut down. Depression, being one of the most diagnosed mental disorders, can be defined simply as having no hope. But, where is this hope to be found?
In the world we can hope for many things. We hope to earn more money. We hope to have a nicer home, a newer car, a promotion, to become famous, etc… We can hope for many things. In the end though, can we truly find happiness in these worldly things?
We can finally get that new house, but it needs upkeep as it gets old and needs repairs. We can finally get that fancy car, but after a while we have to take it to the shop for repairs. We can get that promotion only to find that there are more headaches and pressures than we had before. We can get more money, but find that the more things we bought with it require more time and effort to maintain, so we again hope for more. It’s a vicious cycle that leaves one continually empty, never quite fulfilled.
In James 4 we find this summed up this way, “From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not,” It’s a vicious cycle.
King Solomon, who was wealthier and had more possessions and power than anyone ever had says this in Ecclesiastics 1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. When we hope in worldly things, what profit is it really, for in the end we all die. We cannot take it with us. Thing break, economies fail, power wanes, all things decay and fade away. The hope for things is indeed vanity, for it is only temporary.
There is a better hope though. Jesus in Mathew 6:19 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:” Jesus is just stating the obvious that we all know, so where are we to hope? What are we to look forward to? Jesus goes on in verse 20 to say, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:” This is where we can have a sure hope, one that gets satisfied. In this hope we can rest eternally, but how do we attain this hope?
Jesus also says that, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” In John 14:6. We obtain this hope, in God, through Jesus. What hope can we have in this world where everything breaks and we all die in the end? Jesus offers us more, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40) This is a hope that no one can take away, a hope that never fails, a hope that never is disappointing, a hope that brings life.
We lay our hope on Jesus who died for our sins (I Corinthians 15:3), was resurrected on the third day (Acts 10:40), and ascended to heaven to sit at the right hand of God (Rom 8:34) and intercedes for us. In John 14:2 Jesus says, “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” We have a place waiting for us where we can place our hope, store our treasures, and be constantly hopeful for despite any circumstance. This is so much better than the temporal hopes the world has to offer, that when fulfilled, leaves us more unfulfilled. Accept Jesus, and the true eternal hope that is offered through Him and experience what true hope is. Experience a hope that will allow you to live freely apart from the cares of this world, a hope that even death cannot take away.
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