The Truth of Hope

Have you considered how we commonly use the word “hope”? We typically say things like:

“I really hope it snows for Christmas. It’s so beautiful!”
“I hope I get that new LEGO set for Christmas!”
“Our only hope to arrive on time is to leave now and make all the lights!”
“I hope we can get through this family gathering without any big arguments.”

When you think about these common uses for hope, it really comes down to a desire we have for something to be nice, easy, enjoyable, and pain-free. The tension comes when we understand that we have no control over most of the things we hope for. We can leave as early as we want to get to where we need to be on time, but we have no control over the other drivers or how many stoplights we’ll hit along the way that will slow us down. And the more our hope doesn’t happen, the more cynical we get. Hope turns into wishful thinking, which could eventually turn into apathy and despair.

We need to have a biblical understanding of hope. These verses help us build an understanding of hope the bible describes:

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19

“For you are my hope, Lord God, my confidence from my youth.” Psalm 71:5

“...Christ Jesus our hope.” 1 Timothy 1:1

When we weave together the beautiful truths, we see that hope is not wishful desire, but a confident and secure expectation of receiving not just God’s promises in the future, but God Himself! Biblical hope is unshakable, because God is always faithful. Biblical hope moves us beyond desiring the temporary things of this world to desiring the eternal things of God.

Jesus is the embodiment of this type of hope. Jeremiah 14:8 prophecies about Jesus: “Hope of Israel, its Savior in time of distress.” Sin has stained our very being and broken this world more than we can truly comprehend. The Israelites longed for their Savior - the Messiah to make all of the bad things become untrue. Jesus was born as the hope of not just Israel, but for all mankind. Real, confident, secure, unshakable hope was born that night in Bethlehem. As you enter into this Christmas season, use this opportunity to place your hope for happiness and fulfillment not in a gift, circumstance or situation, but in Christ alone.

Reflect: Are you hoping too much in an earthly, temporary thing for your happiness and fulfillment? How can you shift your deepest hope to Christ alone?

Read: Luke 2:25-38

The Truth of Peace

Everywhere we go, we are confronted with a lack of peace.

We turn on the news, and we’re faced with wars happening across the globe.

We open our social media, and we’re faced with people on both sides of the political spectrum arguing with each other.

We go to work or school, and we’re faced with relational conflict, frustration with management, and overall tension.

This gets even more difficult, frustrating, and disheartening when we face conflict in our homes - between spouses or parents and children. And, what about the conflict and lack of peace within ourselves? That’s the worst of all.

Peace feels elusive. We seem to have it for a short time, but then it slips through our fingers, because conflict awaits us everywhere we go. Can we ever have lasting peace?

We need to understand and embrace what the Bible says about peace. Peace in the Bible is much more than lack of conflict. In fact, the Bible says that we can have peace in the midst of conflict and any situation we find ourselves in.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times in every way.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16

“I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

These verses, and many more just like them, show us that peace isn’t found in a circumstance, but it is found in one who we have a relationship with: Jesus. The prophet Isaiah prophesied that one of the names of Jesus is “Prince of Peace.” When we believe and put our whole trust in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we can have “shalom” - peace that is fixed on a loving, gracious, and Sovereign God that gives us wholeness of life.

The Prince of Peace was born that night in Bethlehem. Peace is no longer an elusive desire that slips through our fingers. Peace is a person who was born, lived, died and rose again for mankind. Embrace the peace of Jesus this Christmas.

Reflect: How can you experience the peace of Jesus in the midst of your conflict?

Read: Luke 2:8-14

The Truth of Joy

Think for a moment about how many words you can come up with that communicate the idea of “joy.” Here are a few: happy, glad, cheer, delight, merry.

Now consider when we most often use those words to describe what we’re feeling. Typically, it’s when we have an experience that we like. This could be anything from time with someone we like and care about, doing an activity, getting something that we want or need, or traveling somewhere that is fun or meaningful. However, the common factor is that something outside of us sparks a feeling that is inside of us. An external factor triggers an internal emotion.

Christmastime is full of experiences like this. Good times with family and friends, attending parties, eating delicious food, giving and receiving presents, seeing all the decorations and listening to music all spark feelings of happiness and cheer. There’s a legitimate reason Christmas is known as “the most wonderful time of the year.”

But what about when it’s all over? What happens when the toy breaks and the decorations get put away? What about when the big fight breaks out at the family gathering? What about all of the people that feel immensely lonely and experience great loss during holiday? Where is happiness then?

This is where joy shows its difference from happiness. While happiness is experienced, joy is chosen. When gladness turns to sadness, joy remains a steadfast attitude. When the apostle Paul wrote the book of Philippians - a book thematically marked by joy - he was in prison, which is not exactly the happiest place to be! Hebrews 12:2 says this bold statement about Jesus: “Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.”

How can we “choose joy?” The only way to choose joy is to understand that the source of joy is eternal. The source of joy is God Himself! David writes in Psalm 16:11 “in your presence there is fullness of joy.” God’s presence is the embodiment of joy, more specifically the fullness of joy. It is not partly joy or mostly joy but totally joy. God gave us His presence as the Christchild that first Christmas. Joy itself became embodied in a baby. That baby grew into a man, lived a perfectly pleasing life before God that we are unable to, died a horrific death on a cross that we deserved, and rose again, forever defeating death and hell and now reigns forevermore as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Choose joy today by placing all of your hope, faith, and trust in Jesus.

Reflect: Where do you find the most happiness during Christmas? Have you experienced the fullness of joy even in the midst of a difficult circumstance?

Read: Matthew 2:1-12

The Truth of Love

How do you know if you are loved?

There’s a lot of facets to love. There is an emotional quality that causes us feelings of excitement (if it’s of the romantic variety) or of comfort (if it is of the familial variety). There is a verbal expression that allows us to communicate love with caring words. There is a chronological quality of love that spends time with something or someone who is loved. Then there’s the expression that showers a loved one with gifts of want or need. 

But haven’t we all experienced an emotion that fades, a word that feels empty, a broken appointment, or a gift that seemed thoughtless? Why do facets of love sometimes fail and cause us to doubt if we’re really loved at all?

Underneath all of the facets of love, there has to be a deep, unshakable foundation of selflessness. There has to be a confidence that the one who is expressing love to you really wants what is best for you and is willing to give up their preferences and joyfully sacrifice themselves for you. That the person expressing some quality of love is not just in it for their own sake. That’s when you know that you are loved.

The Bible clearly describes God as love (1 John 4:8). The Greek word for love used here is “agape” which is defined as “selfless, unconditional and sacrificial love that seeks the highest good of another person.” Isn’t that the love that you want?

Jesus is God the Son - the second Person of the Trinity - who manifests God’s love to us. The following verses tell us how the love of God the Father was expressed through God the Son:

“For God so loved the world that He gave is only begotten Son” John 3:16

“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

“By this we know love, that he (Jesus) laid down his life for us” 1 John 3:16

The truth is this: God selflessly loves you so much so that he left the splendor of heaven to be born as a baby and grow up to give his life for you that you might truly and fully live. The love of God expressed through Jesus is the truest and most secure love you could ever experience.

Reflect: What expressions of love are most meaningful to you? How does Jesus express love to you in those ways?

Read: John 1:9-14 and 1 John 4:7-11