by Pastor David Owen, president of Dandenong Ministers’ Fellowship (DMF)
What exactly is Hope?
The Bible asks us ‘why do we hope for what we already have?’ and it talks about ‘the hope that lies ahead’.
It may be concluded then, that the true essence of hope lies in the future and ‘faith is the substance of things hoped for’, the evidence of things ‘not seen.
The substance is what we do NOW because we fully expect something in the future.
Although our past cannot be changed, we can look at our past and learn some lessons from it.
Someone once said, ‘it’s not what happens to you in life but how you deal with it that makes you what you are’.
This is so true.
The only real mistakes that can hinder our future, are those that we don’t learn from.
Life is tough, it brings many tragedies, misfortunes and hardships to us, but we can use those troubled times to strengthen us as we face tomorrow, and project our hopes to bring us to our final destination, which waits for all of us.
As a Christian, I put my hope for the future and beyond, in Jesus Christ, who promises me eternal life if I accept that the death He died, He died for me to give me a hope beyond compare which stretches far beyond the span of my life here in this lifetime.
On what grounds should I put my hope and trust in Him?
He conquered sin and death by rising from the dead … why would I not hope in Him and His promises?
I have hope in God, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.
This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offence toward God and men.
This is the ultimate ‘hope’ without which I have nothing to aim for in life, because at the end of it, we all perish.
Hope in the resurrection from the dead, gives me the strength to hope for a beautiful and fulfilling present and future.
Enquiries regarding the Interfaith Network, City of Greater Dandenong, administration@interfaithnetwork.org.au or 8774 7662.
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