It's amazing to me how many times in Scripture, the term hope is connected to the soul. I think it is apparent that God wants us to prosper more than spiritually. John wrote in his third letter: Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.
And interestingly, Paul wrote: "These three remain: faith, hope and love..." I've always considered love to be so important, and faith, too. But I've never even considered the importance of hope. Hope is mentioned 20 times in Psalms, and more than 120 times in the rest of Scripture.
Apparently, God wants us to have hope, and gives us GREAT reason to hope, and does this because He wants more than just our spirits and minds to prosper.
I wonder too, if sometimes we struggle in areas of faith, because we've lost sight of our reasons to have hope. Our soul struggles, and consequently, faith is a more challenging hurdle.
Lam 3:21-22 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. (NASB)
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Thursday, February 28, 2008
Hope is for the Soul, Like Faith is for the Spirit
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1 comments:
Hope doesn't come easily, for this reason; we hope and sometimes it doesn't happen and then there is a sense of being let down.
But Romams 5:3-5 says that character produces hope and that if our hope is founded in and based in God, it will not disappoint. A friend of mine put it this way, "If it is God-appointed hope cannot disappoint."
I have found this to be so true the closer that I walk with God, He doesn't disappoint and hope isn't such a letdown.
I also like the definition of hope, the confident expectation based on solid certainity. I know that this one solid certainity is true; God loves me, Jesus saved me and His grace has set me free. Therefore with such freedom comes the freedom to hope with confidence in grace's future accomplishments.
I also agree that God wants us to prosper more than spiritually, Eph 1:18. Explanation "that your heart may receive the brightness of hope resulting when the wealth of God's investment in you is understood." What could give you more hope and faith than this.
God loves us and once we have received His gift of salvation, He wants us to hope and trust in Him.
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