The Blessed Hope 2

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Romans 8:24 (KJV)  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

When Sharon was a little girl,  she used to be very afraid of the dark. This fear stayed with her until she became an adult. But when she accepted the Lord Jesus,  she realized that she had the ability in Christ to conquer all her fears. One of the first lessons she learned was to change her expectations and align them accordingly. This was how she conquered her fears.

Sharon used to be very afraid because her native expectations were always negative. She feared the dark because unknown to her,  her expectation was that bad things are bound to happen to her in the dark. This was generally her outlook to life, and she lived in so much fear.
But she overcame her fears when she rearranged her expectations according to God's word and promises. She no longer expected evil to meet her in the dark because she now believed that "surely, goodness and mercy shall follow her"(Psalm 23:6).

The way the word [translated as] hope was used by the early believers is very different from the way it is used today. Hope for them was a sure expectation predicated on God's promises, not just wishful thinking.

Today's Bible verse shows us that our salvation was predicated on certain sure expectations based on God's promises. 

Most of the expectations of our salvation are things pertaining to eternal life, not merely things pertaining to this temporary form of life (see 1 Cor 15:19). Because you are saved,  you would not perish like the rest of the world but have everlasting life and rule and reign over the universe with Christ forever (John 3:16, 2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 21:7). Because we are saved and abide in Christ,  we would rule and reign with Christ over this very same earth for a thousand years when Jesus returns, and thereafter, would replace these heavens and the earth with a new one (see Revelation 20:1-6, 21:1). Because you are saved, you are empowered by the Holy Spirit to live according to God's script concerning you(see Psalm 40:7-8). You will be rewarded according to how faithful you are.

Go into today with your hope unwavering, remembering that our faith is a substance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1). True faith is predicted upon expectations informed by the word and promises of God.
-Abraham Damilola Arigi

Prayer: Ask the Lord to fill your heart with the right expectations so that you would live accurately before Him in accordance with His will.

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