ἐλπίς

This year so far has been a rough season of my life. Yea, "rough" tends to have a negative connotation, but I enjoy a season of life that is "rough." In my opinion, rough is a season that can quickly be adjusted. Back to what I was saying...

Until recently, I felt like I was at a two hundred mile, constant pace. I was not going through the motions. I was playing catch up. Life felt like that because of God's calling in my life. Since finals in Spring at OC, things went crazy. I went to East Asia for six weeks... applied (while in EA) and was accepted to Life Pacific.... proposed and got engaged to Hanna (after returning from EA)... left to Life Pacific for Bible College... and homework, homework, homework.

~ Just a normal day in East Asia chillaxin with my best friend, Jackie Chan.

~ My beautiful fiance, Hanna, and I on the coast of Oregon. This is when we announced to her entire, immediate family that we were engaged. Dude, I was SO nervous... I was more nervous to tell her family then ask her Rents for her hand.

~ Broomball during Welcome Weekend (?) at Life Pacific. F3 OWNS!!!!

But thanks be to God for sending His Spirit to touch my heart tonight, for the blessings in my life (Life, Family & Friends, Hanna, etc.), and the HOPE we have in JESUS.

In Romans 5:1-8, Paul writes about hope, our character, and Jesus. In the beginning, Paul writes that having justified faith through Christ, we have peace with God because of Christ. Paul then tells us to rejoice in our sufferings because suffering produces perseverance that leads to character, which ends in hope.

I love this next verse… "And HOPE does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." When I read this verse from the NIV, I thought to myself that hope doesn't let us down (disappoint us). But that is not what Paul is saying here. KJV contains the precise translation, "And hope maketh not ashamed…" Paul is speaking of dishonor and that is why he goes on writing about Jesus Christ dying for the ungodly and powerless because by the Holy Spirit and Christ's death, we have a hope that wont bring shame.

Paul then goes on a random side note that Christ died for the weak, the powerless, and the ungodly. Echoing that verse Paul states that rarely will a human die for a righteous person. In response, Paul writes a 1.0 version of the John 3:16, 3.1 version, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

The original meaning of hope that Paul is using here is to have a heart and mind that is worshipful in the midst of suffering. Apostle Paul was a great example of living in hope throughout the New Testament.

Did you think to yourself that, "wow, that was a random, side note also?" Well, there's importance in understand the meaning of the hope that Paul is referring to, but that was a side note.

Paul didn't go off on a random, small bunny trail like I mentioned earlier. Paul was simply saying that because of what Jesus did for us (5:6-8), we must put our hope in Him. Hope wont bring shame. Hope, by the aide of the Holy Spirit, will lead us to the throne. And after reading these verses, the Holy Spirit tugged on my heart and said, "Son, this season you need to put your hope (worship in the midst of suffering) in Christ."

"… but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." – Romans 5:3-4, NIV