My Musings, not always daily

6/29 to Expect or Hope

Many years ago a minister started his sermon with this thought. "Many people who buy a lottery ticket never Expect to win, how ever they Hope to win." We as Christians have both a hope of heaven and we expect to get there.





The definition of hope is to desire an expectation of obtainment; to expect with confidence or trust.





I guess that does apply to buying a lottery ticket. There is some expectation but no real confidence.





When I think of having faith and hope there are some things that this comes easy for. We don't even think about the fact we start our car with faith until we start having trouble with it. Then we have hope that it will start until we get the problem fixed and then we have the confidence that when we turn the key it will start.





The same thing applies our spiritual life. We go along our daily lives not even thinking about our spiritual future until we have a situation. We lose our job, we get sick, one of our family suddenly passes away. Now we are thinking about our life and the finality of it. What keeps us going? What motivates us? It is Hope. Our hope for a better tomorrow or future.





When that hope is in question, we need somewhere or someone to turn to to give us confidence that there will be a better day coming. We find that hope in the Bible. The words written in red are there for our benefit and comfort.





"Faith thrives where there is no hope but God"


(Romans 8:24,25) "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? But if we hope for that what we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."





I think of a child who is told they are going to Disneyland. They will pack their bag and say I am ready. The parents have to tell them that it isn't time yet the actual date is in the summer after school is over. They hope with the expectation of obtainment. Even when the time is longer than they expect.





A friend just passed away this week. While I am sad at her passing; she is no longer in pain. When she passed, the family said she lifted her hands up in the air and had a smile on her face as if she was greeting someone. To be able to take that step from this life to the next with "expectation of obtainment; to expect with confidence or trust." or HOPE is my greatest desire. It keeps me motivated to continue to my goal inspite of conflicts that come my way