What About My Life?

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)

“Hope does not disappoint us.” But would there be any disappointment without hope?  Discouragement and disappointment are tricky things, simply because they are only caused by our own expectations and hope.  If you study all week for an exam, you hope and expect to pass, if you didn’t, you don’t.  I, for one, am not discouraged that I have yet to win American Idol.  This is mostly because I was not expecting to, hoping to, or even trying to. 

But some things we do expect.  We expect them because we have been promised. When I crack a red can of Coke, it should taste like, well, Coke. I expect to get something that resembles customer service when I call my phone company. I expect and hope that my boss will appreciate my work.  And I expect professional writers not to misspell words like I just did.  I suppose the simplest solution is not to have any expectations at all.  To some degree this works.  Who could have road rage if you hope every other driver is a  jerk?       

The problem though is not that we have expectations, it is where we have expectations. The problem is that many of our expectations are built upon people.  I don’t think it takes too much time looking around to figure out that people, all people, sin.   Bosses lie, friends forget, spouses get angry, and we even fail ourselves.  People, real people, can never fulfill all their promises.   

Did you know God made over 300 promises about Jesus in the Bible before he was ever born?  Three hundred promises and every single one of them was kept.  Every single one!  So is there any doubt that we can hope in the Lord?  No way!  God is perfect.  When God makes a promise to you that he will be faithful… he means business.  When he tells us that we have sinned and fall short of his glory…he is telling the truth.  And when God promises to forgive us, not because of something we have done, but because Jesus died for our sins.  That is a promise that will never disappoint. 

If you are exercising, you hope to look or feel better. If you are studying you expect results. If you are invested in a relationship, you expect good things.  With Jesus expect great things. Expect joy when you are sad. Expect forgiveness when you sin.  Expect comfort when you hurt.  Expect strength to overcome your discouragement.  Why?  Because God promised that hope in him will never disappoint us.