In the Bible, we are told over and over that we, as Christians, have something to hope in and hope for. Of course, that hope is grounded in our Lord Jesus Christ. In the book of Hebrews, we are told we have a hope that has entered into “the inner place,” or within the veil. 

Hebrews 6:19–20 – [19] We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, [20] where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. (ESV)

Peter also has something to say about Jesus as the grounds for a sure hope, but not just a sure hope, but a living hope. 

1 Peter 1:3 – [3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (ESV)

What does it mean to have a “living hope?” It means that because of the finished work of Christ on the cross, and on our behalf, we, as born-again believers, have a hope that is active and has the power to transform our lives, not just in the future, but in the here and now. That is a powerful and foundational hope we can have and should have. Scripture has other encouragements for us in the context of our hope in Christ. 

• 1 Timothy 1:1: identifies our hope as “Christ Jesus our hope”.
• Titus 2:13: reminds us that in the return of Christ we have our “blessed hope”.
• Colossians 1:27: reminds us that “Christ in you, the hope of glory”.
• Romans 15:13: we have a promise that the “God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him”. 

So, it is clear from Scripture that there is a hope that we as Christians are to have. Our sure hope is grounded in Christ, because He is God, and because of His life, death, and resurrection, we, as Christians have what no one else outside of Christ has. What is that? It is a stable and unchanging foundation for our lives and for our faith. This is a hope that we should all strive to know better and believe more fervently.

However, there is another kind of hope that can often times lead to unproductive and unrealistic futures that can become a waste of time in our lives. There is a type of “worldly hope” that, unlike hope in Christ, which is grounded in God’s character and promises, amounts to nothing more that wishful thinking and can be used as an excuse to explain away our failures. 

So, I was reading this article the other day and it got me to thinking about this topic. The article (or post) was written by Ryan Michler, who has a following in the arena that seeks to help encourage men, and recover a healthy and more biblical view of masculinity. Anyway, in this post he seeks to caution men about sitting back and trusting in vain hopes and irrational fears. While not addressing a proper hope that is grounded in Christ, he does address something that seems to get lost in our thinking. All of us look to the future and we make plans or decisions about a future we hope comes to pass. The question is, what are we basing that future on? Is the future you hope for based on facts you know now, or just wishful thinking about what you desire to happen? A quote from Ryan Michler’s post highlights an important point:   

“Hope and fear are the same mechanism. Both are beliefs about an outcome that hasn’t happened yet. Both will shape your actions before the evidence is in. The difference is just the direction they pull you.And the question worth asking is: why would you let either one drive?Hope feels noble. Fear feels practical. But neither one is data. Neither one is truth. They’re just stories you’re telling yourself about what comes next. And if you’re making decisions based on a story, you’re operating on emotion dressed up as strategy.The man worth following doesn’t operate from hope or fear. He operates from what he knows.”

What do you know….. now…… today? Is the direction of your life going where you “hoped” it would go, or are you heading in a direction that is unproductive and hopeless simply because you desire something that doesn’t ever seem to come about? At some point, we have to stop and ask ourselves the hard questions. The hardest of all can be to ask yourself if you should stay on the failing course you are on simply because you hope things will change and have a better tomorrow. What do you know right now to be true. I am reminded of a quote from F.M. Alexander, which says:     

“People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits—and their habits decide their futures.” 

What are you doing now that will, in a real way, influence the future you hope to have? This truth applies to churches as well. Many die because all they do is sit around hoping for a bright future and do nothing meaningful to bring it about. Oh, they will couch the failure in “it must not have been God’s will,” or some other very pietistic sounding language. However, the truth is they get into habits today that will be the determining factor of their death tomorrow. The question we must ask ourselves, do we stay the course or move? Friends, we have a sure hope in Christ and our future in Him is secure because He has guaranteed it. However, the future we desire on this earth takes work, planning, and a recognition of failure when we see it. It also takes the courage to change, and I pray we will all desire that type of courage.