Hope Spreads

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

ROMANS 12:12

“DON’T GIVE UP!”

You’ve probably heard these words before. People encourage us to not quit, to keep at it, to stay strong, to not lose hope. We have hope, so we don’t give up. And where does our hope come from? God, of course!

Hope is one of the great characteristics of the Christian faith. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross brought hope to the entire world where there was none before. Thanks to Jesus, we get to experience the hope of eternal life with God. And that great hope, which is big enough to fill the world, also fills our lives in smaller ways too.

God wants us to be hopeful. He wants us to push ahead, believing the best will happen. He wants us to stay strong in whatever we’re doing because we have hope for a good outcome. He wants us to keep going, to not give up. So whether we’re facing tests at school or practicing sports or working on a challenging project, God hopes that his hope will take over and fill every nook and cranny of our lives. He hopes we’ll expect the best and work hard to make it happen. He hopes we’ll look toward the future with a positive attitude. The hope he shares with the world is more than enough to invade all of our lives. So don’t give up! Keep hoping!

DO

Think about some challenges you have in your life right now. What are ways you can focus on staying more hopeful in those situations? Maybe you can pray about a situation every day before breakfast or spend a few minutes talking with your parents about it. Create a list of hope-building ideas and post it where you’ll see it each day.

PRAY

Dear God,

Thank you for filling the world with your hope. Thank you for bringing hope into my life in the places I need it most. Please remind me to not give up and to stay hopeful instead. Amen.

READ

Romans 5:2-5; Romans 15:13