Today's thought - 25 August 2026 (In this lies hope)

 

Hallo my friend, how are you today? The seasons are changing here in South Africa, and the crispy cold mornings are now warmer with beautiful sunny days. I just love our country with its vast mountains and beautiful forests. From the warm and dense bushveld to the green hills of the ocean. Our country is truly beautiful and diverse. But just as beautiful is the diversity of the people that live here.

We truly have a wonderful mix of races and colors and each beautiful in its own way. God is truly a God of beauty and abundance.

Yesterday we looked at Monday blues, and I wrote to you about tribulations and how it builds character and finally character that builds hope. The Holy Spirit was not done with this so this morning He took me back to Romans 5 pointing me to verse 5.

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us”.

I do not know what your Monday looked like, but mine was really cool. I have been postponing my pod cast for months with every excuse I can think of and finally yesterday I just did it. Dr Dave said we must do the difficult and God will do the impossible. I trust God for much fruit from this, because it is His pod cast and it is for His glory.

What is hope? Hope is an optimistic state of mind that combines a desire for something to happen with a confident expectation or belief that it is possible. In the Bible, hope is not a weak wish or a guess. It is a strong, sure, and safe trust that God will do what He promises.

Old Testament Hebrew Qavah / Yakhal): Means to wait or to look forward with tension and tight focus, like a rope twisted together. It means waiting on God even when life is hard.

New Testament Greek (Elpis): Means a happy and confident expectation of good, built on the solid fact of Jesus Christ rising from the dead.

A few things to consider:

Hope is certain: Unlike everyday hope ("I hope it does not rain"), Bible hope is a fact you can lean on.

Hope is tied to God (Abide): Your trust is not in luck or people. It is in God’s unchanging character and past faithfulness.

Hope focuses on eternity: It looks past current pain to eternal life and the return of Jesus.

Hope works with faith and love: The Bible groups hope with faith and love as the three greatest permanent Christian values. “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Paul says that hope does not disappoint. It is our hope in Jesus Christ through the power and counselling of the Holy Spirit that we can hope knowing who God is. Hope is knowing God and knowing Him comes through prayer and time spend with Him in your secret place (room) surrendering all and trusting Him completely. To be filled with the Holy Spirit knowing that as we abide in the Lord, we will be able to do anything, overcome anything and succeed in everything. It is in our walk with God and the Holy Spirit that our hope increases because of the love of God that flows in us. And finally, we will have hope that does not disappoint but flow in us by the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in us.

My dear friend, I pray that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit and that your hope and dreams will be renewed and restored by His grace and love, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Have an awesome day.