Did you know that there is a difference between healthy hope and unhealthy hope? Have you considered that an unhealthy hope can really hurt you? “Hope“—is defined as “a desire, wish, expectation, ambition, aim, or goal.” An “unhealthy hope“ is when we have a greater expectation in—a person, event, position, or thing—than we have in God. When our expectation is in anything less than God—it will crush us—when it fails us. Think about it…
- …if our greatest hope is in our good looks, strength, or athleticism—we can fall into abject despair when we get old, weak, or sick.
- …if our greatest hope is in our accomplishments, position, or wealth—not only do we constantly need more but—our identity can be crushed if we lose them.
- …if our greatest hope is in a human relationship—we can be crushed by rejection or loss of that relationship.
I often test my “health hope” by analyzing what seems most important in my life and asking myself if the loss of it would crush me. What if I was blind or unable to live independently anymore? What if I lost a child or my only grandchild? What if I couldn’t practice law anymore? What if…fill in the blank and test yourself. There is no doubt that losing what is important to us will hurt…but it does NOT have to crush us.
When God is our greatest desire and glorifying Him is our greatest ambition, then we gain a healthy perspective.
The most important investment into our “hope health” is making the presence of God our greatest desire. He never changes and thus—hope in Him means we never lose our greatest hope. I “hope” that makes sense. 🙃
Hope is critical. Hope energizes us and lights the fire for life that God places in us. Conversely, “hopelessness” is a powerfully gripping emotion which ensnares us to live far below our potential.
It’s not that we can’t hope in things or people; but rather, God needs to be our GREATEST source of hope.
When our greatest desires, expectations, or ambitions are centered around God; then we have a healthy hope in things or people. We do not crush them with an expectation or desire for satisfaction that can only come from God. Rather, God satisfies us so fully that we have an expectancy towards others and meanwhile place our expectations into the hands of God.
Because God is the giver of life, in Him we have a—living hope—not a dead hope. The Bible says:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
1 Peter 1:3-5 NKJV
God gives a LIVING hope to those who accept His gift of salvation!
Those who are born again have had their soul and spirit made alive by Jesus and possess the ability to have hope that will not be crushed by failure, disease, poverty, or death! But to have God as our greatest hope, He must be the undisputed love of our life. What does this look like for us? The Bible explains:
“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope FULLY upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’.”
1 Peter 1:13-16 NKJV
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, HOPE. 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.“
Romans 5:1-5 NKJV
When we allow Christ to be Lord of our life through heart-obedience to Him, our life is lived in the purpose for God’s glory. Our hope is vibrant and healthy. Our hope is unchanged by circumstances because God never changes. We possess His unfailing hope because He is never hopeless.
My friend, when our heart 100% belongs to God, We have healthy, vibrant hope and—we are never hopeless.
We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.
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7 Responses
God’s grace never changes . He is an ever present help in a time of trouble .
For sure!!!
amen
This really spoke to me
Amen—-me too! God is so good!!!