Daily Devotions
The Steadfastness of Hope
Reading for September 7th: Ezekiel 25-27
Weekly reading for September 6-12: 1 Thessalonians 1-5
...remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1:3
This is one of those passages where faith, hope, and love all appear in the same verse. These three concepts are grouped together because they are related. But they're also slightly different in the role they play. There is a "work" of faith and a "labor" associated with love. And when Paul considers the effect of hope, the word he uses is "steadfastness."
Hope is a tenacious thing. It's hard to stop. It moves one to run a little bit farther even when all energy has been spent. It has the ability to absorb almost limitless amounts pain and suffering. It's almost impossible to keep down.
Remove all hope and even the most insignificant of obstacles will seem impossible. Without hope we have no drive or motivation. In the absence of hope we are like a sailboat without wind.
I heard a brother say one time that we are in the hope business. Our lives should be characterized by hope. It's one of the most attractive things about us. It's something that only Jesus Christ can give. The world may make the offer of hope but it's an empty promise. This world is irreparably broken. Everything here is either dead or in the process of decay. There is no hope in this world.
So my appeal to you is to live a life of hope before the world. Help the world to see what we have in Christ Jesus by being "steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Father, thank you for filling our lives with purpose and meaning through the resurrection of your Son. May your steadfastness be witnessed by all those in the world who live without this hope.
