Rooted in Hope

Colossians 1:3-6

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—  the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel  that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.  (NIV)

The word hope gets thrown around a lot. We hope our favorite team wins the big game. we hope the tickets for hte concert don't sell out. We hope the cafeteria food isn't nasty today. When we use the word hope like this, we're really just waiting to see how things turn out. We really don't have a say on whether or not the team does well, who gets ahead of us to buy tickets, or what kind of mood the lunch lady is in.

In this passage, Paul lets us know that our faith and love ar birthed out of the hope we have in HJesus Christ. This isn't a hope that waits to see how things shake out. It's a hope thats firmly set on the reality of what Christ has done for us. This hope is set on the good news of Christ's death, burial, resurrection, and offer of salvation to all who believe. Our hope doesn't rest on what may or may not happen in the future. It rests on what Christ has already done. And because of this hope, we're able to live full of faith and love.

• When do you find yourself needing hope in you r life?

• How does knowing that God is in control of all things give you hope?