Hope

“We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:3).
Paul is remembering the Church in Thessalonica. His heart is geared towards their “works produced by faith, their labor prompted by love, and their endurance inspired by hope.” This week we focus not only on the hope that Jesus Christ has brought into the world but the hope that is made evident through our own endurance.
Hope is not easy.
We hear a word that tickles our ears and warms our hearts and think, “oh this must be an easy word; one that comes with little effort and small investment.” The truth is that we have hope because Jesus came and He died and He rose again. There is nothing easy in that.
If you find this week that hope is elusive, like a wish lost in the tornadic winds of life, do not be discouraged. Hope is found through enduring strength, a kind that pushes through the muddiness of life. In the end, there is hope, not simply because we long for it, but because Christ worked for it. We, too, endure alongside him producing great hope.