"For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?" (Romans 8:24)

Hope is an amazing thing. Hope is the catalyst to our faith. Hope based upon the sweet and precious promises of the Lord is what keeps us moving forward in this life. Paul said in yesterdays passage that our bodies were groaning on the inside as we wait for the redemption of our bodies and adoption as sons and daughters. In today passage he writes, it is 'in this hope that we were saved'. We are longing to be clothed in our heavenly garment and to be with Christ throughout eternity. This hope is the realization of our salvation but while we are on this earth we are still waiting expectantly for it .

The dictionary defines hope in these ways: to cherish a desire with anticipation; to desire with expectation of obtainment; to expect with confidence. Hope is not a passive thing. Hope is knowing God and knowing that what he promised He will provide. To have hope, you must have faith. The writer of Hebrews said in chapter 11, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" ( Hebrews 11:1 ) the King James version says that "faith is the substance of things hoped for..." and the Amplified reveals, "NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses]" ( Hebrews 11:1 Amp ). Faith is a substance, a tangible reality. Faith is activated by hope and they work together. To have hope, you must have faith.

In other words to have faith carry you through to realization of what you hope for, you have to be fully convinced in what you are hoping for, this takes faith. Basing your hope upon a promise of God will awaken faith when everything seems hopeless and that faith will carry you through until you have what you are hoping for. Hebrews says "let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful" ( Hebrews 10:23 ). Faith is what moves you and is what moves God. Knowing God and His promises will propel you into the realm of hope. Remember, hope is to expect with confidence and knowing God brings confidence because he is faithful to what he has spoken.

Paul said in today's passage that our hope is resting on the Lord. He will return for us and redeem our physical bodies to be reunited with Him forever. Paul has encouraged us to remain in hope, resting securely in this precious promise. Faith is what sustains our hope us as we wait for this promise to be fulfilled. Paul said in I Thessalonians to "... be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet" ( 1 Thessalonians 5:8 ). He knew that a helmet protects the head and that the hope of our salvation is what protects our mind and thoughts. Today, I pray that you let the knowledge of this hope protect and guard your heart and mind. I pray that you rejoice in the hope to which you were called in Christ Jesus and you wait in expectation of this hope to be fulfilled, amen.

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"Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies" (Romans 8:23)

Heart change comes quickly on the heels of Salvation. This is because at Salvation our entire being and nature is completely changed when we get the Holy Spirit deposited inside of us testifying to the fact that we now belong to the family of God. The Holy Spirit is given to us as the first fruits of our eternal redemption through Christ Jesus. This is a foretaste of the blissful things that are to come. Our bodies long to be clothed with Christ and like creation, we groan inwardly a waiting for this adoption to take place.

If the world and it's desires held anything over you, once you are born again, the illusions of this world seem to fade away. Replacing them comes a longing to be reunited with Christ. Paul talks in detail about this desire. In II Corinthians 5 Paul talks about a inward groaning in which we long to be further clothed and fitted with our heavenly dwelling. On this earth we long and groan under the burden of this body because we are being fitted with a heavenly body fashioned after Jesus ( II Corinthians 5:2-5 ). But in the same way that he is preparing us and making us fit for this heavenly body, the Holy Spirit is given to us as a guarantee of the fulfillment of this promise while on this earth ( II Corinthians 5:5 Amp ). So in this we can rejoice knowing that we have already received the firstfruits of our redemption.

The amazing thing about knowing this promise is that we can rest assured of our future with God. He left nothing up to chance but has done everything to bring restoration to us through his son Jesus. Today I am so blessed to be called a child of God. I am so blessed to have the Holy Spirit inside of me to testify to this wonderful truth every moment of the day. I pray that this truth blessed you today, Amen!

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