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Does Your Church Need Optimism or Hope?

Optimism Versus Hope

Optimism says, “I believe in you, Corinthians! Just keep believing in yourselves, keep working hard, if you keep dreaming then nothing will stop your achieving!” But that’s hoogly. We all know it is inane nonsense to just ‘believe in yourself’ despite what you see and despite a track record of failure.

Gospel-hope says, “God is faithful. He called you. He’ll keep you.” And do you know what? His résumé bears that out. He has never failed. We can have a firm and confident expectation that God will preserve his own people, who are called by his name, for this very reason: He has never failed yet. Not once.

Once you start to see this kind of firm hope despite the difficulties he faced, you’ll ending up seeing it everywhere. Hope permeates the pages of Paul’s writing.

In the midst of his bitter struggle with the heretical teaching in Galatia, he proclaims his hope:

I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. (Galatians 5.10″ data-version=”esv”>Galatians 5.10)

And to the Philippians he introduces his hope for them from the very beginning of the letter:

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1.6″ data-version=”esv”>Philippians 1.6)

This is not empty optimism, but faith that is fully placed on God, and hope that in the future God will still be God, and therefore his people will be blessed.