HOPE

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV

We begin the time of year where we have a hope of what may be under the Christmas tree. True there are a couple of things I hope to get, but there is more to hope than a present under the tree.

Sometimes things happen to make us feel less hopeful: a death of a loved one, a serious illness, the loss of a job... At times these seem to happen around the same time. Making us feel that hope is a long way from us.

When I begin to feel hopeless, I think of Job. If anyone in the Bible had an excuse to feel hopeless, he did. He lost all of us children at once, his herds were carried off or killed, his sheep and servants were burned, then he got a terrible rash that wouldn't go away. Even with all of this he still had hope-a hope that God would see him through. God did and blessed him even more than before.

Then are the things that help us feel hopeful: the birth of a new baby, a cure, a job promotion...At times like these hope is high. Hope is close at hand.

When I have hope I feel like I can get through the roughness of the day, the week, the month, or the year. My hope comes from God. I know that with Him all things are possible.

Christmas is a reminder of the hope. The hope that a Savior was born, lived a good life, died on the cross so all of our sins could be forgiven, and conquered death so we can live with Him in heaven for all eternity.

So put your hope in Him the present that really matters.