The love of God poured out within and to others produces hope.

Romans 8:24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? We have been saved in hope! Let me remind you of the hope in which we have been saved. We must look back to Romans 5:3-5 where Paul introduced the great hope of which he wrote. “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” As we suffer the pains of childbirth—tribulations in this world—hope is built. How is hope built? It is built because we know we have been justified by God through Jesus Christ and are at peace with Him. We know He is for us! Therefore, we endure the suffering and pain in tribulations because we know Christ is being formed in us. We know His purpose in all things is to make us like Christ. So as we persevere in the tribulation, it proves that the character of Christ is being developed, and as we see the Spirit’s work in our lives through the trials, it produces hope—we know we are children of God and we know we are going to be glorified with Him when He returns. The Holy Spirit, through this development process, pours out God’s love in our hearts to comfort us and to knit the body of Christ together in the womb of creation which was subjected to futility by God for that very purpose—to birth of the sons of God. That’s the hope in which we have been saved—the hope of the glory of the sons of God. Paul said that we don’t see the glory now. So true! Now we are being sown in weakness, as he wrote to the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” We now live to love with Jesus in the weakness of our mortal bodies which have been given life by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us and sheds the love of God in our hearts. What drives us on to love today is the hope of the day coming when our love will be perfected with Jesus. As Jonathan Edwards wrote in his treatise on Charity and its Fruit: Heaven, a World of Love, “The Spirit of God shall be poured forth and manifested in perfect love in every heart to all eternity.” (CHAPEL LIBRARY, www.chapellibrary.org/pdf/books/hawo.pdf). Everything and everyone will be lovely in heaven. We eagerly wait for that day, don’t we?! What a day that will be! So we live and love today in the light of “that day” when our hope is seen. There we will be standing with Jesus in His righteousness, no longer by faith, but by sight—it will be a reality. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com