Devotions

The path toward hope is one of suffering, sorrow and pain. No matter how pious, loving or good you are, if Christ is in you, you will become a partaker in His sufferings.

“But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings” (1 Peter 4:13, my italics). Peter tells us plainly, “Rejoice in your suffering.” And Paul says something similar: “Rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2).

Rejoice in suffering? This is one of those hard sayings of the Scriptures, indeed, one of the very hardest. Yet Paul goes even further: “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations” (Romans 5:3, my italics). Paul isn’t talking here about a shout or exclamation we are to make despite our trial. Rather, what he’s describing is simply being able to see Jesus in our trial. In spite of our very real human fears, in spite of a situation that appears to be utterly hopeless, we can still say, “God will provide a way.”

Some Christians may claim, “The path of hope is simply this: My hope rests in ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’” (Colossians 1:27). Very true. But if Christ is in us, He is going to lead us into the path that Paul describes. You see, the Holy Spirit wants our hope to be more than a theological phrase. It has to be a hope, a confidence that is steadfast, with a sure foundation underneath. In short, our hope is to be “Christ in us, working in us.”

Paul confirms our right standing with God through Christ: “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Romans 5:10-11).

Though our hearts condemn us, we are told by John, “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). Let me give an example of this from Jesus’ own life.

The day before Christ was crucified, He washed His disciples’ feet. He told these very imperfect men, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean: and you are clean, but not all of you” (John 13:10). You may wonder: “How could Jesus say these disciples were clean?” Any casual onlooker at the scene would have been astonished by Jesus’ statement. The eleven men He spoke to had already displayed pride, unbelief, selfishness, ambition, covetousness, inconsistency, and vindictiveness. The fact is, Christ made this statement about them because He had chosen them. He had put them on the path to holiness. It was all by grace!

Jesus also knew what was in the disciples’ hearts despite their utter imperfection. Moreover, He saw ahead to the time of brokenness and contriteness they were about to enter.

Let’s say I asked you to list all the sins that these disciples had committed. I believe I could confidently say that you and I have been guilty of all the same sins during certain seasons in our lifetime. Yet Jesus has the answer for us all: “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13, my italics).

According to Paul, when it comes to the subject of hope, the work of the Holy Spirit must be involved. So how do we abound in hope, as Paul prays for us to do? How do we rejoice in hope? And how do we obtain the full assurance of it? A seed of hope is planted at salvation, of course, but there must be a maturing of hope in our walk with Jesus.

The book of Hebrews tells us we have a hope that serves as “an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil” (Hebrews 6:19). In short, the path to hope begins with being fully assured that we are right with God. We are talking about the assurance that we have peace with God. And Paul supplies that assurance, declaring, “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

In a famous old hymn of the church, the writer Edward Mote states, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” Indeed, this is peace: To believe God’s promise that by faith in Christ’s shed blood, He considers (reckons) me righteous. He does so even though I am not perfect. And His righteousness is conferred on me not by any good I have done but by faith alone.

The fact is, you can have no settled peace, no true hope, until you no longer waver about your acceptance in Christ. This acceptance is not based on what your flesh accuses you of being, or what the devil accuses you of being. It is based solely on what God sees you to be in Christ. 

Early in His ministry, Jesus announced this about Himself: “On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds” (John 7:37, NLT, my emphasis). Jesus didn’t just issue a statement — He shouted. And He waited until the biggest day of the festival to stand up and make His announcement: “[He] shouted to the crowds, ‘Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, “Rivers of living water will flow from his heart”’” (7:37-38).

This was much more than a theological statement; it was an act of compassion. Dead religion had beaten down God’s people. It should have refreshed them, but it left them with no life whatsoever. Now Jesus announced, “I am your cup of cold water, the refreshing spring that never stops flowing. You can drink from Me to find your life renewed continually.”

There are no qualifications needed to drink from this amazing wellspring. Christ assures us, “Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink!” (7:38).

When Jesus says that “rivers of living water will flow from his heart,” He is showing us what our lives will look like with a simple touch from Him. This is the touch that refreshes like nothing else, renewing with power from heaven the most stunted, despairing, dreary soul. His Spirit so fills us that we overflow with abundant life, grace, mercy and love.

Yes, my friend, His flow of life transforms everything!

Let’s talk about bondage to sin — that is, your battle with the flesh. Under the New Covenant, God allows situations to enter your life to show your helplessness and total dependence on Him to deliver you through faith. God never leads us into temptation but He allows us to come to our wits’ end at times.

If you have a besetting sin, lying spirits come against you continually with demonic lies: “You’re not going to make it. You’re going down! You will end up destroyed.” You wonder, “Lord, how will I ever get up from this? I’ve gone down so low!”

You know you can’t outrun the enemy and you are no match for him in a fight. So you stand before him, cowering, trembling, terrified. Perhaps you run to friends or counselors, anyone who will listen as you weep and pray. You are doing everything except being still and trusting the Lord to bring deliverance.

The Old Testament gives us example after example of how we have no power in our flesh to fight spiritual battles. Our old man is utterly weak and powerless, but we have a new man inside us and he is to submit his life totally into the Lord’s hands. This new man understands there is no human way out and God must do all the fighting for him. We resist the devil by the power of the Holy Spirit, which is revealed in us by faith alone.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you” (Isaiah 41:10).