Name Tags: You are… Hopeful

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23 (ESV)

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our Forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.

Hebrews 6:19-20 (ESV)

Hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?

Romans 8:24 (NKJV)

If faith, hope, and love form God's Top 3 list,* then HOPEFUL is an “always-wear” nametag.

  • If Jesus is the Hope set before us;**

  • 'If faith is the substance of things hoped for' (Hebrews 11:1),

  • If 'The God of hope' fills us with good things,

  • If hope is fueled by the Holy Spirit,***

  • If the Word says 'Hope does not disappoint' (Romans 5:5),

  • If ‘Hope deferred makes the heart sick’ (Proverbs 13:12),****

  • Then our hopes should be cherished and guarded.

Now consider one more pertinent Verse: 'For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?' (Romans 8:24). So...

If hope can't be seen and faith must be blind, then we must stop thinking like the world thinks:

Pinning our hope to men’s Yes’s and No’s, or believing hope should be rational.

If these thoughts were true, the Word would be false. But Jesus Christ, The Word in human form, remains perfect and infallibly true.

Actors, models, and talent for Christ:

Grip your hope as tightly as an anchor. But remember: when an anchor goes deep, it can’t be seen– except as a lifeline.

This lifeline keeps you connected to Christ, and no person or demon can break it. The only way your life can go adrift… is your own decision to give up hope.

So don't go there. Your nametag is Hopeful.

Name Tags: You Are… Hopeful (Part 54)

* Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these is love' (1 Corinthians 13:13).

** 'Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an Oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the Forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek' (Hebrews 6:17-20).

*** '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).

**** 'Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life' (Proverbs 13:12).

NOTE: God is my Ghostwriter. If what I write is good, it’s from God. You may see notes to 'Actors, Models & Talent for Christ.' If you think you're not in show business, think again. Shakespeare said, 'All the world's a stage and all its men and women merely players.’ Mostly true. But you're not merely players. You are messengers and ambassadors for the King of kings.

Carey Arban