Hope in the Word

Monday, July 25, 2018

For everything that was written in the past 

was written to teach us, 

so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures 

and the encouragement they provide 

we might have hope.

Romans 15:4

When this passage was written, Paul most assuredly was referring to the Old Testament Scriptures. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch for us to consider the situations in the New Testament as well when we think about people who went through tough times. And it is because of God’s intervention in their lives that they came away with clear hope. 

I’ve mentioned this before so I apologize in advance for being repetitive. I don’t understand people who dismiss their own poor choices or bad behavior as being a result of going through a time when they had to learn from their mistakes. I think that’s just an excuse they hide behind. I have a friend who told me she carefully watched her brother so that she would know what NOT to do growing up. 

I think that is more what this Scripture is telling us. We have examples in the Bible of people who messed up — we should avoid doing what they did. 

We also have examples of people who endured great difficulties and remained true to the Lord through them. We should model our lives after them. 

As a result of the great stories of faith and endurance we find in the Scripture, we should be encouraged to press on and to embrace the hope we have in Christ. We can trust Him to be truthful and faithful to us. He always has been. He always will be.