Let’s Get Down To Basics
Bible Study
Toward a Hope-Filled Life
A Bible Study
Object:
Hope has the potential of making all of us stronger and better focused. It allows us to endure the up and down motion of life by nudging us to look into the future. Hope allows us to vault over the problems of the moment, thus reducing those problems into more manageable issues that cannot defeat us. Hope gives us new vision, what a Christian may call "resurrection vision." That is the vision that encourages us to reduce the problems and inflate the possibilities because, after all, hope is quite literally, eternal.
As Christians, we are always encouraged to wait on the working of the Holy Spirit. No discussion of hope would be complete without the inclusion of the importance of the Holy Spirit. When incorporated into one's life, the Holy Spirit is almost like having your own travel agent. Any good travel agent will help you maneuver around the obstacles that may hinder your journey. When the Christian surrenders himself to the working of the Holy Spirit, that person then finds himself enabled and empowered to move ahead without fear of getting lost. It is sort of like having your best friend travel with you. There is always a sense of strength in numbers. No one likes to go on any trip alone. It is reassuring to have someone with you, someone you truly can trust with your life.
Most of us have seen a formation of geese flying overhead. They seem to be effortlessly gliding through space. Yet, these birds fly in a very special formation. The formation allows them to travel in the most efficient manner possible. As each goose flaps its wings it creates, much like an airplane, an uplift that both propels them forward while simultaneously creating an uplift for those behind. By flying in formation the way they do, they are able to fly much further than any one bird could fly alone.
If one of the geese cannot keep up with the formation and falls behind, it will suddenly feel the weight of not having the uplift from the birds in front. Because of this, barring some other reason, it will quickly move itself back into formation and take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front of it.
The Holy Spirit is much like that flock of geese. The Holy Spirit lifts us and moves us along. It is especially important if we fall behind the others who are traveling with us. The moral to that story is simple. We should have as much sense as a goose and stay in formation so that we can discover where it is we are going and have the strength to reach our destination.
As we already know, that formation of geese has a leader. The leader will tire more quickly than the others because the leader is taking the world head on. When the leader feels tired, it rotates back into the formation and one of the other geese moves up to take its place. Our lesson from the geese is that it is important to take turns doing the difficult tasks and sharing those tasks with others. In this instance, we are speaking of relying on the Holy Spirit to step in and help when we are tired from being the one out front all the time. It is important that we find hope in being interdependent on each other. It is not a weakness to seek help, it is a strength.
Geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. We have all heard them flying overhead, honking away. The Holy Spirit will push us to be an encouragement to those around us. The act of encouraging others will build us up and make us stronger for the journey.
When a goose gets sick, or shot down, two others from the formation will drop out of the group and follow the injured bird down to help protect it. They will stay with the injured bird until it gets well or dies. Then, they stretch their wings, run forward, and launch themselves into the air to catch up with the flock. If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in hard times as well as in good times. The gift of the Holy Spirit will help us to accomplish these things. There is hope in being a part of the flock!
No matter who we are or where we are from, we all live in the valley of the shadow of death. We do not wake up each day wondering if today is the day that we will die. Rather, we wake each day thinking that this day will be like other days, or it may even be a better day. We live hoping that the inevitable fact of death will be put off and we will be around to live another day. We are, by nature, a hopeful people. For those of us in the Christian community, our hope is one of the most basic expressions of our relationship to Jesus Christ. Jesus knew all about our hopes and our fears. He knew, because he, like us, lived with both.
People who have hope understand the difference between hope and wishing. The person of hope is the person who tests reality, the wisher looks toward some form of magical moment in which her or his wish will come to fruition. The following will serve as an example of someone who is a wisher, someone who really wants magic to happen. While hunting, Larry and Elmer got lost in the woods. Trying to reassure his friend, Larry said, "Don't worry. All we have to do is shoot into the air three times, stay where we are, and someone will find us." They shot in the air three times, but no one came. After a while, they tried again. Still no response. When they decided to try once more, Elmer said, "I hope it works this time. We're down to our last three arrows."
You see, Larry and Elmer were putting their hope in the advice of others, even though they didn't understand that the advice didn't apply to shooting arrows into the sky. People in difficult circumstances often rely on the advice of others. It is surprising how readily people will listen to a friend and put their trust in the advice of that friend, while ignoring God altogether. Larry and Elmer have placed their hope in the wisdom and experience of those they trust. That in itself is not a bad thing, unless that trust replaces the source of all hope in life, Jesus Christ. The book of Proverbs tells us, "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18). That is, without hope, people huddle up in the corner and shoot arrows into the air. With no vision and no hope, the result is a life not fully lived. And in Hebrews we are told, "Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath" (Hebrews 6:17).
What is promised is unchanging; it is unshakable. It is God's promise that we are going to inherit a hope that will allow us to fashion a way of life that is filled with eternal possibilities. We have this hope as the foundation upon which we find a secure footing in life. Finally, to complete this line of thought, we have the very familiar quote from Paul's letter to the church in Corinth, in which we are told that one of the three greatest gifts God gives us is "hope."
It is God's great pleasure to give us hope. But, hope does not mean that everything in life is going to be perfect. In fact, one of the gifts of hope is the ability to wait upon God and learn to trust in God, through that waiting, to be by our side through all the complexities that life offers. And why would God make us wait? Why would God delay in allowing us to live in the sunshine of hope fulfilled? One reason is so that we will gain an appreciation for what God gives when that hope does make an appearance in our life.
The person who understands hope, understands that she must defer to the transcendent power that has its own unfathomable purpose. The wisher, however, tries to bend and shape things in order to fit life as they live it. In short, the person who lives with hope allows God to be God. The person who is a wisher seeks to reverse some situation over which they no longer have control. The person who lives with hope can say along with Paul, "Now I see through a glass darkly...." The wisher wants to control the image seen in the mirror. There is a level of trust that the hope-filled person lives with. There is a measure of mistrust, fear, and loss of control that the wisher lives with.
One may also say that there is a third, but false, aspect of hope that should be looked at. The other side of hoping and even wishing is that of promising. What a person thinks God has promised will determine, to a large degree, how that person's character is shaped. Maybe a better way to explain the idea of promise is that the person who lives life thinking that God has promised her or him something, really needs to understand and be able to articulate exactly what they believe has been promised. In other words, what does God owe them? The person who lives with a sense of entitlement, a sense that God owes them some particular thing, is not likely to be a person who understands the concept of humility. They have not come to a point in life where they understand that God's promised presence is all that they will ever need.
As we attempt to define hope, we must begin and end with Jesus. Jesus believed that in God there was hope. Jesus believed so strongly in that hope that he was willing and did give his life on our behalf. Jesus' expression of faith in God is our reason to hope. That faith, that unshakable belief in God's love and in the life to come, led Paul and all of the early church leaders to spend their lives preaching the gospel and making it clear that they were willing to die for that gospel message. That is the ultimate expression of a hope-filled life!
Questions For Your Consideration
1. Who in your life has had an impact in the way you live out your faith?
2. What did Paul mean when he said hope that is seen is not hope?
3. What do you look forward to each day? What makes that "looking forward" important to your day-to-day living?
4. How does hope allow you to live outside the lines? What are those lines in your life?
5. The book of Proverbs tells us that "Where there is no vision, the people perish." What vision do you and your community of faith live by? How can you discover a new vision for the future?
6. What is a God-given hope?
7. Does living a hope-filled life mean you will be living a pain-free life? If not, why not?
8. Talk about your hope. Where does it come from and how can you pass it on to others?
9. In what way is Jesus the hope promised by God?
10. How can you nurture hope in your life today?
As Christians, we are always encouraged to wait on the working of the Holy Spirit. No discussion of hope would be complete without the inclusion of the importance of the Holy Spirit. When incorporated into one's life, the Holy Spirit is almost like having your own travel agent. Any good travel agent will help you maneuver around the obstacles that may hinder your journey. When the Christian surrenders himself to the working of the Holy Spirit, that person then finds himself enabled and empowered to move ahead without fear of getting lost. It is sort of like having your best friend travel with you. There is always a sense of strength in numbers. No one likes to go on any trip alone. It is reassuring to have someone with you, someone you truly can trust with your life.
Most of us have seen a formation of geese flying overhead. They seem to be effortlessly gliding through space. Yet, these birds fly in a very special formation. The formation allows them to travel in the most efficient manner possible. As each goose flaps its wings it creates, much like an airplane, an uplift that both propels them forward while simultaneously creating an uplift for those behind. By flying in formation the way they do, they are able to fly much further than any one bird could fly alone.
If one of the geese cannot keep up with the formation and falls behind, it will suddenly feel the weight of not having the uplift from the birds in front. Because of this, barring some other reason, it will quickly move itself back into formation and take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front of it.
The Holy Spirit is much like that flock of geese. The Holy Spirit lifts us and moves us along. It is especially important if we fall behind the others who are traveling with us. The moral to that story is simple. We should have as much sense as a goose and stay in formation so that we can discover where it is we are going and have the strength to reach our destination.
As we already know, that formation of geese has a leader. The leader will tire more quickly than the others because the leader is taking the world head on. When the leader feels tired, it rotates back into the formation and one of the other geese moves up to take its place. Our lesson from the geese is that it is important to take turns doing the difficult tasks and sharing those tasks with others. In this instance, we are speaking of relying on the Holy Spirit to step in and help when we are tired from being the one out front all the time. It is important that we find hope in being interdependent on each other. It is not a weakness to seek help, it is a strength.
Geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. We have all heard them flying overhead, honking away. The Holy Spirit will push us to be an encouragement to those around us. The act of encouraging others will build us up and make us stronger for the journey.
When a goose gets sick, or shot down, two others from the formation will drop out of the group and follow the injured bird down to help protect it. They will stay with the injured bird until it gets well or dies. Then, they stretch their wings, run forward, and launch themselves into the air to catch up with the flock. If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in hard times as well as in good times. The gift of the Holy Spirit will help us to accomplish these things. There is hope in being a part of the flock!
No matter who we are or where we are from, we all live in the valley of the shadow of death. We do not wake up each day wondering if today is the day that we will die. Rather, we wake each day thinking that this day will be like other days, or it may even be a better day. We live hoping that the inevitable fact of death will be put off and we will be around to live another day. We are, by nature, a hopeful people. For those of us in the Christian community, our hope is one of the most basic expressions of our relationship to Jesus Christ. Jesus knew all about our hopes and our fears. He knew, because he, like us, lived with both.
People who have hope understand the difference between hope and wishing. The person of hope is the person who tests reality, the wisher looks toward some form of magical moment in which her or his wish will come to fruition. The following will serve as an example of someone who is a wisher, someone who really wants magic to happen. While hunting, Larry and Elmer got lost in the woods. Trying to reassure his friend, Larry said, "Don't worry. All we have to do is shoot into the air three times, stay where we are, and someone will find us." They shot in the air three times, but no one came. After a while, they tried again. Still no response. When they decided to try once more, Elmer said, "I hope it works this time. We're down to our last three arrows."
You see, Larry and Elmer were putting their hope in the advice of others, even though they didn't understand that the advice didn't apply to shooting arrows into the sky. People in difficult circumstances often rely on the advice of others. It is surprising how readily people will listen to a friend and put their trust in the advice of that friend, while ignoring God altogether. Larry and Elmer have placed their hope in the wisdom and experience of those they trust. That in itself is not a bad thing, unless that trust replaces the source of all hope in life, Jesus Christ. The book of Proverbs tells us, "Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18). That is, without hope, people huddle up in the corner and shoot arrows into the air. With no vision and no hope, the result is a life not fully lived. And in Hebrews we are told, "Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath" (Hebrews 6:17).
What is promised is unchanging; it is unshakable. It is God's promise that we are going to inherit a hope that will allow us to fashion a way of life that is filled with eternal possibilities. We have this hope as the foundation upon which we find a secure footing in life. Finally, to complete this line of thought, we have the very familiar quote from Paul's letter to the church in Corinth, in which we are told that one of the three greatest gifts God gives us is "hope."
It is God's great pleasure to give us hope. But, hope does not mean that everything in life is going to be perfect. In fact, one of the gifts of hope is the ability to wait upon God and learn to trust in God, through that waiting, to be by our side through all the complexities that life offers. And why would God make us wait? Why would God delay in allowing us to live in the sunshine of hope fulfilled? One reason is so that we will gain an appreciation for what God gives when that hope does make an appearance in our life.
The person who understands hope, understands that she must defer to the transcendent power that has its own unfathomable purpose. The wisher, however, tries to bend and shape things in order to fit life as they live it. In short, the person who lives with hope allows God to be God. The person who is a wisher seeks to reverse some situation over which they no longer have control. The person who lives with hope can say along with Paul, "Now I see through a glass darkly...." The wisher wants to control the image seen in the mirror. There is a level of trust that the hope-filled person lives with. There is a measure of mistrust, fear, and loss of control that the wisher lives with.
One may also say that there is a third, but false, aspect of hope that should be looked at. The other side of hoping and even wishing is that of promising. What a person thinks God has promised will determine, to a large degree, how that person's character is shaped. Maybe a better way to explain the idea of promise is that the person who lives life thinking that God has promised her or him something, really needs to understand and be able to articulate exactly what they believe has been promised. In other words, what does God owe them? The person who lives with a sense of entitlement, a sense that God owes them some particular thing, is not likely to be a person who understands the concept of humility. They have not come to a point in life where they understand that God's promised presence is all that they will ever need.
As we attempt to define hope, we must begin and end with Jesus. Jesus believed that in God there was hope. Jesus believed so strongly in that hope that he was willing and did give his life on our behalf. Jesus' expression of faith in God is our reason to hope. That faith, that unshakable belief in God's love and in the life to come, led Paul and all of the early church leaders to spend their lives preaching the gospel and making it clear that they were willing to die for that gospel message. That is the ultimate expression of a hope-filled life!
Questions For Your Consideration
1. Who in your life has had an impact in the way you live out your faith?
2. What did Paul mean when he said hope that is seen is not hope?
3. What do you look forward to each day? What makes that "looking forward" important to your day-to-day living?
4. How does hope allow you to live outside the lines? What are those lines in your life?
5. The book of Proverbs tells us that "Where there is no vision, the people perish." What vision do you and your community of faith live by? How can you discover a new vision for the future?
6. What is a God-given hope?
7. Does living a hope-filled life mean you will be living a pain-free life? If not, why not?
8. Talk about your hope. Where does it come from and how can you pass it on to others?
9. In what way is Jesus the hope promised by God?
10. How can you nurture hope in your life today?
