The right kind of hope

What do you hope in? To what do you ascribe your faith? Most would say they have faith in things that make them secure. The Hebrew word for faithfulness literally means “firmness”; figuratively, it means “security,” and “fidelity” is the moral definition.

In 2 Thessalonians 3:3, Apostle Paul appeals to the believers and reminds them the Lord is faithful. His promise to us is that he will strengthen and protect his children from the evil one because he is faithful.  He demonstrates this to us in several ways. Through his faithfulness, God not only protects us from evil, he sets limits on our temptations, forgives our sins, and sanctifies us.

While God is faithful to us in various way, our faith in him has different facets as well. There are different ways to ascribe our faith to God:  Faith as belief, faith as commitment, faith in our waiting on God, and faith in him as our refuge. Our whole world can fall apart, but Jesus has said that he will never leave us or forsake us.

God’s faithfulness is the pivot upon which turns his whole purpose for humanity. God calls and then through his goodness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4; 1 John 1:9). “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The better we truly know God, the more we will want to put our complete hope and trust in him. God’s children walk by faith and not by sight.