Hope. That word does not initially bring about thoughts connecting it to reality. I hope I’ll get the grade I want. I hope I get the last piece of cake. I hope I get that raise.
Each of those phrases marks a wish for the future, a happy expectation with a somewhat odd chance of happening. Hope and reality just do not seem to go together!
Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen. Hebrews 11:1
The Passion Translation
Hebrews 11:1 bridges the gap between hope and reality. Did you see that? Before the middle of the sentence we already see the beauty of how faith can bring hope and reality together.
Faith brings our hope into reality. Our hope of perfection, eternal life, freedom from evil, and on an on are all brought into reality by faith. What does this all mean, though? What really is faith?
There are so many ways that we can look at faith. We have faith that eventually the gas prices will go up again. We have faith that if someone has a nut allergy they will have a reaction to eating a nut. We have faith that a bully at school will pick on the same kid again tomorrow.
Each of those examples are very regular, everyday occurrences of faith. Though they do demonstrate faith, they don’t demonstrate the right kind of faith to bring about hope-reality.
The definition of faith is “a confidence or trust in a person or thing” (dictionary.com). Essential word, “trust.” So many people simply leave faith in Jesus at “believing in Him” and never take the true faith leap into “trusting in Him.”
A great example that I heard at a Dare2Share event involved a chair. I can believe all I want that there is a chair there whether there really is or not. The true test to whether I will sit there or not is whether I trust that there is a chair there.
See, you can believe that Jesus is real all you want. The true test of your faith, and whether you have a relationship with Him, is whether you trust Him. Do you trust Him to mix things up? Do you trust Him when the bankroll is thin? Do you trust Him when Grandma is sick? Do you trust Him when the doctors can’t figure out what that bump is on your chest? Do you trust Him?
Too many times we leave Christianity on the fuzzy feeling we get when we declare we believe in Jesus. A lot of times we don’t even step into the trust zone. This can happen for more than one reason. Sometimes no one ever made the new believer aware that there is a trust zone. Other times, the believer is too comfortable and doesn’t want to risk the fuzzies.
Eternal life with Jesus is more than the fuzzies of the moment. When you die, if Jesus doesn’t know you, you don’t get into heaven. Step beyond the arms length Jesus of belief. Step into the adventurous, dangerous, sometimes scary unknown of never-letting-go-of-the-hug Jesus.
Let’s think back on the hope-reality. For your hope of perfection with Jesus to become a reality, you have to have faith. Are you ready to bring trust into your faith vocabulary?
