Paul David Tripp defines hope as follows:
Hope – a confident expectation of a guaranteed result that changes the way you live.
We all need hope – hope that the future will be different from the past. But what does that look like, and what does it mean – specifically?
A Confident Expectation
When it comes to your life and career, where are you placing your confidence? In yourself? Other people? A program? A philosophy? Are you just wishing upon a star, hoping things will work out better this time? Or, have you truly placed your hope and confidence in Jesus Christ?
Paul tells us plainly in Philippians 3:3 that he puts no confidence in the flesh. In other words, he does not lean or rely upon what he is able to accomplish on his own. In fact, he says he counts all those things as rubbish. We would do well to do the same. Life is not always about trying harder. It’s not. It’s primarily about recognizing that apart from Christ, we can do nothing. He is the vine. We are the branches (John 15). So, even when it comes to our careers, we pray. We study His Word. And we trust the Holy Spirit to do in us what we cannot do in ourselves.
Psalm 118:8 states that it is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in man. That includes putting confidence in ourselves. It’s just not a good idea. We can have a confident expectation, but only because we are trusting in Christ alone.
A Guaranteed Result
This one can be really hard – especially when you’ve failed a bunch of times in the past. But it really is connected to what I wrote above. The question is not can I be trusted to bring about the right result. The question is – can GOD be trusted, and am I placing my trust in Him, or in something else? God’s sovereign will for your life/career is good. Do you believe that?
There is no reason in the world why we can’t live extraordinary lives – but on His terms, not ours; and by His definition, not ours. You can have a successful career. You can have a wonderful marriage. You can have a healthy body. You can have great friendships. You can contribute to the growth and edification of others. Your story can change somebody’s life. But even if none of these things happen (and they might not), you can be of good cheer. Why?
For those of us who are in Christ, God has made us some pretty spectacular promises. One of the most significant is the threefold promise that we will be Justified, Sanctified, and (ultimately) Glorified. We are justified (declared not-guilty) the moment we place our trust in Christ. We are sanctified (made progressively more and more like Christ) throughout our Christian lives. When Christ returns for His people, we will be glorified – just like Him.
These are guaranteed promises to the children of God. We are justified. We are being sanctified. And we will be glorified. So we are going to make it. We are going to be just fine. That’s a promise.
A Changed Way of Living
Second Corinthians 5:17 makes the following declaration – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” No one who truly comes to know Christ as Savior can or will continue to live the same way they did before. It simply is not possible. Will we continue to struggle with sin even after giving our lives to Christ? Absolutely. But we will not be the same. Our hearts will not be the same. The desires of our hearts will not be the same. We, by the power of the Holy Spirit living inside us, will be transformed. Probably not overnight, but it will happen. But as Romans 12:2 tells us, we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. We must start to think differently. We must think biblically.
Real hope, with the right focus, will result in a confident expectation of a guaranteed result that changes the way we live. And if this happens, your career (or whatever you are focusing on in your life right now) will be put in its proper place, and you will be able to fully entrust the outcome to God. That’s my hope for you.
I would love to support you in your journey. Reach out today to schedule a free coaching session.
