The Alpha of Hope

UV 3054 -10000 The Alpha of Hope
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Hebrews 6 v 12

This uni-verse throws full light on the ingredients required in a person to sustain and fulfil hope. If we are slothful and not diligent, hope cannot be realized. Scripture states that we ought to be not slothful in our business or profession, fervent in spirit and serving the Lord. We are to serve men as if we are serving the Lord. We need to work as if everything depended on our efforts and hope as if everything depended on God. That leads us to the the second ingredient - we should be full of faith that God is able to do that which He has promised us. We should emulate the patriarch of faith, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Moses, the apostles and above all the example of Jesus who persisted in faith till the very end, His last breath on the cross when He committed His spirit into the faithful hands of His Father in heaven and His last drop of blood for the absolution of all humanity. Finally, we should be patient to wait with expectation and thanksgiving till we inherit the promises.

Hope then is a flame that rises from a tripod of diligence, faith and patience. The Holy Spirit adds fuel or power to the flame to keep it brightly lit. On our part, we need to be diligent in whatever we are attempting –whether it is studying the Word or attending our daily work, in pursuing the goals we have set for ourselves. Slothfulness is detested by the Lord and He equates it with wickedness and lack of faith. Whatever time, talent, resources, opportunities we have, we are to use it wisely and not squander it. We do so with the hope that the Lord will bring it to fruition and reward our painstaking efforts.
Paul evokes the image of the athlete who is focussed on winning the crown, soldier who trains for battle in order to obtain victory, the farmer who waits patiently for the harvest out of the seeds that he had sown, watered, fenced and cared for. Like the athlete we have to strain every muscle and nerve to reach for the goal. We need to be highly motivated like the Olympic athtlete who trains for four years for a ten second event. Like the soldier, we have to endure hardship, sacrifice and pain of training daily. We need to be bold and brave, casting out every fear. Like the farmer, we need to add the fertilizer, the manure, the other inputs like water and minerals and hold onto our hope that the rains will come in due season and that it will be sufficient and not scarce or excessive. We need to put a fence or pray prophylactically against all work of the enemy, the predator of our souls. We need to look for the gaps in the fencing that would allow the little foxes to creep into our lives and destroy our spiritual fruit.