Week 1

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5

"Is not your fear {of God} your confidence, And the integrity of your ways your hope? Job 4:6

Don't ya just hate it when something happens, and you feel like you can't get over it? Perhaps you lost something, like a friend or a job, or maybe you just lost a privilege, or did something really wrong. There are LOTS of things that just seem to drag us down! Every day, something new comes along. I know, it is soooo easy to get caught up in this world! Well, that's where these verses come in. God put these trials in our lives for a reason! (A trial or tribulation is a hard time you go through) Through your suffering, and *tribulation*, God builds you up into the person He desires you to be. EVERYTHING is for the good of His people. Not only will He work on something during the trial, but also just getting THROUGH it helps build your perseverance! We can do all things through Him- you know that! And when God builds your character up, it gives you hope in Him. Now, hope is something that... well... we just don't take seriously sometimes. We think of it as a sort of, 'religious thing' something that doesn't really come into our real lives. But, I believe that there is more to the word than that. The Scriptures are the living word of God! So what the Bible says MUST have some applicable meaning! So the dictionary defines hope as: "Looking forward to with confidence or expectation," or "Trust and confidence". Now the Bible says that our trials produce hope. What does that mean? Well, trials test our perseverance. And our perseverance shows our character. And, our character reflects our Maker, God, whom we have hope in. We have hope, then, for the next trial that comes along, that He will get us through that. But it's not just a wish. We have confidence and faith, that He will bring us through everything. We have hope, that He will come back for us, and until then, always be with us. We have hope, because we know.

~Ruby Goose


Hope is something that is very hard to find if you don't have a firm
foundation and relationship with Jesus Christ. In fact-it's
impossible. Without Jesus, there is nothing to hope for. But the Bible
tells us that we can find Hope in Jesus and that He is our Hope. No
matter what you go through in life, the trials you may face, Jesus is
your strength, sheild and constant source of Hope. Romans 5:3-4says:

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know
that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and
character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has
poured ou his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has
given us.
This verse is talking about how our trials make us stronger. For
first-century Christians, suffering was part of life. But they
rejoiced in it not because they liked the pain, but because they knew
that God was using life's difficulties and attacks to build up
character. It is the same for us today. Though trials maybe much
different in our lives, we still suffer-whether it be physically or
emotionally. But we must Overcome to Become. But by overcoming our
problems we will persevere, which will build up character, which
deepens our trust in God and gives us hope and confidence about the
future.
1 Peter 1:6-7 says: Be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even
though the going is rough for a while down here. These trials are only
to test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and pure.
Another encouraging verse is Isaiah 40:31:
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will
soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will
walk and not be faint.
Your strength will constantly be renewed if you Hope in the Lord.
Jesus is always filling your cup intil it overflows. And one final
verse that gives you hope for your future is Jeremiah 29:11 :
"For I know the plans that I have for you" declares the Lord, "
plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future."
God has the perfect plan for our life. He doesn't wish us to
suffer-but when we do we know that He is our hope and that we have a
future in Him.