05 JUNE

HOPE BRINGS JOY!

“The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.”

(Proverbs 10:28)

Praise God for life and many of its pleasures. The joy of the righteous is not in what they have in hand but in the fruits of the future, the hope of what is to come, hope in the Lord who cannot fail.  The words of the hymn, Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts, was written by Bernard of Clairvaux, a nobleman by birth who gave up a life of luxury to follow Christ. So when he wrote about being “unfilled” by “the best bliss that earth imparts”, he knew.

The monastic life was often one of withdrawal. Monks had their own communities, which were largely self-sufficient. Bernard broke out of the usual system of work and prayer in relative solitude to become an unusually public figure for a monk. He challenged the Pope and political leaders to live righteously. He urged professors to teach truth. He launched evangelistic campaigns.

We learn from Bernard’s example that we need time for “calm and bright” moments alone with Christ but we also need to let Him send us forth in service. (Culled from Great Songs of Faith by Brown & Norton).

Truly, hope in Christ and His promises in this life and eternally brings joy, but the Word of God is that the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.

ACTION:  Put your hope in Christ and not the ephemeral worldly things.

PRAYER: Father God, please give me grace to seek my intimate and quiet times with you, as well as be a vessel through whom you reach out to others.