Questions for Reflection/Discussion on Page 2
(This article is part of NFCM's sponsorship of the Catholic Man channel and originally appeared in the Catholic Men’s E-zine, Being a Man of Hope, (Mar-Apr 2003 issue) which is available on the NFCM website. You may email them at info@nrccm.org. Many thanks to the The Word Among Us for allowing us to include some material from various daily meditations.)
Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men
1. In what ways can the steps listed in this article help you to be a man of hope?
2. Which of the steps seem to apply most to your life right now? Apply least? Are there any additional steps you would add to or delete from the list?
3. In what ways are you willing to focus on at least one or two of the steps in this article over the next few weeks? Use the steps identified to develop a personalized daily plan for yourself. Share the impact these steps have had on your day with the men in your men’s group (if you are part of one), or with your wife, your children, or a Christian friend.
4. Continue to focus on additional steps each week until they are all in some measure a part of your everyday life. What impact are these steps having on strengthening your hope and how you live out your day as a man of hope?
[Editor's Note: This article is the fifth in a series on the theme “Being a Man of Hope.” Click here to find the first article, the second article, the third article, or the fourth article.]
None of us wants to lose hope and confidence in God. But how can we possibly “hold fast to our first confidence” (Heb 3:14) and avoid discouragement in a world such as ours? How do we keep our hearts from hardening, and how do we prevent unbelief from stealing our hope and our joy? Often, we lose hope because our sins create a barrier of shame in our hearts. At these times, we must remember that our sins are forgiven (Heb 8:12). Sometimes we lose hope because we feel powerlessness over our circumstances. Yet, we must remember to keep our hope — to “be of good cheer” — because Jesus has “overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). This is why it is so critical to take steps every day to draw closer to the Lord, to deepen our hope in Him, and support one another through prayer and fellowship with other Christians. We must keep our hope in Jesus, and His promises, before us every day. Below are some steps we can take each day to deepen our hope in the Lord.
1. At the beginning of each day, take a moment to consider which mental inputs will shape your thinking. Will I take time to read Scripture, pray, and fill my mind with the promises of God; or will I watch an extra hour of television? When I have a spare moment, will I turn to Jesus, the source of my hope, or will I daydream? Will I place my hope in Jesus and His promises, or will I allow my mind to teem with anxieties? If we spend extra time with Jesus, the results may surprise us. As our minds fill with Truth, we will become alert to the Holy Spirit, and to the battle between spirit and flesh — and we will be better able to follow the Spirit. In short, our hearts will be changed as our minds are transformed (Rom 12:2). Then, we will experience victory in Jesus.
2. Pray and intercede for one another. Pray for your families and others, and pray for the men in your group who, like you, desire to live as men of hope. God wants to give us hope and confidence; He wants to be close to us. God wants to assure us that in spite of our sins, we are a new creation in Christ, that He has overcome the world, and our hope is in Him. Also as we pray, we can ask God to rekindle hope in our families and all those we are praying for.
3. Throughout the day, recall words of hope from the Scriptures. We must keep God’s promises before us every day. One way we can do this is by memorizing Scriptures that speak of hope and the promises of God. By building upon our knowledge of these Scriptural truths, we take up the tools that keep us steadfast in our faith. Let us embrace the truths that are ours from Scripture. Here are a few simple Scriptures on hope that are easy to memorize and can be used to remind you that your hope comes from God and He will never fail you.
• “No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame.” (Psalm 25:3)
• “May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in You.” (Psalm 33:22)
• “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.” (Isaiah 40:31)
• “Those who hope in Me will not be disappointed.” (Isaiah 49:23)
• “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
• “The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him.” (Lamentations 3:25)
• “Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” (2 Corinthians 3:12)
• “So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:17)
4. Turn to the Lord often during the day. As we open our hearts to Jesus, He will deepen the hope and confidence that is our inheritance forever. If things are going well, we can turn to the Lord and thank Him for His blessings and great kindness toward us. If things are not going so well, we can turn to the Lord to be refreshed. For example, if we are experiencing loneliness, feeling hopeless or depressed about a situation, we can turn to the Lord, Who invites us to go to Him for rest and refreshment (Mt 11:28-30). If we are confused about the path we should take, we can remember that God loves to pour out His wisdom when we ask Him (Jas 1:5).
As you implement these steps, you will experience the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, as He transforms you into a “man of hope.”
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom 15:13).
“In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Pt 1:3-5).
Heavenly Father, through the work of Your Holy Spirit, build my hope in the power of Jesus’s promises. In Your grace, keep me always close to You. Engrave Your truths and promises upon my heart and help me to encourage others to place their hope in You.
