Mark Russell commented, ‘I have never heard a better definition of what we should be about: “Stop arguing about all kinds of stuff and bring hope.” Don’t we have a gospel of hope? A gospel that brings hope? A gospel of life, a gospel of transformation, a gospel of joy and a gospel of grace, and above all a hope of eternal life, the hope of Jesus.’ Many people see only a hopeless end; but with Jesus you can enjoy an endless hope.

Hope is one of the three great theological virtues – the others being love and faith. As Raniero Cantalamessa writes, ‘They are like three sisters. Two of them are grown and the other is a small child. They go forward together hand in hand with the child hope in the middle. Looking at them it would seem that the bigger ones are pulling the child, but it is the other way around; it is the little girl who is pulling the two bigger ones. It is hope that pulls faith and love. Without hope everything would stop.’

Hope for unity

Paul continues to plead that every effort is made for unity: ‘Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification’ (14:19). Guard this unity by being sensitive to your brothers and sisters in Christ and not offending them unnecessarily (14:20–15:1). Each of us should ‘please our neighbours for their good, to build them up’ (15:2).

Follow the example of Jesus: ‘For even Christ did not please himself’ (v.3). Like Jesus, be a God-pleaser, not a self-pleaser or a people-pleaser. People-pleasers are those who try to please people even if they have to compromise their own conscience to do so. Paul tried to please people as long as pleasing them did not cause him to displease the Lord (Galatians 1:10; 1 Corinthians 10:33).

As Joyce Meyer points out, ‘God-pleasers are grace-based individuals who do not seek approval out of insecurity or fear. They strive to follow God with all their hearts, they also seek to please and minister to others without compromise or fear of rejection.’

Hope from the Scriptures

The purpose of the Bible is to give us hope. ‘For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptureswe might have hope’ (Romans 15:4). It is through the Scriptures that you know about Jesus and the hope that is in him. The way to keep your hopes up is to study the Scriptures regularly.

Corrie Ten Boon puts it: ‘Joy and peace mean going around with a smile on our faces and an empty suitcase.’