Hope – Day Three
“And hope maketh not ashamed…” Romans 5:5 (KJV)
Shame – a deadly enemy that is robbing countless millions of their right to living life to its’ fullest potential. There are many things that cause a person to have shame. Some are due to the mistakes they have made. Some are a result of things that they haven’t done – perhaps the features that they were born with, or the circumstances of their birth, or the family that they are born into. The list can go on of causes of shame, but the remedy is simple – take hope! For hope will make one not ashamed. It sounds too simple to be true.
As you noticed above there are three dots that follow the word ashamed – this is an ellipsis, signifying an incomplete thought. We cannot leave this thought incomplete, rather we have to look at the entire thought if we are going to know how to eliminate shame. The complete thought is:
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Romans 5:5 (KJV)
The reminder of this sentence shows us how to eliminate shame -we must receive “the love of God” that is placed in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. When we really understand that God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us that He might take upon Himself all of our failures, all of the contortions that we feel have given us reason to have shame. That God Himself has placed upon us a seal of approval by giving us the Holy Ghost to abide within us – to guide us – to comfort us – to free us from any and everything that wants us to cause us to feel less than God made us – then we understand that we can live in hope.
Hope that today will be good, and tomorrow even better. Hope that we no longer have to carry around burdens of shame and guilt. That we no longer have to walk with eyes cast down, but we can “look unto the hills from whence comes our help” and know that our help comes from a living and a loving God. Hope drives the clouds away from our lives and lifts us to live in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. Hope is the ultimate game changer!
Maria