The Fruit of Hope: Discovering Hope in the Fruits of the SpiritChikamu

The third fruit of the Spirit we find in Galatians 5 is peace, which is a fruit that can often seem elusive in the chaos and busy-ness of our fast-paced, relentless world.

And yet, Jesus himself instructs to operate in peace regardless of how much turmoil we find ourselves in. When we look to the book of John, we see Jesus preparing his disciples for the aftermath of the crucifixion, when all will seem to have been lost and the person they’ve placed all their hope in has died, when it will look to the rest of the world, like Jesus, was a bunch of hot air instead of the hope of the world.

In the midst of this context, Jesus tells his disciples this: “I have said this to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution, but take courage: I have conquered the world!” (John 16:33, NRSV)

Jesus knew exactly what he was about to do and about the persecution his disciples were about to endure, and in the face of those odds, he told them one thing and one thing only: have peace.

A tall order, but if Jesus commands it, then it must be something you can do!

How can you have that level of peace except through hope? When you rest your peace on the foundation of hope, then you can truly relax in the comfort of knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is taking care of everything. All the disturbance, all the chaos, all the storms of life can subside and you can receive God’s true and lasting peace.

Hope unlocks peace in every circumstance.