Letter from the general (of the Salvation Army)

I love reading people's thoughts on spiritual matters that are fully grounded in their faith. You can tell by their writing when their faith has been confirmed in their lives by experience and not just taught to them by books and Sunday School teachers. I thank God that the denomination I adhere to is led by a man such as this. This letter was sent to all Salvationists (members of the Salvation Army Church) to be shared with those that might benefit. I have tried to describe real hope and trust in my own words and never come as close as he has to a "Real" definition. Enjoy! :-)

HOPE
 
Dear Fellow Salvationists,
 
I write in the Name of Jesus to greet and encourage you.
 
Here in London we are in the late weeks of the Autumn season, but the weather is unusually mild just now and we can venture out of doors, without the need for heavy clothing, to enjoy the falling leaves as the trees turn golden brown. The children walk and skip to school with a carpet of fallen leaves beneath their feet. As they kick happily at the gathered gold, a sudden gust of wind will propel the fallen foliage once again into the air. It is an enchanting season. In the southern hemisphere you are in Spring-time, with promise and hope bursting outward and upward from the earth to remind you of new life.
 
Like all Christian believers, Salvationists are a people of hope. In mentioning hope I do not mean that shallow, facile optimism that says, ‘Things will probably turn out alright in the end.’ Christian hope proclaims the certainty that in Christ Jesus all is well now, regardless of our outward circumstances, and that we have the gift of hope from God not only for this life but for all eternity too. In 1 Corinthians 15:19 we are reminded that we have hope in Christ not only for this earthly life. Were this untrue then we are to be pitied above all others.
 
Titus 3:7 describes true believers as ‘heirs having the hope of eternal life’. In this promise, and in many more found in Scripture, we sense the certainty of God’s provision and the sureness of His promises. He does not toy with us. He offers us the gift of hope. We are free to accept or to reject His offer. My heart is filled with praise to God for each one of you reading this who has gladly and wholeheartedly accepted the Heavenly Father’s infinitely gracious offer of hope – hope for today and for all our tomorrows.