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Author: Martin Steinbereithner, from the Servants of the Word, an international, ecumenical brotherhood of men living single for the Lord.

Allowing the Scripture to Encourage Us

In his letter to the Romans, Paul writes: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4 RSV)

“What can we hope for?” is one of the oldest and most potent questions philosophers have asked because it gets at the root of our vision, motivation and spiritual energy. Is what we can hope for money, fame or ease? What is the future state we that aspire to and expect to get realized? What Paul tells us here is that our hope is meant to be based on the Bible, on what was written, and not based on ungrounded optimism. The scriptures not only provide doctrinal insights, they also reveal eternal truths which are meant to encourage us. The scriptures tell us that good will triumph, righteousness will be rewarded, that there is a final judgment, and that God sees our lives and is interested in them. In other words, the scriptures and the promises they contain are meant to give us hope, and they are meant to call us on to persevere and to never lose hope.

Ask yourself today: “Which of God’s promises in Scripture encourages me the most? Do I need to remind myself of it more regularly, maybe by writing it out and posting it over my bed, or by memorizing it?”

Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.