Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

“A Christian’s definition of hope is far superior to that of the world.  Instead of wishing or hoping for something to happen, a believer knows that their hope is solid, concrete evidence because it is grounded in the Word of God and we know that God cannot lie (Heb 6:18; Num 23:19).  The Christian has a hope that is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb 11:1).  It is a hope that is like faith…a faith that cannot be moved by circumstances or what the eyes see because an unseen God is seen in His faithfulness.”

In Romans 8:24-25 Paul writes, “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” because “If God is for us, who can be against us” (Rom 8:31)?  If God is on our side, how sure is that hope! Today believers are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13) and “and everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 John 3:3) but for those who reject Christ, there is only “a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries” (Heb 10:27). 

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb 10:31) for even Christ Himself has said “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18).  That is a most hopeless situation to be in.

Excerpts taken from a sermon given by Pastor Jack Wellman in May 2014. (http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2014/05/26/what-is-the-biblical-or-christian-definition-of-hope/)

Eph. 5:33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverences her husband.

 When a couple get married, then they should treat each other with kindness and respect.  A spouse is the one person in the world who should know us and love us like no other. That relationship can help us to get through this life with joy and contentment.

I feel so sad when I see a married couple talking harshly to each other. A spouse should be cherished.  It sickens me to see the commercials for a show called Marriage Boot Camp on TV. They scream, call names, hit, and betray each other. They are so nasty and childish to their spouse. It made me think that they don’t need counseling – they need to become Christians!  They need to serve each other. They need to treat each other with respect and kindness. 

Marriage is hard. You have to learn to love, serve, and support someone who is so different from you.

There are so many great books and other resources for people who are looking to improve or save their marriage, but the one thing that will help your marriage more than anything is to develop a deep love of Christ and His teachings. If we love Christ and study His words, then we will want to obey His teachings. He taught us to love and serve one another. He taught us to forgive and not hold grudges. He taught us to give freely of our time and substance. Christ taught us to never hurt or offend.

These teachings especially apply to our spouse. Except for the case of abuse or abandonment, marriages should be saved and nurtured. The benefits of a righteous marriage far outweigh the costs of nurturing it. 

“I am satisfied that happiness in marriage is not so much a matter of romance as it is an anxious concern for the comfort and well-being of one’s companion. Any man who will make his wife’s comfort his first concern will stay in love with her throughout their lives and through the eternity yet to come” (Gordon B. Hinckley. Anchorage, Alaska, regional conference, 18 June 1995).