present hope

Romans 5:1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:  2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  3And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;  4And patience, experience; and experience, hope:  5And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.   I was considering "hope" this morning and reflected on the fact that it is a word that has a future and a present quality.  One of the great spiritual gifts God gives us in salvation is a confidence that we will be with Him forever.  We wade through swamps of difficulty, discouragement and disillusionment here on a daily basis, but we do not lose that hope which has been placed within our hearts.  That hope quietly resides within us like a precious family heirloom that sits in a corner of your home and that reminds you that you are part of a larger family.  You cannot work up hope...you cannot manufacture it, and you cannot alter the hope of heaven that we do not understand but that we do begin to appreciate from a distance.  I suppose the truth is that hope is more about the present than the future, because, in the future we will see the fulfillment of hope.  That is our assurance and He has placed it, in absolute security, in a safe place in our hearts, as we have allowed Him entrance to those hearts.   blessings, Rob Smith