All Series > Virtue of Hope > Part 2
Fruits of Hope
Teaching of Virtue
Watch: On YouTube
Fruits of Hope
From the fruitage of divine hope come—
Desire for God, perspective and perseverance, spiritual joy, and charity.
As one grows in the virtue of hope, they grow in their desire for God; as one grows in their desire for God, they grow in the virtue of hope. God is both the source and object of hope, and it is His will, through faith, to bestow the grace of hope in each of our souls so we desire nothing less than what He desires for us: oneness through Christ.
Hope supplies perspective and perseverance. It lifts the gaze of the believer from momentary struggles, which they endure, to the horizon of unending peace, which they await—equipping them to weather any trial, knowing these are but fleeting storms they are called to brave for their love of Christ and service of neighbor.
Christian hope imparts a spiritual joy that can shine in any circumstance. God would not expect Christians to be joyful if there were nothing to look forward to. But there is! That is the good news! So good, all difficulties pale in comparison. For this reason, the hopeful are resiliently joyful in the divine destiny God has in store.
Out of the inner abundance of hope comes the outer expression of love: the fruit of charity. Trusting God and finding fulfillment in the future “hope laid up in Heaven” (Colossians 1:5) frees one to let go of the concerns of tomorrow and be fully attentive to the call of charity in the now—conducting the hopeful to their Heavenly home.
Scroll down for the related scriptures, quotes, and lesson plan associated with this teaching.
Copyright © 2024 Horse & Chariot LLC. All rights reserved.
Visual Resource
Related Scripture
“In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God.” — Colossians 1:3-6 (NRSVCE)
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” — Romans 15:13 (NRSVCE)
“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.” — Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NRSVCE)
“Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness,” — 2 Corinthians 3:12 (NRSVCE)
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.” — Lamentations 3:24 (NRSVCE)
“Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!” — Psalm 144:15 (NRSVCE)
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” — Romans 12:12 (NRSVCE)
“Now that we have been put right with God through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. He has brought us by faith into this experience of God's grace, in which we now live. And so we boast of the hope we have of sharing God's glory! We also boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance brings God's approval, and his approval creates hope. This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to us.” — Romans 5:1-5 (GNT)
“We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest forever...” — Hebrews 6:19-20 (NRSVCE)
Related Quotes
“Hope is like an anchor. Our hope in Christ stabilizes us in the storms of life, but unlike an anchor, it does not hold us back.” — Charles R. Swindoll
“We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” — Maya Angelou
“Faith is unseen but felt, faith is strength when we feel we have none, faith is hope when all seems lost.” — Catherine Pulsifer
“My faith didn't remove the pain, but it got me through the pain. Trusting God didn't diminish or vanquish the anguish, but it enabled me to endure it.” — Robert Rogers
“The God whom we worship is not a weak and incompetent God. He is able to beat back gigantic waves of opposition and to bring low prodigious mountains of evil. The ringing testimony of the Christian faith is that God is able.” — Martin Luther King Jr.
“No one can get Joy by merely asking for it. It is one of the ripest fruits of the Christian life, and, like all fruits, must be grown.” — Henry Drummond
“If you have no joy, there’s a leak in your Christianity somewhere.” — Billy Sunday
“The joy and peace of believers arise chiefly from their hopes. What is laid out upon them is but little, compared with what is laid up for them; therefore the more hope they have, the more joy and peace they have…Christians should desire and labor after an abundance of hope.” — Matthew Henry
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” — Rabindranath Tagore
“All serious and upright human conduct is hope in action.” — Pope Benedict XVI
Lesson Plan
For your family, small group, or personal reflection.
STEP 1: Introduction
Example: "I'm going to play a short video on the topic of the fruits of hope. After the video, I have some questions to gather your thoughts and get the discussion started. We’ll then wrap up with a closing prayer."
STEP 2: Watch Video (or listen)
Watch (or listen to) the video of the teaching (cast to your TV via YouTube). If time allows, also read the teaching, related Scriptures, and related quotes.
STEP 3: Discussion / Reflection
- How does your desire for God influence your daily actions and decisions?
- How has hope helped you maintain perspective during challenging times?
- How does the promise of God's future blessings bring joy to your current circumstances?
- How does your hope in God inspire acts of charity and love toward others?
- In what ways have you seen the virtue of hope influence other aspects of your spiritual life?
- Did any of the related Scriptures or quotes stand out to you (please elaborate)?
- Any other thoughts you’d like to share?
STEP 4: Wrap Up & Closing Prayer
Summarize and wrap up the discussion. Then, conclude with a sincere and humble prayer from the heart.
Join one of our free online training events.
Shop all our teachings of virtue prints.
Explore other virtue-based products.
Never miss a teaching — get all new teachings of virtue sent to your inbox free!