Leaders must be dealers in hope.
That is what Napoleon said (not Napoleon Dynamite, Napoleon Bonaparte, the French Emperor who nearly conquered the world).
Napoleon rightly understood that hope is one of the most potent forces on the planet. Without it, communities collapse. With it, chains are cast aside and new futures are envisioned and realized.
Our world—both at home and abroad—is suffering from a prolonged hope famine, and we need a fresh reminder that when hope is anchored in the right source, Jesus and His kingdom, it does not let us down.
“Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5 NASB)
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us…” (Hebrews 6:19-20a NASB)
“Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love…” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV)
Let’s attach our lives more firmly than ever to Christ and His kingdom, and let’s increasingly see ourselves as God’s “dealers of hope” in our world. It is possible that our Jesus-centered lives can end someone’s drought and restore hope to a thirsty corner of our planet.