Take hold of the Hope that Jesus offers you, and be greatly encouraged. The hope of heaven is your birthright as a Christian. Many, many blessings flow out of that glorious promise into your present life in this world. Notice, however, that take hold is an active verb, requiring effort on your part. As the apostle Paul taught, you need to press on toward the goal and live up what you have already attained. This requires you to exert yourself, grasping onto the heavenly hope from which so many blessings flow.
One of those blessings is encouragement. Be encouraged is a passive form of the verb. You receive encouragement as a free gift from Christ when you make the effort to hold on to your hope, focusing on what He has already done (died on the cross for your sins) what He is doing now and what He will do. He loves to give good gifts in generous proportions. So cling to hope, beloved and you will be greatly encouraged.
QuietMomentsWithGod 