Hope does not disappoint

Romans 5:1-5 (New American Standard Bible)

1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
3  And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5 and 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 [Amplified Bible]

5 Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.

The sort of hope that the world has does disappoint, does delude, does shame us.  It is placed in fellow human beings and in the physical world we live in. They will fail. Church "leaders" are all fellow, fallen human beings. We cannot put hope into a pastor, an elder, a prophet, a teacher. Into a politician, a celebrity, businessman, whatever.

Where does our hope come from? 

It is first rooted in our salvation, by faith, through grace. The result of salvation is worship from the depth of our beings. We are alive with gratitude for being set free from our sins, for being forgiven.

Then we have something none of us likes to talk about: tribulation, troubles, suffering. If we persevere in the face of troubles, the result is proven character. THEN we get to God's type of hope.  Our hope in the world, the people of the world, the things of the world has been abraded away.

We experientially know God's love for us in the person of the Holy Spirit. He is alive in us and we have been immersed in Him.  This is the hope that does not disappoint because it a manifestation of the Holy Spirit in us.