Life on this earth is only a shadow of what is to come and provides us with little hope (1 Chronicles 29:15). Yet, without hope, life is impossible to live. A hopeless existence crushes our soul, and affects our body and spirit as well (Job 17:15). The distresses of life are the result of Adam’s sin in the world. Many people say that God is no help to them in their times of trouble; but the truth is: God is our only hope. When we see the fruition of our hope, we feel totally alive and blessed (Proverbs 13:12).
Jesus swallowed up death by
His victory on Calvary’s cross. Death no longer has any sting for the Believer.
Authentic Christians are aliens and pilgrims in this life (1 Peter
2:11). We immediately pass from this
earthly realm into the heaven realm with our dying breath. Because of His
victory, we have the hope of eternity and we can live life with a steadfast and
immovable mind-set. This positive attitude enables us to succeed in our work
for the Lord. Our labor of love is never in vain (1 Corinthians 15:54-58).
Our living hope is the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We have an incorruptible and
undefiled inheritance that never fades away. It is reserved for all Believers
in heaven. Even though we grieve in our trials on this earth, we rejoice in the
fact that it is only for a little while – a vapor compared to eternity (James
4:13-14). We can be strong and live in
courage without fear, because Christ in us fights for us against all of the
negative aspects in our life (Joshua 10:25; John 5:6).
We are protected in trials
by the power of God. His hope fills our hearts with joy and peace. By the power
of His Spirit in us, our hope abounds (Romans 15:13). We trust in His salvation, which is ready to be
revealed at the end of time (1 Peter 1:3-6).
However, God gives us rest in safety in this world as well. We can lie down
without fear. We are secure in our hope in Christ (Job
11:18-19). We hope in the Lord, even in
the difficult times in life (Job 13:15).
The Lord takes pleasure in those who hope in His mercy (Psalm
147:11).
God is our shield in times
of affliction. He lifts up our head when we are depressed. God always hears us,
although He is way up in His holy hill. We can sleep in peace because the Lord
sustains us. Even if our circumstances are overwhelming, we have no need to
fear them (Psalm 3:2-6). God has a perfect plan
for our life. These plans are for our benefit and not to harm us, because they
give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).
God works our all things,
even the negative aspects of life, for our good (Romans 8:28). We have access to Him by faith and we rejoice in our
hope in the glory of God. We even gain glory through our trials, because we
know that they ultimately produce hope in us, which never disappoints us. The
Holy Spirit pours out the love of God in our hearts, because even when we were
still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:2-7).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, our hope rests
in You. Your victory over death and your eternal salvation provide a living
hope for us regardless of our circumstances in our life on earth. We look
forward to spending the Millennium serving You and then rejoicing in You for
eternity with all of Your Saints. Thank you for suffering the death on the
cross, for taking up Your life again in Your resurrection (John 10:17-18,
15:13), for coming for Your Bride before
the day of God’s wrath, and for coming again to set up Your Kingdom on the
earth.Thought for the Day:
In the face of the worse trial life offers us, we never loose hope. It is simply light and momentary affliction when compared to the incomparable, unseen weight of glory, which God has prepared for us in eternity. – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
