Every
day on this earth is only a shadow of what is to come, and it provides us with
little hope to which to cling (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, passed on to
us through our heritage from him.
Life
is discouraging at best, unless we put our trust in Jesus Christ. Then, we see
the fruition of our hope, and feel totally alive and blessed (Proverbs 13:12).
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 live in strength and 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).
Death
no longer has any sting for the Believer. Authentic Christians are aliens and
pilgrims in this life (1 Peter 2:11), but angels escort us to heaven to receive
our reward.
At
the time of our death, we immediately pass from this earthly realm into the
heaven realm. Jesus swallowed up death by His victory on Calvary’s cross.
Due
to 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 for the Lord is never in vain (1
Corinthians 15:54-58).
Prayer:
Father
God, many people say that You are no help to them in their times of trouble;
but the truth is: You are our only hope (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). Our hope rests
in You, because of Your victory over death and Your eternal salvation, which
provides us with a living hope regardless of our circumstances in our life on
this earth.
We
look forward to spending the Millennium serving You, and then to rejoicing in
You for eternity with all of Your Saints. Thank you for sending Jesus to suffer
the death on the cross in our place, for taking up His life again in Your
resurrection (John 10:17-18, 15:13), for coming for His Bride before the day that You pour out Your wrath on the earth, and for sending Him here again to set up
Your Kingdom.
Thought
for the Day:
In
the face of the worse trial life throws at us, we never lose hope, because it
is simply light and momentary affliction when compared to the incomparable,
unseen weight of glory, which God has prepared for us in eternity. - 1
Corinthians 2:9
