Hope for All

In view of the recent terror attacks in Orlando, and the Dallas police shootings, I have reposted a previous post on hope.

As recent events of another terror attack have just unfolded in our nation many of us are mourning the loss of our fellow citizens. At the same time we also mourn the loss of a country as we once envisioned it. One realizes now more then ever before that we have a great need for hope in our present time of uncertainty and danger.  But take heart, “There is hope.”

“For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4).

Hope, is instinctive and we all possess hope to some extent. Hope gives us the ability to move forward in our lives. Hope is not something we experience in the present, it is what we envision for the future. It is a confident expectation of what we believe will come to pass. Hope is believing for something better, and longing for something better. Our hope directs the way we live our lives today.

As Christians we do not put our hope in things of the world. (“Do not love the world, nor the things in the world” – 1John 2:15). In short, the things of the world encompass the attitudes and the values of the world. Our hope is in Christ and his provision for our future here on earth and the eternal realm.

But what about those who don’t have the same hope? People can have false hope.

To be specific, hope can be misdirected or in vain.  For instance, hope in riches, or materialism. Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth” (Matthew 6:19a). This principle speaks of the heart putting hope in treasures here on earth, in contrast to storing treasures in heaven. Even though we live in the here and now, for Christians our perspective should always be to put a priority on storing treasures in heaven. Today, I might add, this scriptural truth really hits home. As we speculate on the future of our nation’s economy things look pretty bleak. Knowing this, it is natural to want to hold onto what we have. But someday we may not have the freedom to keep what rightfully belongs to us.

Another false hope worth mentioning is idols.  Idolatry is running rampant today and can manifest itself in many forms. People have put their hope in idols since the beginning of time. God has clearly stated in the scriptures to put away our idols (Exodus 20:3 – “You shall have no other gods before me”). In light of today’s current events, I just want to mention the fact that many are idolizing statism. Their hope is in the government.  Another point is there are many who believe the government can create a future utopia on earth. Ironically this is their hope, even though these foolish ideas have always failed historically. Only when Christ reigns can hope be entrusted to government. As stated in the book of Isaiah, “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace” (Isaiah 9:7).

The point I am trying to make is we have only one hope. That is the hope of salvation. Hence, we may feel our nation is in a crisis of hope (or as individuals we are losing hope), but we can reflect on the blessed hope we have which sustains us everyday of the year.

Hope is the basis of the Christian faith, and here are some points to ponder: 

• Salvation – All who believe in Jesus are confident of a new life with Jesus here on earth but also for eternity. “For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable” (1Peter 1:23a).
• Secure Future – The Christian is made secure and nothing can separate us from His love. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword” (Romans 8:35)?
• Saved from the judgment and wrath of God – We will not be judged for our sins, Jesus paid the price, and we will not suffer eternal damnation. “And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1Peter 2:24a).
• Christ’s second coming – Jesus has promised to return to earth and set up His millennial kingdom. “And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True” (Revelation 19:11a).
• Resurrection – We shall receive resurrected bodies. “For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1Corinthians 15:53).
• New heaven and new earth – “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away” (Revelation 21:1).
• Free of pain – “And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

“In Christ alone is our only hope.”

Click on Link to song
In Christ Alone

“Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” (Titus 2:13).