We sometimes get so caught up in this world we forget that this earth is not our home. Believers of old knew they were aliens in a land that was not their own. This is why a message of “hope” fills the pages of Scripture. Susan and I often attend a support group for people with multiple myeloma. It goes without saying that we all want there to be a cure for this deadly disease. I’m usually one of the youngest patients, but I have realized that, even if a cure is found tomorrow, all of us are eventually going to die. If a healthy person accuses me of being a pessimist, I should remind him that he won’t live on this earth forever either. Even for those diagnosed with a fatal disease, it is easy to be in denial about death.
If I can admit that one day I will die, or better yet, one day Jesus will return, my hope can be put in a much more secure place. This challenge is not just for me, but for anyone who believes in eternal life. If God’s Word is true, this life is just “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Our main existence is elsewhere. So where is your hope? If your mind is only on the things of this world, the Holy Spirit says, “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
It is interesting what Paul says leads to hope. I cannot explain all the reasons for suffering, but I can say that in the midst of a trial it is often easier to lift the eyes beyond this world. “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us…” (Rom 5:2-5) I will eventually be disappointed with temporal hope. But if “my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness” I will not be disappointed, for my heart is set on what is eternal.
Next week, as we thank God for the incredible blessings He has showered upon us, may we look beyond the things we see with human eyes. May we see an incredible Father who has an amazing love for His children. May we see a loving Savior, seated next to the throne of God, waiting for the word to return for His Bride. May we see the Comforter who continually leads us in truth. And may we see a place prepared for all who have put their faith in Jesus. Even now we can give thanks for such a Kingdom and anticipate an indescribable Feast. “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” Ephesians 1:18-19