by Pastor Elder McCants
Christians Life in Hope
Reprint from Christian News
Lyle W. Lange in his book, God So Loved the World, wrote on page 426, “Though this world is a vale of tears, though Christians will face many trails in this life, they still live in hope.” He explains so beautifully what Christian Hope is, “When the Bible speaks of hope, it speaks of something that is absolutely assured.” Peter spoke of living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3). “Christian hope is the absolute ironclad guarantee of salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ.” St Paul wrote in romans 5:5, “This hope does not disappoint us.”
Christian hope rests on Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose from death to forgive and save us for Heaven. Christian hope helps us to put things in this life into a proper perspective. It helps us to set proper priorities (Colossians 3:1-4). The only possession of real value that we have in this world is what God give to us in Christ. Our true citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20). We, by God’s grace, trust and seek first His kingdom (Matthew 6:33).
The hope God gives to us gives us strength to deal with the trials and hardships we face daily. It gives us joy and peace in the midst of sorrows (1 Peter 1:6). Christian hope enables us to look forward to the second coming of Christ with Joy and anticipation. It inspires us to pray, Amen. Come, Lord Jesus: (Revelations 22:20).