1.6.21

THE REALITY

I think most of us could agree, especially entering 2021, the world is not the way it ought to be. It is full of anger, sickness, hatred, division, injustice, ect. It is very saddening, but it also makes sense. We are a broken species, filled with sin & pride, living in a fallen world. The more control we attempt to take over our lives, on our own human strength and knowledge, the more we are going to spiral deeper into the abyss. Unfortunately, I know we are not coming back from this spiral as a human race. I don’t believe there is an innate goodness in mankind that will one day prevail.

THE SECRET

The first thing about hope is that your hope is only as strong as what you put your hope in. The only hope we have in taking the world from the way it is to the way it ought to be, is Jesus. Jesus is the hope of the world. We are hope based creatures, and what we believe about the future directly impacts how we live our lives today. Our beliefs dictate our behavior – not the other way around.

I believe that the creator of the universe knows me fully. He knows the real me, not the me I often pretend to be, and He loves me completely. Despite my brokenness, He chooses me and adopted me as a son. This means I have a rich inheritance in Heaven because of what Christ has done for me. This means one day I will be called by name into the home I was created for. I believe the restoration of all things is coming, and the way the world should be is on the horizon! When your hope is in Jesus, the best is ALWAYS yet to come, and I know one day my story will end well.

THE OUTCOME

If there really is hope in the future, there is absolutely power in the present. With the hope we have in Jesus and the certainty of eternal life, power is the outcome. Not just any power, but the greatness of God’s power which He used to raise Jesus from the dead, and that power lives in me today. The Bible says that in Christ, every spiritual blessing is mine. This means everything I could ever need in this life is lavished on me through my hope in Jesus.  

Joe Coffey once said this, and it’s true, “The only thing more powerful than destruction – the ability to take away everything you have, is the power of restoration – the ability to give you everything you ever lost or ever wanted. In other words, the only thing more powerful than death is the power to give you life.” This power of life will provide us peace if we’re in conflict, joy if we’re sad, forgiveness if we’re guilty, and freedom if we’re stuck. So powerful is the gift of hope.