“Paul, an apostle of
Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of
Christ Jesus our
hope.” (I Tim. 1:1)
Here are a few of my recent hopes. “I hope you have a good day.” “I hope I didn’t confuse her.” “I hope she knows the directions to my house.” “I hope the shoes are on sale.”
After comparing my list above to the Bible’s teaching of
hope, I realize I have a cheap understanding of hope. Oh, I use the word syntactically correct. I grasp the concept of awaiting something, and
I do want these things, but I greatly lack the rich hope God
offers in The Bible.
When Paul spoke of hope, he described it as “good” (2 Thess.
2:16). Titus modified hope with “blessed” (Tit 2:13). Peter used
“living” (I Pet 1:3) as his adjective. And
the writer of Hebrews chose, “better” (Heb. 7:19). Good hope, blessed hope, living hope, better
hope. Could these words really describe
my hope for a shoe sale?
When Bible authors mention hope, it isn’t connected to good
days, or good directions or even a good sale.
They connect hope with such things as…
Eternal life: “so that,
having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of
eternal life” Titus 3:7 (Also Tit 1:2).
Righteousness: “But by faith
we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope” Gal.
5:5.
Resurrection: “…I (Paul)
stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead” Acts 23:6.
God’s glory: “And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” Rom.
5:2.
Hope for the Bible Authors was no cheap shoe sale—it was overflowing
with the richness of eternity. I mean,
can you taste the delight of eternal life in a mansion made specifically for
you, surrounded by all of creation that has been restored to the perfection of
Eden? Can you hear the praises from
heaven’s angels when you, with your resurrected body that will never degenerate
with sickness or weaken with pain, make an entrance through heaven’s gates? Can you smell the clean, pure, stainless robe
of Christ’s own righteousness draped from your shoulders? Can you gaze upon the mixture of unfailing
love and perfect justice, abounding grace and uncompromised holiness, lavish
mercy and untarnished righteousness, encompassing your vision as God’s glory fills
your eyes? God’s hope is that this life,
these struggles, these experiences are not all there is.
Do you see why my hope is so cheap? The hope the Bible describes isn’t some
earthly desire or petty wish that swings aside like a door on its hinges when
an updated version hits the market. It
is the soul-quenching, savor-relishing hope of eternity spent in complete and
perfect fellowship with Yahweh.
Oh the richness of the hope we can have because Christ Jesus
died on the cross for our sins!
Is it any wonder that when the Bible presents this hope, it
also presents duty? We have a blessed
hope, now teach these things and encourage others. (Tit. 2:.15) We have a living hope, so don’t freak out
when you face trials that test your faith.
(I Pet. 1:3-7) We have a good
hope, so abound in good deeds and words. (2 Thess. 2:16-17). We have a better hope, so draw near to God
(Heb. 7:19). We have a rich hope, so go
tell the world about it.
Here is the prayer I made after studying for this blog.
“Father, the hope given to me through Jesus Christ demands
my soul, my life, my all. No wonder Hebrews
says our hope is the anchor for our souls.
No wonder they mentioned this hope so often to spur one another on and
encourage perseverance. It’s what they
were living for. It’s what imprisoned
their will and focused their choices. It’s
what drove their life. They poured
themselves out not to obtain this hope, they already had it, but to give it to
others. Oh, Yahweh, may I pour myself
out to offer this hope to others. Don’t
let me get wrapped up in cheap imitations.
Don’t let me satisfied with less.
Give me the opportunity to share this blessed, good, living, and better
hope with the Wolof people.” Amen
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