1 Corinthians 15:50-58
Verse 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
One of the basic truths about hope is that it is future focused. There can be snags when we hope in the future because we can focus too much on all the things we want in life versus the things which God has given us to hope in. One of the greatest things we can hope for is the resurrection and eternal life. With Jesus coming to earth, He was able to live a perfect life, die a physical death and then, as God through the Holy Spirit, He rose from the dead. His resurrection broke the power of death for His people.
We may not like to think about the resurrection for ourselves because that makes us think about a part of our future we would rather not think about, but if we looked at it from the perspective of our hope in Christ, there will be joy and peace. Our hope for the many aspects of our future will gain perspective when we think of them in the light of who we are in Christ.
When we seek things for our future which align with the Lord and His will for our lives, the hope of the future will burn brighter in us. When we see the desire in our job looking through the lens of what God created us to do to serve Him, we don’t see the job as just a means to paying bills. If we were to look at our school work as God’s way of helping us learn so we can serve Him better, would it give us more hope?
One thing we have to remember about our future is that hope allows us to live it now. Just as we talked about yesterday, when we hold tight to the hope of what we know is coming, we need to live as if it will happen. Living out the hope of our salvation and resurrection will have us living in a way that reflects the future we will have with Christ. That means we aren’t waiting until we die to live as His eternal children. When we are living the lives of the world we will miss the hope meant to be ours, so let’s live with a growing knowledge of the One who is our true hope.
Making It Personal
What is your hope for the future? When you think of the future do you think of your earthly future or eternity? What does it mean to you that your will have a resurrection because of Jesus’ resurrection?
Making It Personal Kids
What kinds of things do you hope about the future? Are those hopes for your good or for the good of God’s kingdom? Do you hope for a deeper relationship with Jesus?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for the hope of resurrection and eternity with You. Please help us look forward to You and all You have planned for us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Comments