What would I do without a living hope? Today when I was at work getting hit in the face with a basketball and restraining kids from killing each other, I wondered how aimless and hopeless my life would be without an infinite living hope in Christ. I have to continually check my heart about what it is I am living for. If we make our hope a finite object it will sooner or later bring no joy and disappoint us, like a new car, a relationship, vocational success, a vacation that is around the corner, money and ect. As a Christian, I would agree with that factually, and say Amen in a sermon, but do I really believe that? It’s easy to voice agreement, but our actions will lead us to what we really believe. My flesh wants to stay away from any sort of suffering and bail out when it seems unbearable. The beauty of the Christian life is that our suffering, sorrow, and tribulations drive us into our hope and bring us joy in a greater way, this is unfathomable to anyone who does not know Christ. I have been feasting on I Peter and enjoying a great sermon by Timothy Keller on I Peter. They focus on how our sorrow and suffering, that will happen in this life, will actually drive us into joy and love for Jesus. Our suffering is what brightens our hope and makes it precious to us. What is the object of that hope? It is Jesus Christ, who not seeing we love and with a joy inexpressible we live life for. Are there times I need a hope adjustment? Definitely, but this hope drives me to wake up, go to work, and do everything we do for God’s glory and pray to see many saved and churches planted. We must all be faithful to pray that many will go into the harvest to live out the living hope and bring it to those in need, because the harvest is ripe and ready.
Here is a link to the Tim Keller message, http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/born-hope
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