Hope Extended

 

Hope Extended

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

I Corinthians 5:19

In the verse which formed our text for yesterday, Paul was making a point about our hope in Christ. Today, let us consider the implications of his remark, ‘If in this life only, we have hope in Christ.’  Clearly, Paul is pointing out that because of the resurrection, our hope in Christ extends far beyond this life. Everything else which Christ said and did regarding this subject, serves to support Paul’s statement. Our hope in Christ extends far beyond the things we discussed yesterday. Beyond this life, we have hope of our own resurrection from the dead. Christ has said of His people, ‘I will raise them up at the last day.’ Beyond this life, we have hope that Christ will come again to receive us unto Himself, ‘that where He is there we may be also.’ Beyond this life, we have hope in Christ that He has prepared a place for us. Beyond this life, we have hope in Christ that He will give us glorified bodies without pain, or sickness, or even tears. Beyond this life, we have hope in Christ that He will gather us all together around the Throne of Grace to ‘sing the song of Moses…and the song of the Lamb.’  Beyond this life, we have hope in Christ that, ‘so shall we ever be with the Lord.’   Our hope in Christ is not that He will give us a better life here or merely make us better people while we are here.  Our hope in Christ extends far beyond time, and into a never-ending eternity.

Our most Gracious Holy and Loving God,
we rejoice that You are the God of hope.
We praise You that our hope in You extends far beyond this scene of time
and unto the farthest reaches of a boundless eternity.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning