Hope: The Kind That Keeps Us GoingSample

 DAY 4

HOW DO WE GET THIS ETERNAL, IMPERSIHABLE, LIVING HOPE? 

We get this through Jesus, our living hope.  Once, we did not have hope. Because of Adam's sin, we lost our connection with God. Sin separated us from a holy God. God, however, had a salvation plan in place even before laying the foundation of the world! Jesus came to die for the sins of the world so that eternal hope could be restored. When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, we get grafted into Eternal Hope.

Peter talks of suffering in the present tense. The word suffering is the same word used to describe Jesus suffering in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was saying that His soul was crushed with agony and suffering because of His impending crucifixion. 

Peter says you can suffer and experience joy simultaneously because you have not put your hope in circumstances. Jesus sweated drops of blood and cried for the cup to be taken away. There was no pretence and false bravado. 

When you run away from facing hurt and sorrow, you refuse to allow yourself to grieve, you get angry, or you get into sour grapes and harden your heart through indifference or anger which can make you bitter or cynical. When we face our sorrow, it softens us and makes us compassionate. 

Imagine Jesus endured suffering for the joy and hope set before him. Jesus did not endure the cross to get a crown. His prize was our redemption. That is what he died and suffered for—the joy of seeing us redeemed spurred Him on. His death would justify many. 

We are Jesus' living hope, and He is our living Hope. So when our lives are deeply hidden in Christ, He becomes our living Hope that transcends time, trials and tears. 

Peter is asking us to greatly rejoice in this fact that when we have overcome all these sufferings, we will receive praise, glory and honour at the end of all things that have come when Jesus is revealed. 

We will endure hardships, sickness, loss, and all kinds of injustices and problems because we have an eternal perspective on everything that we go through here on earth. 

We know that nothing we go through is in vain. There is an eternal living hope: to be united with Jesus and be with Him in paradise where there will be no more pain, no more suffering, and no more tears. 

Crowns are awaiting us, mansions prepared and cities to rule and all this for enduring a few years on earth for a life with Jesus that will go on forever and ever. 

Eternal Living Hope is  Jesus, Himself. And as if that were not enough, He has rewards to give us as well. 

Have you anchored in the Eternal Living Hope? Let us remind ourselves and encourage each other with this truth. 

REFLECT AND ASK YOURSELF

Reflect on why Jesus was willing to suffer an excruciating death. 

How do you feel about that?

Find other plans by this author: here and here.

 

You can hear a sermon preached by Navaz D'Cruz on this topic here.