To
them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of
this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope
of glory.
Colossians 1:27
Millions
of people today hope they're going to heaven, but they want nothing
to do with the Lord Jesus, so it's sad to say that they really have
no hope. Biblical hope is waited for and expected, and there is no
guesswork to it; the contract has been signed; it's a done deal.
Heaven
is actually a small part of a believer's hope. Adoption into the
family of God, sins forgiven, being accepted in the Beloved, rewards
for service, and eternal life are all part and parcel of what
disciples look forward to in Christ; it is their hope.
Many
of the promises that accompany the fellowship believers have with the
Savior are fulfilled here on earth. True faith results in a
transformed life, temporal blessings, answered prayer, the fruit of
the Spirit, and the mind of Christ. Once these are experienced, a
Christian has no doubt that God does miracles and completes His
promises, so Christians are assured that He is also in charge of
the future.
The
Holy Spirit is the "signing bonus" that God gives to
believers when they receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. It is
the guarantee of good things to come and the security of their Hope
of Christ.
Throughout
the centuries, Christians have suffered and died for their faith, but
no matter how bad it got, Jesus was there all the way. This is what
is known as the "fellowship of His sufferings" (Philippians
3:10). When the faithful suffer for their Lord they can sense His
presence in a way unlike anything they would have known when things
went well. The realization that Christ is in them and with them even
at the point of death is their comfort in adversity; He is their Hope
of Glory.
No comments:
Post a Comment