"And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world." (1 Cor 15:19, NLT) "And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." (1 John 3:3, BSB) Today, God has laid it in my heart to speak to you about our glorious hope. Ever wonder why we do all we do? Ever wonder why all the tithing, all the offering, all the speaking in tongues, all the evangelism, all the church going, all the praying and fasting? At times we do these things and people laugh at us. At times, people jeer at us secretly or openly. People call us names. We spend our money on the gospel instead of on pleasures. We devote our income to bring God's message and hope to others. Television stations will charge us higher to air sermons, but charge less for worldly shows. Once a landlord hears that a church is interested in renting his property, he will double or even quadruple his rent; and we still pay. The people of God will be tasked to raise the money and they will give. Ever wonder what all of these self denial is for? Join me today as I bring you the reason why we do all these - the glorious hope!.
Our hope. our faith, our belief in Christ Jesus transcends this earthly life and realm. We, christians, strongly believe that after this life, we will go to heaven to be with our Lord and Saviour - Jesus Christ. And everything you see us do is so that when we go to meet Him, we shall be counted worthy of His rest. So that we will be accepted into His heaven, His eternal home which He has prepared for those who love Him.
Paul said it's not all for the fun of it. These things we do, the type of life we are living is not because we can't live as bad as others. So many of us were saved from the "baddest" lifestyle. Some of us were arm robbers, womanisers, prostitutes, criminals, occult people, cultist until God saved us and planted in our heart this glorious hope. Our hope is not to live in this world and die and everything will end. We have a better hope, the hope of eternal life. And John said that anyone that has this kind of hope purifies himself. That is why we are doing our best to live a righteous life. That is the reason I wake up everyday to write these messages. That is why I preach the gospel. Because I have this same hope in me. The hope that one day, I will see my Saviour - the Lover of my soul, the owner of my life. The One who gave His life for me that I may live for Him.
Do you have this hope in you? Paul said that those who do not have this hope are to be pitied. The King James Version says that they are "of all men, the most miserable". This hope fills our heart. This hope drives our action. This hope gives us joy. It is a glorious hope indeed - one that can only be felt and experienced.