Ron's Reflections
RESURRECTION HOPE
Philosophers, poets and theologians over the ages have commented how senseless and futile life is without hope. The wisdom from Proverbs 13:12 says: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” We cannot live without hope. The essence of who we are (our heart or soul) gets sick and eventually dies. It has been noted that we can go forty days without food, eight days without water, and a few minutes without oxygen, but we cannot truly live without hope.
‘Hope’ in the Bible goes beyond wishful or positive thinking about our future. It has to do with the assurance that God is good and in control. It is a trust that no matter how hard life becomes, God is ultimately working good for us. Hope is never static or dead, it is dynamic and alive. And here is the most important thing; this living hope is possible because of God’s great mercy. Through God’s merciful love, Jesus took our punishment for sin upon His own shoulders and died on the cross for us. The proof that Jesus’ death means living hope for us is His resurrection. Without the resurrection, Jesus’ death would have been like that of any other man. But the fact that He rose from the dead validates His work of salvation on the cross.
This means we can live each day with true hope, knowing that God’s love gives us new life and the assurance that we are in a personal relationship with our Father God through Jesus Christ. I read recently that, “Life with Christ is an endless hope, without Him a hopeless end.” (Anonymous)
1 Peter 1:3 says:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Hoping with you in the resurrection, Pastor Ron
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