Hold On To Hope
Hope is one of the most uplifting emotions of which man is capable. It is the desire for good plus the expectation of obtaining that good. The prisoner Paul said before Felix and his accusers: "But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call a sect, so serve I the God of our fathers, believing all things which are according to the law, and which are written in the prophets; HAVING HOPE TOWARD GOD, which these also themselves look for, that there shall be a resurrection both of the just and the unjust. Herein I also exercise myself to have a conscience void of offence toward God and men always." (Acts 24:14-16)
Paul was a diligent follower of Christ. He preached the Way of salvation as found in the Lord Jesus. In the midst of all his sufferings and trials and persecutions, the aged evangelist was nevertheless a man FILLED WITH HOPE.
Hope might be the one word that could sum up the closing years of Paul's life. Hope filled his mind and controlled his thoughts. It was hope that drove him on to remain faithful to God until the end. Well did he know that "hope putteth not to shame." (Rom. 5:5)
As the psalmist David said: "Be strong, be of good courage, and let your heart trust in God; all ye that hope in the Lord." Another psalm says: "Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God. " (Psalms 31:24 and 146:5)
Psalm: 130:7 expresses our thought very well when it states: "0 Israel, hope in Jehovah; For with Jehovah there is loving-kindness, And with him is plenteous redemption."
Now, the Bible reveals that salvation is found in God. This simply means that those obedient to God's commands and instructions will receive His abundant grace and mercy. Whether young or old, each person must obey the Lord and be blessed. Disobedience to God's laws will always result in God's righteous anger.
God is a God filled with love. He wishes all to read and study His Word apply the precepts to his life; and be blessed in an eternal way.
Through gospel obedience one can receive eternal hope (I Peter 1:22). As Paul stated in Col. 1:22,23 we can be presented to God holy and without blemish ...If we continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast and do not move ourselves away from the hope of the gospel.
It is therefore the gospel that gives hope. The word "gospel" means "glad tidings or good news." It is good and wonderful news that Christ died for us on the cross so that through our obedience to the commands of the gospel we might have the sure hope of everlasting life.
As Peter exclaimed in his first epistle, chapter one and verse three: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy begat us again unto a LIVING HOPE by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead."
This living hope found in Jesus helps one to bear his burdens and it gives strength when he is weak or worn. The great hope of eternal life is exactly what Jesus brought to man. Have you found it?
Through belief in Christ; repentance of past sins; confession of the Lord as the Son of God; and baptism unto remission of sins; one is given this blessed hope.
We could close these thoughts on hope with no better scripture than what Paul told the Christians in Thessalonica. In II Thess. 2:16 and 17 Paul says: "Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and GOOD HOPE through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word."