REJOICING IN HOPE

There is no uncertainty to the Christian’s hope. It is firmly rooted in certain unchangeable promises made by our Lord Himself. This is a confident expectation of great things to come. There is no earthly comparison to this. In the affairs of men, the possibility of disappointment is ever present, but not in the promises of God.

There is the hope of eternal life which is ours. We actually possess it now if we know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour. But the full realization of that eternal life will not be seen until death or the rapture. The future is nothing but glorious. The end of this life is but the gateway to glory.

There is the hope that trials here and now are working for us and will give us ‘a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory’, 2 Cor. 4. 17. While such a view of present difficulties demands we view them by faith in our Father’s unerring love for us, we can be sure He will not disappoint us. Everyone will be compensated for this present time.

There is the hope that all evil and injustice will fully and finally be dealt with. We live in a time when evil appears to have the upper hand, but that is only a temporary arrangement. The end is not yet. Never for a moment think that God’s purposes have been defeated. He waits in patience and grace for men and women to be saved. But even that will end one day.

There is the hope that our Lord Jesus Christ will receive the honour that is due to Him. One day, ‘every knee should bow ... and ... every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’, Phil. 2. 10-11. It may grieve us that this is not the case now, but one day we shall witness it.

There is the hope that we will see Him face to face. Imagine that! We shall actually see Him! We will be privileged to look on His face and hear His voice. We will ‘ever be with the Lord’, 1 Thess. 4. 17.

This is cause for real joy. ‘Rejoicing in hope’. Too many Christians look on the dark side all the time. There should be an element of real optimism in every believer’s outlook and walk for our hope is assured and ‘maketh not ashamed’, Rom. 5. 5.