The Urgency of Hope
You just never know when the realities of this life will sneak up and surprise you. You couldbe walking out to your car after an enjoyable time at church when it happens. You might beenjoying working in your yard on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Perhaps it will come duringdinner one evening or while you’re driving to work. But sooner or later, it will come. What willcome? The knowledge that this life is short, and that there is more to this existence then whatwe see, feel, taste, and touch in this world.
Perhaps it will be a call about a loved one who has been rushed to the hospital. Perhaps thingswill suddenly go dark and you’ll wake up to flashing lights. Maybe it will happen after a longbattle with an illness, but sooner or later we all realize the frailty of this life and how quicklywe can go from fully functioning to fighting for our lives. James illustrates this well when hewrites: “...yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mistthat appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 2:14)
We can react to this reality several different ways. We can drown in bitterness at the thoughtof how cruel life can be. We can try to ignore this and fill our life with as much activity aspossible. A good way to react to this would be to let it motivate you to share the truth of ourhope with others. We all know the pain of this reality. Whether it ends with a recovery fromillness, the joy of freedom from a trial, or the pain of death, we will experience it. As Christians,we know that there is hope beyond the pains of this life, and we need to share that with others.
This hope comes from knowing that eternal life is found in Jesus Christ. When our eyes arefixed on the next life, the troubles of this one seem to lessen. As the hymn-writer put it:
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”
Life is short, so share this message of hope with urgency. We don’t know how manyopportunities we might have to share the gospel with others. We don’t know when the Lordwill call them home or take us to be with Him. Don’t lose heart in the midst of these trials, havefaith that God is in control and that the hope we have is based on an eternally faithful God whokeeps all of His promises.
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