That is why we labor and strive because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe. (1 Timothy 4:10)
In golf, a discussion about “hope” can arise in many ways. It can be a professional talking about his career progression: “I hope to jump to the PGA Tour next year.” It can be the foursome looking at the weather forecast: “I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow,” or with the average golfer on the first tee box: “I hope I don’t flub this shot with all these people watching.” Or on the green: “I hope I don’t miss this short putt.”
As described above, hope on the golf course may be defined as wishful thinking; that’s certainly true of my golf game! Perhaps for golfers with higher skill and more confidence, their hope may be a few notches above just wishful thinking. But using the word “hope” still implies there is a level of uncertainty involved.
Now let’s shift our thinking from hope on the golf course to hope as followers of Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews references our Christian hope in the first verse of Chapter 11: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Peter references how Christ’s resurrection gives us a living hope, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. (1 Peter 1:3-4). And listen to what Paul writes in Titus 2:13: “…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Our Christian hope is a confident expression of future blessings. We are assured that what we hope for will happen.
The verses above show the vast difference between hope on a golf course and hope for those who have put their trust in our Lord and Savior. Our hope is more than wishful thinking. Ours is a “living hope.” We have “confidence in what we hope for,” and “…we wait for the blessed hope.” Even though we face challenges and trouble in this age, they are temporary. Our faith is in the one who overcame the world, Jesus Christ.
Our Christian hope is a confident expression of future blessings. We are assured that what we hope for will happen. Our hope is alive, dynamic, and vibrant. While some may view the world today and see hopelessness, we who follow Jesus rejoice in endless hope.
What a blessing we’ve been given! We place our hope— our guaranteed assurance—in the life to come, thanks to the marvelous grace of God the Father and the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, and the hope that He provides to all who place their trust in Him.