Where's your hope? Your hope for help today, your hope for the future? For many of us, our lives are in a mess. Our relationships are falling apart. Our families are divided. Our children are rebellious. Is your hope in your own ability to straighten out the messes in your life? Many times, we don't want to admit that we've made our own messes, and we are usually incapable of fixing them. Oh, there may be some things we can "fix", but it usually doesn't last very long, and the future is still uncertain. If our hope is in ourself, and our own ability to straighten things out and make our future secure, we will always fall short.
Do you hope that some other person - your mom or dad, a social worker, a husband, a teacher, the preacher - can fix the things going wrong in your life, and make the future better? Let's face it, other people are not always there, and cannot always fix things even when they are. People are not perfect; at some point, even the ones you trust the most will let you down. We cannot depend on other people. If our hope is in people, we are always going to be sadly dissappointed.
Every day, as we look around us, it's plain to see that the world around us is out of control also. Threats of terrorism, rumors of wars, new acts of violence and gunshots in our streets, the war on police, violent protests, hate groups ..... the list goes on and on. Where is our hope in the midst of all this? Can our government provide hope for a secure future? Can the police provide safety and security? Do we hope that the military can make the future ssecure? We cannot place our hope and trust in any government or group, because they are all human, with the same failures and shortcomings we all have.
So where does that leave us? If we can't even find any source of hope for the present, what kind of hope do we have for the future? Not much, that's for sure! No wonder depression and suicide is at an all-time high. No wonder people turn to drugs and alcohol to escape their pain. No wonder people are searching for comfort, love, and acceptance wherever they can find it, even when their choices only cause them more pain and suffering!
But the good news is, there IS hope: both for the present, and for the future! When we put our hope and trust in Jesus Christ, we have the blessed assurance that He is our help for today and our hope for tomorrow!
Jesus Christ is our only true hope. He is our strength for the problems we face today, and our hope for tomorrow. And He is our ONLY hope for eternity! Our final destination when this life is over depends on whether or not we place our hope and faith in Him and His power to save us. God's Holy Word is quite clear: Jesus is the ONLY way to heaven; there is no other way!
If you have never trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior, there's no better time than right now. Invite Him into your heart, and experience His peace and comfort for yourself. See what a difference He can make in your life, and in your relationships. Experience His peace in the midst of all the uncertainties of life. Allow Him to do what no one else can: give you unfailing, unconditional love like you've never known!
