Not Just Any Kind of Hope
…having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
Ephesians 1:18–21 ESV Read More
It’s easy to have a certain level of hope. There is that hope that says “make it through this light” as you race to get to church on time. There is the hope that says, “Maybe this time I’ll pick the lucky lottery numbers.” These are silly compared to other levels of hope, but we have these kind much more often than the desperate “I hope this surgery works.” Etc.
The more confident the hope, the more boldly we live towards that hope. If I think the snowpocalypse is coming and I have no hope for the grocery store, I stock up on my bread and milk! If I have confident hope that my friends will love me unconditionally, I am deeply honest with them.
God wants you to know how confident and powerful our hope is in Christ. We can put such hope in the immeasurable greatness of His power that it can affect every single thought we have. God’s power to save was so mighty that He was able to raise Jesus from the dead on the third day that He was dead. He didn’t die of natural causes or an illness. He was brutally tortured and the completely healed and resurrected.
That power that took Christ from a condemned man to the throne in Heaven is the same power that is reserved for us. NOT JUST for our resurrection, but for our everyday life! Think of all of the cumulative power it takes to go from High School chump to the position of President of the United States. That whole process is a tiny eyelash compared to what it takes to ascend to the throne in Heaven.
God took Christ, led Him through His entire life; the teachings, the miracles, the final obedience to death on the cross… and raised Him from the dead and made Christ ruler over all creation. The sum of all of that power is offered to you today. Right now. Whatever you are doing, God offers you power, wisdom, self-control, and a sound mind to do it.
Do you see what kind of hope we have? Do you see the immeasurable power that God delights in sharing? I hope you do!
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