Times are constantly changing, and things seem to be stable one moment and then unstable in the next. The economy goes up and down, our jobs are here today and gone tomorrow, tragedies come and go and things are never the same. Those who put their hope in these things are often as unstable as the world around them.
This does not mean that we should not hope, or have hope. The answer to our stability is to have our hope in the right place, a place that we can be sure of and stand upon. The Apostle Peter tells of such a hope in 1 Peter 1:3–5. He writes with praise “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
This hope is living because it is in Christ, and the ramifications are then both present and eternal. It means that everyday there is certainty and surety in Christ. The apostle John tells of its present reality proclaiming “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5)
This does not mean that the waves of the world will not continue to crash in, but rather that it makes all the difference in where we are standing: upon the Rock who is Christ, or upon the things of the world that are always shifting and temporal. Jesus said “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
The times in which we live will always be difficult, but we can take comfort knowing that we have a “living hope.” Which kind of hope do you have, stable and eternal, or unstable and temporal?
Would you like to know more about a “living hope”? Call us at 425-432-0634, or contact us at www.taylorcreekchurch.org. We invite you to join us every Sunday, 9 AM for Sunday School, and 10:15 AM for Worship. We are located at: 21110 244th Ave. S.E., Maple Valley.
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