People misplace their hope regularly. They look to themselves, friends, family, government, military, society, wealth, education, health, or technology to answer their needs. They reason that if only I met my soulmate, if only I had a better paying job, if only I could meet this goal, if only we elected the right leaders, if only people were kind and honest, if only I could live without stress or fear, if only I could get past this obstacle, if only I didn’t have this pain, or if only my dream would come true, then I would be happy, fulfilled, secure, and content. Is that the case for you? What do you place your hope in? We each need to hope, but make sure you place your hope in what truly matters and truly lasts. I have found that only hope in Jesus fulfills my deepest needs and enables me to joyfully love God and others.
God is always at work saving and he never fails to carry out his promises. He saves us through Jesus, God the Son, who offered himself as a sacrifice for your wrongdoing. He died to pay your death penalty, he rose again to give you the power to live rightly as a child of God, he was exalted again and intercedes for his followers. Soon he will return to earth to vanquish evil, judge unbelievers, reward believers, and restore creation (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 15:12-23, 51-58; Romans 6:8-14; Hebrews 7:23-28; Revelation 19:11-21:8). Throughout history Jesus is the fulfillment of all of God’s promises (2 Corinthians 1:20-22).
Don’t fall for either of the two popular lies Satan uses to separate you from God. Lie #1: You are good enough to either be like God or be with God. In other words, you have within you or you can achieve all you need. Besides, God doesn’t exist or if he does you will be accepted to heaven based on your good merits. Surely they outweigh your minor mistakes or wrongs. If you won’t hope in your self-righteousness then Satan bludgeons you with your wretchedness. Lie #2: God hates you because you will never be good enough. What you do or have done angers God so he has given up on you. Both of these are lies. But unlike Satan, Jesus speaks the truth. He said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Praise God that he loves you and he can save you. Jesus is the answer. He lived the life that you should have lived and he died the death that you deserve (1 Peter 2:24). Only he is good enough (Revelation 5:6-13). If you place your faith in Jesus, which is your hope, loyalty, trust, and obedience, then God’s wrath for your sin is atoned and all of God’s blessed promises in Jesus become a reality for you (Hebrews 6:13-20, 11:1; 1 John 1:9; Romans 10:9-13).
Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Have you made him your way, your truth, and your life? Hope in anyone or anything else won’t last or fulfill your every need. Only Jesus can save you and completely set you free to experience abundant, eternal life with God (John 1:1-14, 17:3). Put your hope in Jesus each day.