The Hope of God!

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” – Psalm 42:11 NIV

All of us need the hope of God (1 Peter 1:3-9) to live our lives out truthfully as children of God. This is because without the hope of God, we are not able to rejoice in the Lord (Philippians 4:4) and willingly do the will of God for His sake (Matthew 7:21). The main point of having the hope of God is to receive confidence that we are going to enter the kingdom of heaven at the end of the age to be with God (1 Peter 1:3-5), who is our Creator (Genesis 1:27), our heavenly Father (Ephesians 4:6) and the One who willingly came down into the earth from heaven to crucify Himself on the cross for our sins (Hebrews 2:14-15), so we could become the righteousness of God and receive the eternal life at the end of the age (Romans 8:1-13). “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) In fact, the kingdom of God has already come to those who truly know God and Jesus Christ, whom He sent into the world (John 17:3). Therefore, when the hope of God is within us, we get conviction to do everything according to God’s will for the sake of His kingdom. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Hence, when the hope of God is within us completely, our mindset transfers from the world into the kingdom of heaven (Colossians 3:1-4) so we do not actually care if we are having uncomfortable lives while we are on the earth. This is because we are going to get comforted in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:4) To live kingdom life, we have to deny (Matthew 16:24-27), sacrifice our earthly nature with the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:1-2) and go into the narrow road that God has provided for us, even though it is going to be hard (Matthew 7:13-14).

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (2 Corinthians 5:1-5)

Although I know that I am a child of God and I am confident that I am going to kingdom of heaven at the end of age, the hope of God is not firmly fixed within me. This is because sometimes, I do not feel like writing devotionals but sometimes, I really up for them.  Therefore, I need to abide in the Spirit of God to fix the hope of God completely, and remind myself that I am doing Christian-writing all for the kingdom (Matthew 7:21) and the glory of God (Colossians 3:3-4). 2 Timothy 4:1-2 are the perfect verses that I should think and meditate about, especially I do not feel the presence of the Lord is hovering over me to do Christian-writing.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:19-23)