I believe there is hope, because I believe in God. The Bible teaches – and I know by life transformation – that when Christ is in you, you have hope. You have hope of future glory in heaven. And this glorious hope in you transforms your life starting the moment you trust in Christ as Lord and Savior.
This hope is not hope in the sense of “I hope so.” This hope is confident hope, in the sense of “I know so.” Biblical hope is confident hope. I believe there is hope because I believe in God.
suffering
When you know that Christ is in you, even if you suffer you don’t despair. You find hope in the midst of your suffering. God in His sovereignty allows us to go through periods of suffering. Sometimes the suffering is because of our sin. Sometimes the suffering is because of our faithfulness to God. Always the suffering is intended to draw your closer to Christ and for God to be glorified through your endurance, through your confident hope in Christ.
The apostle Paul endured suffering because of his faithfulness to God. He was imprisoned for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. He could have remained silent and not faced the persecutions that he found throughout the first-century anti-Christian, pagan Roman society. But his love for people compelled him to share the hope that he found in Christ with people in cities everywhere he traveled. He even cared about the eternal souls of those whom he had never met, like the Colossians. He knew that his sufferings were a necessary part of being a servant of Christ, a vital part of the Colossians being able to hear the good news of Jesus. Are you willing to suffer, if necessary, so that others can come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?
Colossians 1:24-25 (HCSB)
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for His body, that is, the church. 25 I have become its servant, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known,
mystery
Everyone loves a good mystery. The excitement of a mystery comes when the mystery is solved, when the mysterious is revealed.
The mystery that was revealed by God in Jesus was this: the glorious hope of Christ-living-in-you is available to everyone! Jesus did not come just to be the Savior for one ethnicity of people. He came to be the Savior and Lord of all who would believe in Him. The mystery is not hidden, it is revealed: Christ in you, the hope of glory!
Colossians 1:26-27 (HCSB)
26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. 27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
For too many people, life is a mystery. They can’t figure it out. They can’t find hope. They can’t find peace. They need the mystery revealed. They need hope. They need hope of glory. They need Christ.
Who will you reveal the mystery to? Do you care enough about your family, your friends, your neighbors, and others — even people you haven’t even met — to dedicate your life to revealing this mystery to them? Simply share with them the good news that Jesus offers them hope. He wants to transform their lives. He wants to live in them, to be their hope of glory.
purpose
Before his life was transformed by Jesus Christ, Paul was a persecutor of Christians. At that time in his life, his profession was tracking down Christ-followers, putting them in jail, and sometimes putting them to death. But when he had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, his life was changed forever. His life had new purpose. His life was changed from the inside out. He knew firsthand that when Christ is in you, you have hope of glory.
His purpose in life became telling others that they too could have new life, that Jesus was still at work in the world through the person of the Holy Spirit, drawing people to faith in Christ. His purpose included teaching them the truths of the Bible so that they could become mature followers of Christ.
Colossians 1:28-2:2 (HCSB)
28 We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 I labor for this, striving with His strength that works powerfully in me. 1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have not seen me in person. 2 I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of assured understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery—Christ.
If you have Christ in you – the hope of glory – then you will also want others to have this glorious hope in them. You will see that no matter what your vocation is – educator, engineer, laborer, homemaker, etc, etc – your life purpose is to make disciples, to help others become mature believers, knowing the spiritual riches that are found in Christ. The mystery is revealed – Christ!
All you fulfilling your God-given purpose?
treasure
If you think everyone loves a good mystery, everyone loves a great treasure even more. This world may promise you treasures of gold, or treasures of fame, or a host of other treasures that will one day fade away, rust, or be destroyed. But if your treasure is Christ, you have eternal treasure. Treasure that is in you even if your worldly wealth is taken away, even if your health fails you, even if your friends desert you.
Colossians 2:3 (HCSB)
3 All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him.
Treasure Christ. Treasure Him. Don’t seek the treasures of the world. Seek Him. Cherish Him. Know that what the Bible says is true – Christ in you, the hope of glory!
Christ in me is equally important to my being part of the body of Christ, He being the head, and my submission to the Holy Spirit through a surrendered life.
yes!