Look around and identify where you see hope. There just isn’t that much hope in the world today. The world economy isn’t offering a whole lot of promise. The streets are restless with racism and violence. The political scene is filled with empty promises. Sometimes relationships are good and sometimes they are, well, not so good. Even our wardrobe is either outdated or it doesn’t fit! Oh, sure we see and experience pockets of hope from time-to-time; everyday life in this world isn’t always hopeless. But if we lock our hope in what this world has to offer we will live like Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh who didn’t find any reason for joy when he looked around. As Christians this shouldn’t surprise us; our ultimate hope is found beyond this world. Paul wrote,

“If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” (1 Corinthians 15:19)

What he is saying is that even if we have Christ and that relationship with Him doesn’t offer us anything outside of what we experience in this life then we are miserable indeed. We have been called to live a life of denying self and suffering (Galatians 2:20) and if there is no resurrection then we are just poor chumps slogging through life. Through Christ God not only offers us forgiveness in the present, He also offers us resurrection hope in the future. Think about it, if Christ is not raise doesn’t that just put us right back on the same slippery slope as everyone else, looking for hope in a hopeless world?

Does this means that Christians are just supposed to exist in this life and hold no value in living in the world today with a “pie-in-the-sky” attitude? Absolutely not! We have enough instruction in God’s Word to teach us that there are wonderful opportunities and there is great value in living today (cf. Romans 5:1-5). Paul even ended his great chapter on the resurrection with these sound words,

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Yes, there is a reason to get up, get dressed and head out the door – God has something for us to do. It may not be fun, it may not feel good, but anything done for the glory of the Lord is worth doing and has eternal value.

The doctrine of the resurrection holds out hope to us. And hope is what we look for every day. When we have hope it energizes us to do the work God has called us to do.

He Is Alive…Hope Is Alive!