All of life hinges on hope, but
hopelessness is everywhere in our world, and no wonder. People who don’t know
God through His Son Jesus have no reason to hope. All they have is despair and
depression. That is normal and that is expected. Sure, they have seasons of
alleviated despair but it doesn’t last for very long. This lifting of despair
comes with a new toy or outfit or relationship or raise, but once the luster
has worn off it’s back to despair. The reason for this is that none of those
things can conquer death.
For believers hope is always
there because of the resurrection. “…The authentic story of
hope hinges on the resurrection of Jesus. It is God’s answer to a hopeless
world” (Ed Welch). Something shiny comes along and it may capture
our attention, but it doesn’t hold it because we hope in something everlasting
that never tarnishes. We are caught up in the story line of the Bible. His
story has become our story; His life has become our life; His end is our end;
and His future is ours as well.
Think about it this way. I just
sold our 1998 Expedition. We’ve had it for 11 years and ran it up to 236,000
miles. When we finally made the decision to sell it I spent a Friday morning
washing the outside and detailing the inside. I made sure it looked and smelled
wonderful. And then I parked it in the garage and chased the cat off of it. I
did all of this in the hope that I would get the most money out of it. We ended
up trading it in and all the dealer wanted to do was take the tires off and
give it to charity! I didn’t get a dime more for all the time I put in, it was
sort of depressing. My hope was misplaced.
That is how someone feels who’s
not part of God’s story, why bother, I’m just going to end up in the ground
anyway and then nothing. They have no hope to cling to, they have no future that
they know of. They have ignored God’s story of redemption and resurrection.
They are simply looking for the next shining thing that will come along and
distract them from the depressing state of affairs.
In Paul’s beautifully written
chapter where he unpacks the meaning of the resurrection he stated that our
victory comes from God through the resurrection of Jesus (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:57). We don’t need to get muddled down in the
world because God has a brighter future for us. However, we do have purpose in
the world today; God has given us a reason through the resurrection to get up
and do good:
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)
Jesus Is Alive!
Scott