Biblical Hope: The Right Things for the Right Reasons

"And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

Can you remember the very first thing you thought about this morning?  

Maybe it was disbelief that the alarm was already sounding.  Perhaps it was excitement for a fun activity or project you had planned for the day.  Or maybe it was the desire to check in with your social network, or get that run in, or start working on that project due later this week.  

Whatever it was, it’s likely that somewhere in that thing is a source of hope for you.  

What makes me say that?  

Well, it’s important enough to come to the forefront of your mind before you’ve even shaken out the cobwebs.  It’s the thing to which you give---or at least the thing that asks for----your very first energy of the day.  

More than likely, it’s not going to stop there.  It’s going to be important at some other part of the day,  influencing your thoughts, and eventually turning into action.  

And this may be completely fine.  

No doubt, we all spend our days diligently pursuing something.  Often, these are good things with clear value.  

But let’s dig a little deeper.

Even if the thing itself is good, how about our motives for pursuing it?  What is the reward or outcome we’re hoping for and dreaming about?  Are the motives and outcomes godly?  Are they kingdom-oriented and of eternal significance?  

If you’ve said “no” to any of these questions, first, thank you for being honest.  

And second, let’s dig into the “no.”  If there are things to which we’re giving our time and attention and energy that don’t square up with godliness, whether because of what they are or because of why/ how we’re pursuing them, then we are on dangerous ground.  Biblical hope cannot be found in ungodly places or through ungodly means.

Let’s not settle for something less than Jesus has for us.  When He tells us that He has come so that we could have abundant life, He’s talking about the deepest kind of fullness and wholeness and completeness.  He’s talking about holiness and joy that are found only in the Fountain of Living Water.  

When you hope for Him, for His return, for things of the Kingdom, you are hoping in things worth pursuing.  Things that will give a deeper and longer-lasting joy than even the (sometimes) good but lesser things of earth that so often consume our time and attention.