Where is Your Hope?

Do you have hope? Before you answer let me explain what I mean by hope. Biblical hope is confident expectation that a certain thing is true or is sure to happen. It is not wishful thinking. 

So, let me ask you again. Do you have hope? Do you have a confident expectation that you are going to heaven when you die?  

In Ephesians 1:18 Paul prayed for the Ephesian believers “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope [emphasis mine] …” to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints…” In other words, you can have a confident expectation that you will inherit the glorious riches in the saints! 

But friend, if you don’t have the Holy Spirit of Christ in you then all you have is wishful thinking about the next life. The only way to get the confident expectation I am talking about is to not only believe that Jesus Christ is the only Son of God who died to pay for your sins on the cross, was buried, and then raised to life the third day, but to surrender your life totally to Him. Then, and only then, will God give you a confident expectation that you will spend eternity with Him.  

If you are thinking, “that is fine if it works for you, Mike, but I have my own beliefs”, let me remind you of Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” The death referred to here is eternal, spiritual death in hell. Please don’t be fooled! Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  

If you commit your life to Christ by faith, you will have a confident expectation that you will spend eternity in His presence. And your confidence will be justified, because it is founded on Christ’s own words. Don’t end this day without making sure your confidence is based on truth and not wishful thinking.