December 23, 2011

Jesus, Our Hope

1 Corinthians 15:3-20

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all others. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead …
1 Corinthians 15:19-20

— 

The hope of millions of people is dead, crushed by despair. Their eyes are swollen from all the crying. They are wounded by life’s setbacks.

People live in this world without hope and without God. They run after one religion or another and only reap disappointment. They run to the banquets of sin and come out feeling even more frustrated.

Eager to find meaning in life, many run to the fountains of adventures and avidly drink from the cups of worldly pleasures, but they feel even more miserable than before.

Against this gray backdrop of despair, Jesus presents himself as our hope.

He is our hope because he died in order to save us. He is our hope because he rose to new life to sanctify us. He is our hope because he will come back for us to glorify us. Jesus can be the perennial reason for your joy and the secure anchor for your hope.

Already in the Old Testament Isaiah prophesied, “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

May your spirit soar today on the wings of Christ’s love and grace.

Gracious God, there is no situation that can kill my hope in Christ, not even death. For in him there is life in all circumstances. Through him I give you praise. Amen.

About the author — Hernandes Lopes

Rev. Hernandes Dias Lopes grew up in a Christian home in Brazil. Following his 1981 graduation from Seminário Presbiteriano do Sul in Campinas, Brazil, he served two congregations of the Presbyterian Church in Brazil. In 2000, he earned a doctor of ministry degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. Rev. Lopes has been the voice of the television program Verdade e Vida (“Truth and Life”) since 2006. In 2010 he was appointed Portuguese ministry leader for Back to God Ministries International. Rev. Lopes and his wife, Tinha, have two college-age children.

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