Friends' Favorites - Building on Hope

You lived in this world without God and without hope.

Ephesians 2:12c NLT

I have talked with many people lately who have no hope. Many of them ARE without God, so their lack of hope - while very sad to me - is not surprising. There's an old saying that states, "No God - No peace. Know God - Know peace."  The Truth is, if you have no hope, you definitely have no peace. And that happens when we are separated from God - without Christ as our Advocate.

The passage from which our text is taken explains it...

 ¹ Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. ² You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. ³ All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

 ⁴ But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, ⁵ that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) ⁶ For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. ⁷ So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
 ⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

 ¹¹ Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. ¹² In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. ¹³ But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

Hope is so much more than wishing. We've talked about it before. There's a foundation for our hope. A sure foundation. A tried (and true) stone. A precious cornerstone, according to Isaiah 28:16. In the New Living Translation, it reads, Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
   “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken."

Wishing vanishes into thin air. There's no action to it. Hope - when based on the sure foundation of Christ and His Word - is something we can build on. It's solid. Hope in Christ.

Prayer:

Father,

            Because You are at our right hand we shall not be moved. Therefore our hearts are glad, and our glory rejoices; our flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave our soul in Sheol. And for this, we give You all praise and honor and glory due only to You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen