| MONDAY | April 13 |
Hope—Here and Now
The Christian hope has to do with the future: Christ's return; the resurrection of God's people; a new heaven and a new earth; eternity with God. But salvation is also a present reality. That kind of hope separates us from those without the certainty that life has meaning and that in Christ humanity has an eternal future. The apostle Paul reminds us of the radical change that takes place when we accept Jesus as our Lord. As long as we are separated from Christ, we are "without hope and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12, NIV). But all this changes when we are no longer "far away" from God but have "brought near through the blood of Christ" (vs. 13, NIV).
In what terms did Jesus describe the radical change that takes places when we "hear" His word and believe in Him? John 5:24.
What kind of life can be ours? John 10:10. What does this mean, and how should we be experiencing this promise?
"Life" is one of the key words of the Gospel of John. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke the concept of life is primarily eternal life. "But in the Gospel of John, life is particularly focused on the present reality of what Jesus does for those who believe in Him. . . .
"There are two keys to attaining life at its best. The first is to know that the source of that life is found only in Christ (John 14:6; 6:33-58; 1 John 5:11, 12). Wherever Jesus is, life is (John 11:25, 26). The second key to attaining life is believing (1:4, 12). It is through continuous relationship with Jesus that individuals appropriate the life that is ever present in Jesus (3:16, 36)." Jon Paulien, The Abundant Life Bible Amplifier: John (Boise, Idaho: Pacific Press® Publishing Association, 1995), p. 189.
| How has Jesus changed your life for the better here and now? What do you have now that you didn't have before coming to know Jesus and the hope He gives us |
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