Romans 8:24&25 For
in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes
for what they already have? But if we
hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
How are you with patience? Are you someone who can wait patiently for
something to happen in life or to arrive via the next day delivery truck? Maybe
you are like the rest of us and claim to be patient, but want it NOW! What ever is the case with your or my
patience, when it comes to Romans 8:
24&25 we have no choice in the matter. The hope is there, waiting for
us to embrace it. The hope we are patiently waiting for is what we receive in
Christ Jesus. Before Christ we were not saved. We were lost in our sin. We were
dead as the proverbial doornail. There is finality in that condition. It’s a death
with an absence of God for the rest of eternity. That is not a pleasant
prospect. But that prospect is what all too many embrace because they chose to
place their hope in something other than Christ. This could be a situation
where hope is placed in an ability to earn salvation. There is considerable
effort expended in the relentless pursuit of some goal that is indefinable and
unquantifiable. The good deeds are carried out with a sense of obligation and
no small quantity of guilt. For others
life is all about the relentless pursuit of wealth or material possessions.
This life style is epitomized in the expression “He who dies with the most toys
wins.” Another final group have no real connection to God. They believe that
once life is over, there is death and nothing beyond that. Existence ends - end
of story. There is no heaven or if there is a hell, it is reserved for really
bad people, not themselves.
To say there are flawed perspectives is an understatement. Many people
in this world are misguided in their outlook on life, faith, death and
salvation. Sadly, many miss the blessing born of profoundly humble surroundings
in a manager is a small town over two thousand years ago. This time of year we
look for gifts to be wrapped in beautiful wrapping paper and bows or in a gift
bag. We receive gifts from friends, family, and coworkers that are given in the
hope they will fill some need in our lives. The difference between the gift of
a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger and the gifts we receive at
Christmas is in how they fill a need in our lives. That sweater from Aunt Betty
may not fit. But that baby in a manger in Bethlehem met all our needs. Jesus is
the perfect expression of love from a loving God our Father in Heaven. He was
born, lived, and died on the cross to save us from ourselves. In ourselves we
were lost to death in sin. When Christ entered the picture, we were saved in a
way no other sacrifice could fulfill. Jesus is a gift beyond comparison and
without equal. That is the gift we wait patiently for in our lives. This gift
is fully opened when our life on this earth ends. That which we hope for we do
so with patience and impatience. We have the the certainty of what it holds
along with the assurance it will be there when the time is right to open. So, be
patient in waiting for that which we hope for.
PRAYER: Father, Abba, Your expression of love is
the form of Your Son Jesus is a gift of love without comparison, equal, or end.
We who are undeserving have been blessed beyond any ability fully express. And
so we give thanks. We offer our humble thanksgiving to having hope in something
we cannot see or physically grasp, yet know with absolute certainty is there
when we need it. All praise to Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.
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