Enduring Hope

"You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." (2 Timothy 2:1-3 NKJ)

In his classic hit, Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away, legendary soul songwriter/singer Al Green wrote these words: "It's been so long now and it seems that it was only yesterday. Ain't it funny how time slips away."

Energy, interests, sight, hearing, and time all ebb away in the continual flow of life toward our eternal destiny. And the interesting element is that we get so caught up in living we are surprised when we suddenly realize that yesterday's gone and we didn't adequately enjoy it.

Of course, there are so many elements to our lives and so many issues that demand our attention. We rush around taking care of business and family and life. Marriage and family are important. Employment and job security are important. Children and grandchildren are important. And the list continues to grow almost exponentially. We try to juggle all these important elements, but time slips away and yesterday is gone before we know it.

If we allow it, the stresses of living will drag us down in attitude and spirit. The realities of our lives are always before us and we are graphically aware of them. The news media daily dishes up depression and despair, but there is hope. God is in his place! We have hope! The daily doses of “dark, despair, and agony” should only remind us time is slipping away. Let that fact empower our hope for the timeless future where agony and despair does not exist.

In this life, there will always be obstacles, tests of patience and faith, dreams on hold, unfinished projects, unknown factors, and passing time. We acknowledge the realities, but the passage of time will never defeat our hope in “the redemption of our bodies.” In spirit, we are already redeemed! That is why we eagerly wait and groan for the transformed, resurrected body. “For in this hope we were saved,” and “we wait for it patiently” undeterred by the realities of passing time.

Dear Father, thank you for the hope we have in Christ Jesus. Empower us with the fortitude of hope that refuses to be defeated by the storms of life and the passage of time. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN

-Be strong today and endure in hope,