"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," -1 Peter 1:3
Death is not a pretty thing it was never meant to be pretty but ugly. We have mortuary cosmetologists for this very reason--to make death as pretty as possible. But there is no amount of makeup that can make up for the life that was once there, and for the person who no longer breathes air. Death is the very reversal of God's creation; think about it, In the beginning God made man from the ground, and He breathed life into his nostrils. At the end (of ourselves) when death comes, man takes his/her last breath and life leaves. Then begins the decomposition process where man returns to the dust of the ground. Again death is a reversal of God's creation. Death is a reminder that we live in a fallen world, that we're vulnerable, and that our life can be taken just as easily as it was given.
But there is hope, for what sin and death started God has finished through the death of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Through the only begotten Son we have a begotten hope--through His resurrection from the dead. And not just any hope, but a living breathing, death defeating--out of the grave, rolling stone, and into the heavens kind of a hope! A hope that is here to stay. A hope that helps us get through the rest of life knowing that the best is yet to come. And not a dead hope, a barely getting by hope, or a circumstantial hope, but a "living hope". Do you have this hope? I tell you this hope is only found in Christ, by turning from your sins, believing in Him, and knowing that He died on the cross and resurrected from the grave for you. Those who believe this have become born again to a living hope.
But there is hope, for what sin and death started God has finished through the death of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Through the only begotten Son we have a begotten hope--through His resurrection from the dead. And not just any hope, but a living breathing, death defeating--out of the grave, rolling stone, and into the heavens kind of a hope! A hope that is here to stay. A hope that helps us get through the rest of life knowing that the best is yet to come. And not a dead hope, a barely getting by hope, or a circumstantial hope, but a "living hope". Do you have this hope? I tell you this hope is only found in Christ, by turning from your sins, believing in Him, and knowing that He died on the cross and resurrected from the grave for you. Those who believe this have become born again to a living hope.
- HOW IS YOUR HOPE IN CHRIST DIFFERENT THAN YOU'RE TEMPORAL FEELINGS? WHY IS IT IMPORTANT THAT WE NOT STOP AT THE CROSS BUT GO THROUGH THE GRAVE WHEN WE SHARE OUR FAITH?
- "Happiness is like the ocean's waves, they come and go, but hope is unchanging like the ocean floor, not dependant on exterior circumstances" -?