1 Peter 1.3-5

If you have trusted in Jesus, you have new life and a living hope because of His resurrection from the dead, and you have an inheritance reserved in heaven for you that is permanent, protected by God and beyond this present world’s reach.

There are lots of things we hope for in this life…some good and some not so good. As I thought about my own life, I realized how often I set my hope on people or events that only disappoint…they can’t carry the weight of my hope. They weren’t designed for that. I’m too busy trying to create the perfect life here, refusing to admit that the world in its current state is destined for destruction. This world and the things of it are doomed to disappear…yet I sometimes find myself clinging to it as if my life depended on it. I forget that my hope is resurrection…it’s the kingdom life that is available now and lasts into eternity. It’s true peace, joy and love. Not the counterfeit version that this world offers. I am a sojourner here.

So where is your hope this Christmas? Who are you hoping in? Is your hope big enough to carry you through the storms of life, the disappointments and frustrations, the trials and the suffering? Is your confidence in people or things that are destined to disappoint? Hope placed in anyone or anything other than Jesus will disappoint…it will fail. Why? Because hope based anywhere but in Him is based on things that are fleeting and subject to decay…where thieves break in and steal or moth or rust destroys… Only a hope in Jesus is a living hope…living because He is alive and gives life to those who trust in Him.

If you have not yet trusted in Jesus, make today the day. You just have to recognize that you are a sinner in need of repentance, believe that Jesus can save you and trust Him to do so. Then you too can be reborn to a living hope with an imperishable inheritance.

Until next time…stay salty.

This post is based on a sermon from our Advent series: Unwrapping Christmas. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @ccclancaster