Not in This Life Only
Dearly beloved of God, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. If we believe the hope that is in Christ and if there was none, we ought to be pitied more than anyone because we would have believed a worthless lie. Thank God that is not the case!
The Heavenly Father gave us His Word that we will obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Dearly beloved, we may live in this evil world, but we are not of it. Evil men and seducers will get worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived, but we must continue in the things that God has revealed to us in His Word concerning Christ, salvation and our hope in him. It is Christ in you, the hope of glory!
If you haven’t noticed, the world has lost its collective mind. The giants of wickedness in education, business, politics, and religion constantly promote evil to gain wealth and power for themselves. All the money and power on earth cannot save them; only Christ can. What is the worth of a soul?
Beloved, thank God we are not of this world. We are children of the One True and Living God.
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God, and we are! Therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know Him.
Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when Christ Jesus our Lord is revealed, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure.
If you look at the world and compare yourself to the ungodly you will be miserable. If you look at Christ and our hope in him you will be at peace, full of joy, and radiant.
Beloved, hold fast the confession of the hope without wavering for He is faithful that promised it.
Thus far Christ is the only one to receive the inheritance, rise from the dead, ascend into the heavenly realm, and be seated at God’s right hand, but shortly we will be glorified together with him. He will return for us that where he is we may be also.
At his coming, the Lord Jesus Christ will transform our mortal bodies to be like his glorious body.
God gave His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ the power over every grave, and they will come forth at his command, some to life and some to everlasting destruction. Thank God He has sealed us with His spirit for the inheritance of eternal life.
Our hope is not in this life only dearly beloved, it will take God the ages to come to display the exceeding riches of His grace to us in Christ and He will display these riches to us with loving kindness and tender mercies as our beloved Father.
Rejoice forevermore! Christ is coming and the Father determined that He would glorify us with him! The present things we endure do not compare with the glory that will be revealed to us.
No eye has seen, nor ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man, the things that God has prepared for them that love Him; but God gave us the revelation of what is to come by His spirit. He has freely given us all things with Christ. Oh rejoice, dearly beloved of God!
We will see him face to face and be full of joy when he comes. He will wipe away our tears, and we will no longer have any sorrow. We will witness firsthand the fulfillment of the good pleasure His will. We will have fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore at His right hand.
Our hope is in Christ! Rejoice and give God thanks!