From No Hope To Greatest Hope

"that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." Ephesians 2:12

Many a disappointment in this life has taught us the futility of placing our hope in the institutions of this world. Paul to the church at Ephesus wrote of a people having no hope at all. Some of those he wrote to were likely what the world would call successful before they came to believe in Christ. Like us, they understood what Paul meant by 'having no hope', and yet they also could recall that time and how they placed their hope in the things of this world. Many a person in that former condition, that we too might recall from our experience, would be baffled by Paul's assertion; they would list their job, income, possessions, health, and in some cases their youth, as proof that they had great hope in themselves and in this world.

Praise God that He has shown us the better way! And quite often that showing has involved loss. We have lost homes. We have lost jobs. We have lost income. We have lost businesses. We have lost our health. We have lost a great many things that appeared to the worldly eyes to offer some hope of security in this world. Praise God that we do not have to place our hope in such fickle things anymore!

For a time we mourn the loss of these worldly things because we still see with the eyes we first opened in this world. We have felt the pain of trying to pay bills without money in the account. We have felt the sick pain of maintaining a job or business when suffering an illness or lack of that perfect health illusion. Sometimes it very much seems to us that this world is out to prove unequivocally to us that Christ is the only hope we can count on. If that is indeed the case, then let us with all due speed learn that lesson!

Praise God that our hope is now in Christ Jesus!

Bucky