To Encourage You

Colossians 1:21-23 “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

There is always hope, for everyone, if.  “If what?” you might ask.  If we place our faith in the wonderful gospel of Jesus Christ, and if we are steadfast in that faith. This is what we are told in the verses above. 

The Bible makes clear to us that man, in his natural condition, is “without hope,” whether he realizes it or not (Ephesians 2:12).  The condition of the natural man is described as “alienated” from God and “hostile in mind” toward Him.  As a result, his every action is at odds with the ways of God although the ways of God are the ways of hope. 

Recently I read that the rate of suicide has risen over 25% in the last 20 years in the United States. Here, in the greatest and richest nation on the face of the earth, an ever-increasing number of people feel utterly hopeless to the point that they are killing themselves.  How can this be?  What in the world is going on?  Apparently, many people, including multimillionaire celebrities, are waking up to the fact that, in spite of their wealth, and in spite of all the blessings that this nation has to offer, their situation in life is hopeless. Many are living in what they consider to be a grim situation due to failing health or a loss of finances, job, or relationships. They see nothing good in their future, and just give up.  However, because of the gospel, this need never be the condition of anyone anywhere on the face of the earth, including in America. 

The gospel is for everyone, rich or poor, healthy or sick, male or female, old or young, regardless of nationality, social status, education, or anything else that defines a person.  The gospel, the message of God’s sacrificial love for people that have hated Him and chosen to disregard His laws, laws that were only ever meant to bless them, is almost too wonderful to comprehend.  The message that God sent His only begotten Son to bear the sin of those who have rejected Him and thereby satisfy His own holy justice by paying the penalty of that sin on the cross, is a message that God wants the whole world to hear.  It is a message of hope, a radiant hope that is available to anyone, no matter how grim the situation in which they find themselves. 

Jesus loves us so much that He gave His life for us.  No matter how guilty, lost, or hopeless we feel, Jesus’ death has made available to us forgiveness, cleansing, and one blessing after another. But we must believe this message of hope to realize its power for our lives.  And we must believe it continually, day after day, moment by moment, not “shifting” from it, as the verses above warn.  There is hope if we will have it.  But it is available in only one place: the gospel.   And thank God that it is available.  But if we look elsewhere, if we move away from it, if we reject it for something else, then there is no hope for us. 

So what about you?  In what are you trusting? If it’s something other than the gospel, has it failed you yet?  God’s warning is that if it hasn’t, it will indeed fail you, eventually.    But the truth is that the God of Hope is reaching out to us with the wonderful gospel of hope if we will only believe and receive this greatest gift ever given to anyone. So, “may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in (the wonderful gift of) hope” (Romans 15:13).