Hope for Then and Now (6)

And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.”But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always beready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear… 1 Peter 3.13-15

Hope made visible
We all know people who exude hope. They’re always optimistic, forward-looking, full of energy, and beaming with excitement. Shouldn’t we expect the living hope of the glory of God to have such effects on us? The Apostle Peter certainly did. As we nurture hope as the focusing affection of our souls, our minds will be saturated with the vision of Christ, exalted, advancing His Kingdom, and coming again in glory. Our consciences will naturally default to the priorities that line up with our Kingdom-and-glory calling. And, by our words and deeds, we will demonstrate in every aspect of our lives the real and living hope that focuses us in whole and part, regardless of the circumstances of our lives.

One of the great mysteries of the Christian life is that we can know blessings from God that override and overcome the sorrows and sufferings we may experience in this life. It’s not clear how that happens, but, when we are in the blessing of God, focusing on our living hope, we know peace, joy, contentment, confidence, and strength, regardless of how difficult, challenging, or painful our temporal circumstances may be.

There is power in a life well lived. The Christian’s hope is to enjoy God in His glory and to show that glory to the watching world in every aspect of our lives (Rom. 5.1, 2; Hab. 2.14; 1 Cor. 10.31). When we are truly living in this hope – engaging with God in His glory and knowing the joy and power of His transforming Word and Spirit (2 Cor. 3.12-18) – our lives will show the blessings of God, even in the midst of difficulties and trials.

This is the result of looking back to Jesus, up to our exalted King, and ahead to His blessings and Kingdom progress, as we stand squarely in the living hope of His glory. People notice when we live this way, and some will want to know how it is possible for us to have such peace, joy, and hope. We must be ready with an answer.

That will take the form of an explanation for why we are the way we are – what we believe, how God has worked in our lives, and why our hope has such sustaining power to bless. We must be gentle and respectful as we answer, not overbearing, preachy, or putting others down. By giving our answer we may suffer even more. So be it; the joy that comes from our living hope will flow just that much more to us and through us.

Reason to hope
Our hope is in Jesus Christ, and that hope fills us with confidence, joy, and Good News for the world. What Jesus has done for us is twofold. First, He fulfilled all the righteous requirements of God to live eternally in His presence and glory. Thus He opened through His own life a way for us to come to God as well. Second, Jesus endured the greatest suffering any man could ever know, bearing our sins in His own body on the cross, so that we might be forgiven and saved.

And what Jesus is doing for us now, having risen from the dead, is reigning at the Father’s right hand so that we might know joy and pleasure in Him, and press on in good works and witness. This is the life of holiness and blessedness that comes from focusing on our living hope.

The way into such blessedness is through faith and obedience, beginning with rejoicing and thanksgiving. As we stand in hope of the glory of God, and rein in the sinful tendencies of our flesh, we bring good and peace into the lives of those around us, like the refreshing dew of the morning. King Jesus sees as we serve Him thus; He hears our prayers when we cry out to Him for mercy and grace in our times of need, and He intercedes for us with the Father. He will never fail nor forsake us. He will bring His wondrous blessings to us, even though others may persist in wishing or doing us ill.

For our parts, we must be zealous for what is good, focusing on our living hope and letting the joy in our hearts become the joy we live and proclaim.

A hope and a commission
Peter understood that Jesus has commissioned us first to be witnesses and then to do witnessing out of the context of a life well lived. When we focus on the living hope that is ours through Jesus Christ, we become transformed from within, in our hearts, minds, and consciences, so that the hope in our souls becomes the hope others see in us. And when that hope is powerfully visible, others may ask for an explanation of it. At that time, we must be ready as witnesses to proclaim the living hope of Jesus Christ.

God Himself is the power for our witness (Acts 1.8; Phil. 2.13), so we only need to concentrate on believing and obeying the Lord unto good works, regardless of the circumstances in our lives. If we will, open doors for bearing witness will be flinging wide before us every day. Our living hope provides the conduit for God’s power to rise from within us, when the opportunity to give a reason for the hope that is within us comes precisely because people see what we experience in our living hope.

For reflection
1.  How would you expect the living hope of God’s glory to be manifest in your life?

2.  How would you explain the reason for that hope to anyone who might ask?

3.  What can you do to improve your focus on our living hope, and to make sure you’re ready when the opportunity to give a witness arises?

For reflection – Preparation: Jot down a brief outline presentation of the reason for your living hope. Share this with another Christian, and ask his help in making your witness as clear as possible.

T. M. Moore

This is part 5 of a multi-part series on Keeping the Heart. To download this week’s study as a free PDF, click here.

The Lord uses your prayers and gifts to help us in this ministry. Add us to your regular prayer list, and seek the Lord concerning whether He would have you share with us. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the contribute buttonat the website, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Where do the heart, mind, and conscious – which together comprise the soul – fit in our Christian worldview? Our free online course, One in Twelve: Introduction to Christian Worldview, shows you how to understand the workings of your soul in relation to all other aspects of your life in Christ. For more information and to register, click here.

Join the Conversations! Our newest feature invites you to listen in as T. M. talks with Christian leaders about books, culture, faith, and much more. His conversation with Dr. Stan Gale on the role of forgiveness in the life of faith can be found by clicking here. His discussion of works by C. S. Lewis  with The Fellowship of Ailbe Board Chairman Charlie Hammett can be found by clicking here for The Great Divorce and here for The Abolition of Man. Or click the Resources tab, then scroll down and click on Conversations to watch all three.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.