Hope-Full Living

Fragrance of Hope

Holidays hold special memories of my childhood. Memorial Day ranks high on my list. It always included parades, picnics, and the beginning of summer fun. For my family it also meant a day to visit the cemetery, remembering “that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13b). In Wisconsin, lilacs are one of the first early flowers to bloom in spring. It’s pure joy to stop and smell the fragrant blossoms. We gathered big bouquets and placed them in containers on the graves of our loved ones. It’s a common practice to celebrate life and death events with flowers. We can rejoice with those who have gone before us! Because of their faith and hope in our risen Savior, they are at peace in heaven, “what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9b).

Dwell in Hope

We almost always use the word “hope” to mean a desire or wish: “I hope this works.” But in the Bible, hope means something more. When the psalmist writes, “My hope is in you” (v. 39:7), hope means a sure, rock-solid confidence in God’s action on his behalf. We see “hope” again in Acts 2. On the first Christian Pentecost, Peter quotes Psalm 16: “my flesh also will dwell in hope” (emphasis added). Hope in God is not an occasional emotion. It’s a place we can “dwell.” We pitch our tent in that rock-solid confidence; we live there. In good times or bad, no matter our circumstances, we stake our claim on God’s work on our behalf. Jesus died to remove our sin. He rose to give us life. Hope is a sure thing.

There Is No Backup Plan

At one time, young women had hope chests — a place to keep household goods and that special embroidered tablecloth for when she would hopefully meet and marry Mr. Right. If marriage wasn’t part of her life’s journey, she had plenty of items to start her backup plan. The Christian “hope chest” is filled with the sure hope of God’s promises, equipping us for our journey: We who are baptized into His death will be raised with Him (Romans 3:4- 5), He will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5), He has plans to give you hope for the future (Jeremiah 29:11). No need for the backup plan. Forget that tablecloth because He prepares a table before you (Psalm 23:5).

The Journey Home

My wife and I fastened our seat belts for the 11-hour journey home from Minnesota to Missouri. Our hearts overflowed at the Baptism of three-day old Elizabeth, our eighth great-grandchild. Despite the challenges of lengthy travel at our age, we treasured the time with family around St. Peter’s reminder that God “has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Home safely and recovering physically, we thank our Lord for His faithfulness on our life’s journey as baptized children of God. We desire to share Jesus, crucified and risen, with others in need on the journey to His heavenly home!

Selfless in God’s Service

In our country today, there are many economic issues with a focus on “profit.” It seems that profit has greater significance than ever before. In today’s conversations and publications, the word profit usually refers to financial gain. In religious discussions and publications, we use the term “profit” in a much more spiritual sense. In the above verse from 1 Corinthians, profit is used to denote a spiritual gain. Our spiritual gain of everlasting life, through our personal, steadfast belief that Jesus died for our sins, is far more valuable than any monetary profit. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, sacrificed His own life to secure everlasting life for all Christians. That was a price that God’s Son was more than willing to pay for each of us. He is our Savior!