Do You Have Hope?

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

1 John 3:1-3 (NIV)

OK, I admit it. I have, on occasion, paid a dollar for a lotto ticket, just for the dream or hope of having enough money to put my kids through college. (Yes, and buy a Porsche.) I also remember greeting people at church as they came in and seeing my wife for the first time . I hoped to see her again. After church a week or so later I saw her again. After the service I went to the church bookstore hoping she might go by there. She did. We met, we dated, we got married and have four great kids. That is a hope fulfilled. 

Knowing Christ and hoping in him is more than just a dream like winning the lotto. Knowing Christ and hoping in him is more powerful than even the strongest love we can have as humans. Our hope in Christ purifies us. Sin always corrupts and pollutes us, physically and spiritually (on the outside and the inside).

Knowing Christ and hoping in him is an eternal experience. Eternity is not a ray, starting at one point and then continuing on forever. Eternity is the  past, the present and the future connected. Salvation is not just that Christ forgives our past sins. Salvation is more than the removal of our past transgressions and even the sins of the present. Knowing Christ as Savior and Lord is knowing that he forgives us all our sins (past, present and future) so we can enjoy his purity. Remember, in a marriage purity is not abstinence, rather, purity is faithfulness to your spouse. 

Knowing Christ, hoping in him is not just refraining from sin. Our hope is in the love of God that he lavished on us by making us his children. My hope, as God's child, is knowing that the Sovereign Lord of the universe has unfailing love for me and in Christ I am his child. 

Father, help us to purify ourselves by our hope in Christ, to live in his love. Thank you for you love for us in Christ. Praise be to you in us today!

Do You See God's Love For You?

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

1 John 3:1-3 (NIV)

Here's the deal: the world just isn't going to get this whole idea of God's love. Hollywood my romanticize it, people will write novel after novel about idealized love, but, they still will find themselves lacking. 

You see, being loved by the Infinite Father of the universe is different than being loved by a finite man or woman. I can never fulfill all my wives needs. I don't even understand most of them, let alone how to fulfill them! But God knows us in ways that we can't even comprehend. 

We may understand some of the depths of God's love for us, that he sent his One and only Son to die for our sins  so we can be reconciled to him, for example. Yet, we only have a foretaste of what we will be. We are only experiencing the beginnings of the restoration. That is our hope. One day we will be like him, like Christ. I don't know what to call it except maybe eternal wholeness. 

One of the great moments of parenthood is just holding your baby. Especially when they put their head on your shoulder and just rest there. As a parent you just enjoy holding your child and loving them. Even now on occasion my youngest children ( one Junior Higher and one in High School) will put their head on my shoulder or lean against me while we are watching a movie or something and it is still a great feeling. Because I love them. And my love is just a fraction of the love of God in comparison, but it is a sample and it is real. God loves you. 

Remember: God loves you...