Your faith and love have arisen from the hope laid up for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospel
Into the Text
Do you often think of the hope laid up for you in heaven? The hope that one day, you will be totally healed and perfected, forever filled with indescribable joy? That all your tears will be wiped away, and nobody will ever cause you grief again? That you will finally see the loving face of Jesus?
Note how this hope came to us: through the gospel. We didn’t work for it, and we don’t deserve it. But God gave us hope simply because we heard the message of truth and believed it. The gospel is the message that Jesus died and rose again three days later to forgive us of all our sins. It is a gift of grace through faith. God has subsequently prepared a place in heaven for those who trust in His Son.
Our hope as Christians is based only on God’s grace. Because it’s not based on our performance, it is firm. It is not a case of “I hope I’ll make it to heaven somehow.” Instead, we can proclaim, “I know I’ll make it to heaven because of what Jesus has done for me.”
Have you ever heard the phrase that some people are so heavenly-minded that they are of no earthly good? Clearly this is not the teaching of the Bible. Right here, Paul is saying that the hope of heaven actually gives rise to love and encourages us to live faithfully and missionally here on earth. Real heavenly-mindedness will make us more loving, less self-centered, less fearful, and less greedy.
Jesus Himself promised that whatever it may cost us now to serve and love others, our reward in heaven makes these sacrifices more than worthwhile.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, please open the eyes of my heart so that I can see more clearly the glorious future that awaits me. Amen.