“The hope of the righteous will be gladness,
—Proverbs 10:28
But the expectation of the wicked will perish.”
There is a hope, a desire, a solid and firm expectation that those made righteous in Christ have that will culminate in everlasting joy. But it’s not going to be fulfilled on this earth. It is still future tense.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
Our hearts can become sick, despondent, anxious, troubled when our hopes are not fulfilled. But when hope is realized, when our innermost desires finally come to fruition, there is renewal, strength, nourishment, protection, true and lasting life.
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
It is apparent that the desires of this life will never provide our true, deepest longing.
What do I wait for? My hope is in You. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
The hope that we have is in the Lord. Our hope is the Lord. And for now, we wait in the “already, but not yet”; that is, He has saved us in this hope, and this hope is absolutely certain, but we do not fully see it yet. We wait eagerly.
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
So we set our minds on things above, not on things here. We recognize the troubles, the heartaches, the trials and challenges, but we look beyond them to the sure grace that is coming in Christ—grace that we already have, but grace that we are still to receive when we see Him face to face.
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
Proverbs 13:12; 1 Corinthians 15:19; Psalm 39:7; Galatians 5:5; Romans 8:24-25; 1 Peter 1:13; 1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:3;
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