Day 46
Future Certain Hope
…putting on… the hope of salvation as a helmet… [1 Thessalonians 5:8]
Now here’s something that sounds like an oxymoron: “certain hope.”
How certain can hope be? The Greek word elpis means to “anticipate with pleasure and to expect with confidence.” Yes! We can look forward to it and it will happen! Salvation will happen! Christians will ultimately escape the hardships of this world. We will enter Heaven with God — the culmination of our salvation experience.
How interesting that this “hope of salvation” is reflected as a “helmet”; a head protector. Could this reflect the importance of having a mindset, set on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith? [Hebrews 12:2]
Hope is a protector. Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark. It is, Christ in you, the hope of glory
[Colossians 1:27]. It previews that blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
[Titus 2:13]
Without hope life is meaningless — meaning less and less. I stood before a dying man who had no future hope. With less than an hour to live he was too weak to speak or open his eyes. Time was short so I had him squeeze my hand once for “yes” and twice for “no.” After carefully presenting the salvation plan of Jesus, I asked if he wanted to become a believer. He squeezed my hand once, so we prayed the prayer. When asked if he really understood, a huge smile filled his face. This father died 20 minutes later.
His son, overwhelmed with joy, exclaimed, “My miserable father has not smiled for five years. Now I know he died with hope in his heart!”
“Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” Mother Teresa
Question to Consider
1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 says we’re living in the light, not darkness. In what ways do I darken my thoughts by questioning my future hope of salvation and how can I add light to that mindset?
Prayer
Lord, help me set my mind on the hope of complete salvation, the day not just my soul, but all of me, will be saved from sin and death.
