Are you developing an eternal hope?

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  (Col. 3:1,2 NKJV)

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? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.  (Rom. 8:24,25 NKJV)

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.  (1 Cor. 15:19 NKJV)

Most people who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ hope to go to heaven when they die, but most have little if any eternal hope.  Their hope is mostly temporal.

Where is your hope? If you are not sure, ask yourself a few questions:

• What gain are you most concerned with – temporal or eternal?
• What audience do you perform for – God or people?
• Where is your fear? Hope and fear are two sides of the same coin. If your hope is eternal, then you will not fear loss of things in this life. If your hope is temporal, you will fear loss of things in this life.How did you respond the last time you were defrauded (i.e., when someone led you to believe something was yours and then withheld that or took it back)?
• If your hope was eternal, then you probably responded in meekness, because you trusted that God caused it to happen (Mt. 5:4; Rom. 8:28). If your hope was temporal, then you probably got angry and/or pursued action to get what you hoped for and/or to protect your ground.

Developing an eternal hope is a lifelong process.  However, if you wait until the end of your life to start, you will have wasted precious years and opportunities to store up treasure in heaven (Mt. 6:19-21), and you may see all your work burn as you pass into eternity (1 Cor. 3:12-15).  If you have never done anything with an eternal hope, then you should seriously ask yourself if you are a follower of Christ.  (2 Cor. 13:5)

This article is public domain.  It is the responsibility of Theodore Spaeth.
It was last updated on 10 May 2015 .