"The Only Hope"

 "The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him." (John 12:19 KJV)

  "Listen to this, all you people! Pay attention, everyone in the world! High and low, rich and poor - listen! For my words are wise, and my thoughts are filled with insight. I listen carefully to many proverbs and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp. Why should I fear when trouble comes, when enemies surround me? They trust is their wealth and boast of great riches. Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death by paying a ransom to God. Redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough to live forever and never see the grave." (Psalm 49:1-9 NLT)

 You might recall this story, I believe it was popular ten- or twelve-years ago; it involved an experiment with rats that were placed in barrels of water, swimming around without any chance of getting out, and dying for the lack of hope. Some of the rats were pulled out, just about the time they were giving up, which was only a few hours. 

 Then, those same saved rats, those that had seen that salvation was possible, were placed back into the barrel of water, and they kept swimming around for days, having hope that they were going to be set free, sooner or later! That might not be a strong enough example of the kind of hope that Jesus gives those who believe in Him; but it is enough of a case to show what hope does to change the outlook of dying. 

 These people experienced or heard about something that was music to their ears, that someone was raised up from the grave! Someone that had most assuredly been dead, for four days dead, had been called out of the grave and is living again. This was not just something that was worth talking about, this was something worth that caused many people to believe that Jesus was the Real Deal!  

 You cannot stop someone from believing in something greater than life itself; especially when it involves overcoming death! As sad as it is, there are those who depend upon themselves to pay the price, as if there is some other way, other than reaching out and accepting God's gift of salvation.

 Having a little conversation, via texting, last night, I was somehow drawn into a picture of how so many people I know are captivated by working for salvation, as if it is impossible for it to be freely given. First of all, it was not freely given, as God paid the price, a price that we could never afford! 

 Secondly, the gift of salvation is given without us paying the price for the forgiveness of our sins; once and for all, He wipes away our sins, thereby making us His adopted children! Now that we are the children of God, our lives have gone from those that are headed towards destruction, to those that have been given everlasting life! 

 The hope of having to make the cut, it is no longer the issue, because Jesus Christ made the way for that, we just need to believe and hold onto Him. If there is anything that we need to hope for, it is that we do not give up trusting on the finished work of Christ! He is our ONLY HOPE...

"As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died. It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God's peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God." (Galatians 6:14-16 NLT)