<\/p>\n
\u201cYou also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand\u201d (James 5:8).<\/p>\n
ON THE EVE OF HIS CRUCIFIXION, JESUS SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES, \u201cLET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED; YOU BELIEVE IN GOD, BELIEVE ALSO IN ME\u201d (JOHN 14:1). No doubt He would say the same thing to us. If His followers needed to hold on and keep hope alive back then, it\u2019s no less important for us to keep a steady head during the difficulties of the present day. Whatever comes to pass in this frustrating world, we must not let it throw us into doubt or despair. The King is coming back to set things straight, and it may be sooner rather than later. \u201cBe patient,\u201d James wrote. \u201cEstablish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
We are taught in the gospel to be a people of hope, and the hope we can have is much more than wishful thinking or blind optimism. It\u2019s an optimism based on solid, historical evidence that God can be counted on to keep His word. After Jesus was buried, His tomb was found empty, just as He had promised it would be. That empty tomb has never had any adequate explanation \u2014 except that Jesus was actually raised from the dead. And if the Resurrection is true, then He is everything He claimed to be: our God, our Savior, and our Lord. If the Resurrection is true, there is hope! \u201cIn the world you will have tribulation,\u201d He once said, \u201cbut be of good cheer, I have overcome the world\u201d (John 16:33).<\/p>\n
Wisdom, then, is a bittersweet thing. Solomon said, \u201cIn much wisdom is much grief\u201d (Ecclesiastes 1:18). The more we know of the world, the sadder it is to contemplate the tragedy of our sin and its consequences. But the brokenness of the world, as sad as it is, is not the whole story. Jesus has defeated our enemy and taken the sting out of his worst weapon. If we\u2019ve obeyed the gospel faithfully, then \u201cour citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ\u201d<\/em> (Philippians 3:20).<\/p>\n God hasn\u2019t finished redeeming us yet, but there\u2019s no doubt that He will. Our responsibility is to wait \u2014 and to do so with delight rather than dreariness. However many things there are to endure, there are even more to enjoy. Among these, there is the strong love of a Savior who said, \u201cLet not your heart be troubled.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll human wisdom is summed up in two words \u2014 wait and hope\u201d (Alexander Dumas).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n