Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the Lord. — Jeremiah 17:7
Adam and Eve didn’t need hope because they didn’t lack anything they needed. And they had every reason to think that life would go on as pleasantly as it started — with every good thing that God had given them to enjoy. But they put it all at risk for the one thing the serpent said that God had withheld: the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:17; 3:5). So when the serpent came with his offer, Eve was quick to indulge, and Adam quick to follow (3:6). They got what they wanted: knowledge. But they lost what they had: innocence. With the loss of innocence came the need for hope — hope that their guilt and shame could be removed and goodness restored.
Christmas is the season of hope. Children hope for the latest popular toy or game. Families hope that everyone can make it home for the holidays. But the hope that Christmas commemorates is much bigger than our holiday desires. Jesus, the “Desire of All Nations” (Hag. 2:7), has come! He has “delivered us from the power of darkness,” bought our redemption, and forgiven our sins (Col. 1:13-14). He even made it possible for us to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil (Rom. 16:19). Christ in us gives us the hope of glory.
Praise God for the hope of Christmas! — Julie Ackerman Link
What are the prospects for this earth?
What hope is there for man?
A world restored through Jesus Christ
In whom we see God’s plan.
—D. DeHaan
READ: Colossians 1:3-14
Hope for the Christian is a
certainty – because its basis is Christ.
The Bible in one year:
• Galatians 4-6