Devotions: A Look at Hope

How many times have you seen the words "Jesus is the reason for the season". It's ironic how cliche Christianity can get, words and phrases repeated that mean everything and yet nothing at the same time. Jesus is the reason for the Christmas season, but why? Not because we want people to take their focus from presents, or to think about the true meaning of Christmas (although that would be wonderful) but because this is a celebration of our salvation, the hope that should drive our lives - EVERY part of our lives. Jesus isn't just the reason for Christmas, he should be the reason we get up in the morning, tie our shoes, go about our days. Jesus represents the hope of an eternity with our Lord, Jesus represents the hope of a future, the hope of a life spent with Him.

So in reality, the saying should go "Jesus is the reason for my life" but that doesn't rhyme. But life isn't always pretty, it doesn't always rhyme, it doesn't always wrap itself up into a nice little bow. Think about the story of our saviors birth - born to a teenage, unwed virgin whose fiance needed to be convinced via divine intervention (angel) that he should even stay engaged to her. She has a baby in a city she's never been to, in a stable. Jesus is born after a journey that must have been extraordinarily painful for her, physically, emotionally, spiritually. Mary's life doesn't wrap up neatly. She probably didn't ever have that calm and profound moment that is pictured in every nativity scene ever made. But the birth of Jesus represents something for Mary, for Joseph, and for their entire nation of Israel - Hope.

Christmas is the season of hope. And Jesus is our hope, our only hope:

"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:1-5

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1

Without Jesus we wouldn't even know how to hope, or what to hope for. Israel was the only nation chosen by God and what did they hope for? The Messiah. Well, he had come, he has risen, and he is seated at the right hand of his father! Jesus is now our hope and our everything. Through Him we can come to the father, we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, we have purpose and peace and salvation. We can live eternally in the presence of the Lord because of Jesus.

Jesus is hope. Hope for a better tomorrow, that life isn't meaningless, that we have purpose, that we were created for a reason and that reason is to be in relationship with a God who doesn't need us, but who loves us because that is who He is. Hope.

This Christmas, take the time to think about Jesus, and what that Hope means in your life.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."  Romans 15:13