A Message of Hope

Posted by Karah

Pause

Imagine what the world would look like if everything—including your life—were as it should be. Thank God that He is a God who redeems everything.

We all have a death sentence. Respond to that statement.

Not to be morbid, but that statement is true. Sin has infected our lives and everything in the world. Scripture tells us that creation even groans under the curse of sin. We know that one day all of this will end. Now, read Romans 8:18-25 in your Bible.

“And not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.”

—Romans 8:23,25

In your Bible, underline all the references to hope in this passage. As a believer, that word should stand out to you. As a Christian, you have experienced just a taste of the fullness of God’s redemption, but you can live with hope because you know that you will one day experience all the benefits and blessings of salvation when Christ returns and establishes His Kingdom.

Now, read Romans 8:18-25 again, this time from the perspective of someone who is not a Christian. How would that person respond to this passage? Jot down any words or feelings he or she might think or experience.

The news that everything will one day end is terrifying to those who have no hope. As a Christian, you have been redeemed and can live in light of the future hope of eternity spent with God. But many in the world around you do not have that hope.

Respond

• If you knew the world were ending tomorrow, how would you react? Who would you want to know about the hope of an eternal future with God? Write the first few names that come to mind.

 

• List some ways you will share the hope you have in Christ with those people this week. Jot down two of those actions points below.

 

• Pray for a heart that is tender toward the hopeless, so that God can use you to reach those who still walk in darkness.

 

Behind the Story

Firstfruits is a word that’s often used in Scripture. Generally used to describe the first part of the harvest, which was offered to God as a sacrifice, the word is used to denote a gift of God to His children in Romans 8:23. Christians have the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives as a foretaste of our full inheritance.

The Point

Because we know the future we have with God, we can live with hope in a hopeless world.

Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest Alumni and Friends, Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, Reprinted from ec magazine. © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Used by permission., Weekly Devotions