Hope, the essence of life...

Admit it. We are all concerned about the future.

Prophets, palm-reading, horoscopes or fortune-tellers... revered are they by many, because of our tireless pursuit of 'signs and wonders' that may give us clues regarding the mysteries of the coming days and so that we may have a dependable source of hope.
Life to many is about fulfilling dreams... accumulating treasures... and defending one's line from destruction/extinction. Very few are contented with just living life in the present. It's a known fact: what and where we are tomorrow are determined by what we choose to do and where we choose to go today. So we are all anxious to 'do the right thing' today according to what we desire to see happening in the future. We fear the shame of failure so we are motivated to work hard. We fear uncertainties so we prepare for the worst. Film-writers are opportunists in writing this fact into the theme and story-lines of some of the greatest movies we've seen.

Take for example, one of my favorite romantic comedies, 'The Back-up Plan'... which is centered on Zoe, a woman who conceives by artificial insemination because she wanted to have children, but feared that she would never meet the man of her dreams and get married. Ironically, she did meet the man of her dreams after she had conceived, which messed up her initial plan! When she had finally decided to let the plan go to be with this man who loved her, she began to have 'withdrawal symptoms' from her back-up plan. Laughter aside, I was reminded that if we can't trust anyone with regards to our future (because everyone can potentially let us down - even our loved ones), there will always be that void in our hearts....that causes us to search for hope which is the essence of living on. Have you seen a person who sees no purpose to go on living? He takes his own life, because he has decided in his heart - that there is no hope. And there is no one in the world that he can trust.

And we wonder why fairy tales always end 'happily ever after'. They are ultimately a reflection of man's perfect dreams and ideals.

No matter how prepared we are for the future, we are all aware that the end of all things will come. Sooner or later, we our bodies will decompose and we will die. The same questions harass everyone - from the rich to the poor, young to the old, the city-dwellers to the orang-asli's..."Where does one go after he or she dies?" and "Is there anyone we can trust with regards to our future?"
Do you know where you will go if you die tonight?
Is there ever a guarantee that when you knock on the 'doors of heaven', God will let you in?

Where will you spend eternity?

I know for sure, that I will go to heaven if I died today... despite my great sins, mistakes and weaknesses. I may not know where heaven is - but at least I know that heaven is where God is.

The reason for this? God's GRACE displayed in the person of Jesus Christ... who came to die for our sins, as promised. To quote Dr. Sunny, our dean: "Hope springs from a heart that Christ dwells in..."

He came to pay the penalty of the sins of the undeserving mankind as Son of the Living God. Perhaps, if He did not die, He'd be either a liar or a mad man. But He was indeed crucified. Perhaps if He had remained buried in the grave, I'd have reasons to doubt the truth of His promises... You wouldn't be sure if He had really taken away your sins, would you? However, the Bible clearly states that He did rise from the grave... appearing to many after His resurrection. Extra-biblical references and the records of eye-witnesses since the 1st century also provide evidences that He has risen. Christians today still experience the life-transforming power of God - the same power that raised Jesus up on Easter morning. Can anyone of us who have experienced God continue to deny that He has risen?

No.

The LORD has risen.

As the old hymn goes:

"...Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives... all fear is gone...
Because I know... He holds the future
And life is worth the living, just because He lives..."

Christians, are you living a lifestyle of hope? Yes, there are bound to be difficulties and suffering in this world we live in. We will always grieve for the loss of loved ones.

But can we grieve with hope? Can we have joy in times of sadness? Can we have faith in times of darkness? I am assured today: Yes, a thousand times, yes... because we have the ultimate hope anyone can have! Hope in Christ is the essence of abundant life.

Hope. We can hope. Because we can believe in Jesus. Hope gives purpose to yesterday and today... it nullifies the regret of our past mistakes and helps us to endure today's trials when we look at the big picture and remember that we have a definite something to live for. God has made everyone for an important and good purpose. Today, we may not know what He has made us for... but as long as we know that our lives are not accidents... and our lives mean something big to our Maker, it is worth living on...and living our lives to the fullest.

1 Peter 3:15 - "...But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have..."