Hope Springs Eternal

1 Corinthians 15:35-49

(This is the first of two devotionals on this passage.)

 

 

Hope! Can you feel it? There is something about the human spirit that wants to hope; needs to hope. As the saying goes, “Hope springs eternal”.

 

Every year the loyal fans of the snake bit Cleveland Browns hope for a championship. We hope that the rain will finally stop and the sun will come out. We hope that our boss will give us that raise. We hope that our kids excel in school. We hope that life will be wonderful, full of happiness and laughter. Hope springs eternal.

 

And yet we live in a dying world. A baby is born, lives for a lifetime and dies. Like taxes, it’s inevitable. Ever since Adam and Eve made that fateful decision in the Garden, death has had the final word… until Jesus.

 

Jesus was raised from the dead and promised that he would return for us. Not only did Jesus promise to return for us, but Paul tells us that we will receive new bodies.

 

“…Our earthly bodies which die and decay are different from the bodies we shall have when we come back to life again, for they will never die... they will be full of glory when we come back to life again… they will be full of strength... they will be superhuman bodies.”        Vs. 42-44

 

When people hope for good weather or good fortune or for their favorite sports team;

they are really wishing. It’s just like rubbing a bottle in hopes that a jeannie will grant your wishes. But the hope that we have in Jesus returning and bringing us home with resurrected bodies is more than a wish. It’s a promise.

 

Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled. You are trusting God, now trust in Me. There are many homes up there where my Father lives, and I am going to prepare them for your coming. When everything is ready, then I will come and get you, so that you can always be with Me where I am”.             John 14:1-3

 

Because of this promise, even in the midst of hopelessness, there is hope. Even in the midst of difficult times, there is hope. Even in the midst of failure, there is hope. Hope springs eternal, not because of a jeannie in a bottle, but because of a Savior who was raised from the dead, and will return to bring us home in new bodies.

 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20corinthians%2015%3A35-49&version=NIV;TLB