Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope. . . .

— 1 Timothy 1:1

Hope is the light that illuminates our pathway in life, leading us onward with the promise of eternal, full life with God. For all who know Christ, hope is an essential part of the journey. Indeed, as the apostle Paul says, Christ himself is our hope. Hope in Christ is not a mere wishful kind of hope that people sometimes talk about when they say, “I hope we have a beautiful day for our picnic,” or “I hope our sports team wins the championship.” If our hope is limited to this life alone, we will not find true happiness.

What’s more, in Christ, our future is not uncertain. We are not heading into the unknown. Our end is not a grave or a tomb. Each day, even as we grow older and our bodies may grow weak and frail, we walk toward glory. We walk toward full life with the Lord, who will one day come again.

We walk toward eternal happiness. As he did with Paul, the Lord pours his grace on us, mercifully forgiving all of our sins. Not one of our sins is too great for God to forgive; Christ’s death paid for them all.

Believing in Jesus gives us hope for eternity. And that hope fills us with energy in the present, helping us to hold fast to Jesus and his promises.

Eternal God, only with our eyes fixed on Jesus can we enjoy the hope of full, eternal life with you. For this we thank you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.