The Advent of Hope | 1 Timothy 1:1 | By Tami Burnett

“. . . Christ Jesus our hope,” – 1 Timothy 1:1 

We all hope for something. We hope for meaningful careers.  We hope for repaired relationships. We hope the cancer won’t return. We hope for a better future. What are you hoping for today?
 
While it’s not wrong to hope for things to get better, ultimately, receiving these things will still leave us unfulfilled, disappointed, and hungry for more. We can’t find true hope, comfort, or peace in anything that is laboring under the same curse that we are, because, like us, it’s broken. This is why the hope of the Christian life is not ultimately in better circumstances, but in a person: Jesus Christ.
 
You can have hope in all the daily difficulties and heavy burdens of life because your God is for you. You’ve seen His tender heart toward you displayed in your redemption.  God in His grace has completely changed your condition! Where you were once evil and alienated from Him, He has made you holy and reconciled. And nothing can change this status because it’s based on the work of Christ, not on your work of obedience. Now, because of Christ, your future is assured, even when your present seems chaotic.
 
Painful, chaotic circumstances can often make us doubt that God is for us. But we never have to wonder if we are received by God. We can confidently know that we are fully received and will be for all eternity.  How should this truth shape the way we process life in a broken world?  How should this give us hope when things feel hopeless?  We trust in Him because He has shown Himself trustworthy and loving.  We entrust our lives into His hands because He deals with us gently along the way.
 
So, this Advent, rest your hope in your God who will never fail you. Regardless of what’s going on, stop looking to things that are cursed to bring you a better tomorrow; they can’t do it. Even the best of circumstances are still bound to break. But our Savior’s love for His people will never be broken. Today, don’t hope in how well your day goes, how faithful you’ve been, or how well you’ve performed. Instead, simply hope in Christ who holds His people fast.