What makes you feel safe and secure? We have bank accounts, IRA’s, insurance policies, and retirement plans in the hopes that there will be enough money for our retirement years. We have medical tests, pills, and regular checkups with doctors and dentists so that we can avoid at least some health problems and take care of others before they become a serious threat to life. We have security for our homes, locks on our doors, and phone numbers available in case we need them. We have emergency supplies, evacuation plans, and neighborhood watches which may serve us well if there is a disaster of some kind in our area. While there is no question that planning ahead and being prepared is a wise way to act, undoubtedly we live with more insecurity than most of us would like to admit.
Isn’t it wonderful that IN CHRIST there are some things that we can absolutely count on! These realities were true when Paul wrote his letters to his two friends, Timothy and Titus, and they are just as true today. As these two young men assumed new responsibilities in various churches and began to have their ministries of teaching and guiding the believers, Paul knew that they needed to be reassured that the hope they had in Jesus was the one certainty that would carry them through any challenges that came into their lives. He knew that the “blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ”, would be the truth upon which they could encourage and motivate people.
As the one writer, R. Pippert, wrote, “Hope in Christ is the most compelling incentive in the world.” It is what will give us courage in the face of an uncertain future. It is what can give us patience and security when we feel the darkness closing in on us. It is what gives us joy, deep unexplainable joy, throughout the days of our life.
