Where do you get your hope from? What is your source of joy and strength? If it is found in anything short of Jesus Christ you are in big trouble! We are just a few days from Palm Sunday. This historic event is recorded in all four Gospels (Matthew 21:1-17, Mark 11:1-18, Luke 19:28-48 and John 12:12-16). Jesus arrives in Jerusalem on a colt that was secured by His disciples. The people of Jerusalem lined the streets and sang out "Hosanna." They believed that Jesus had entered Jerusalem to release them from the bondage of the Roman Empire. They had placed their hope in Jesus establishing an earthly, physical Kingdom. To the contrary Jesus had entered Jerusalem to die for all man's sins and become the Savior of the World. His Kingdom was to be a spiritual kingdom.
The people who lined the streets celebrating Jesus quickly realized they had placed their hope in the wrong thing. The physical over the spiritual. What about us? Do we ever place our hope in the wrong thing? I say "Yes" and it can happen so easily and the results can be so disastrous.
Here are some things that people put their hope in:
1.) Riches/Finances. Anyone who follows the stock market or who has ever managed a household or business budget has come to realize that sometimes money is up. Sometimes money is down. Putting our hope in our financial resources is a recipe for disaster.
2.) Health. We have hope when us and our loved ones are healthy and we have despair when illness strikes its ugly head. I struggle particularly with this false hope. Health comes and goes, it fluctuates and hoping in our health will leave us on an emotional roller coaster.
3.) Position/Power. Many times we get hopeful when we have a new promotion or additional power at work in or in other civic positions. We put our hope in the fact that things are going well and we are becoming more powerful. This is a terrible way to live. Position and Power come and go. They are nothing to put our hope in.
4.) Abilities. We put our hope in our abilities. We feel hopeful when we can bring our "A game." Hoping in our fading abilities is silly.
5.) Children and Their Successes. This could certainly be an entire post but sum it up to say that hoping in our children can lead to all kinds of disaster and despair in our lives.
6.) Political Party. Since I have been born (1982) I have seen 20 years of Republicans and 16 years of Democrats. Some good, some bad but clearly politics holds no hope for this sin sick world. Whether you favor D's or R's or even I's please understand that placing hope in politicians is a losing proposition.
So then where do we put our hope? We put it squarely in Christ and His finished work on Calvary. Christ will never fail us. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is our rock and anchor. Worthy of our trust and hope.
This Easter I encourage you to examine where your hope lies. Is it in things of this world or in the unfailing Savior of the World. Is your hope in the physical or Spiritual?
The incredibly cool thing is that when we do put our hope in Jesus Christ all the other things naturally fall into place. Placing our hope in Jesus gives us peace to accept what comes our way financially. It gives us courage to face an uncertain future in terms of health or jobs or the political landscape. Hope in Jesus leads to comfort and peace. Hope in the things of this world lead to despair, discouragement and depression.
May you be filled with HOPE this EASTER!
