Our deepest hopes are not met in this life alone, but in eternity with Jesus

TEXAS GOSPEL VOLUNTEER

People are naturally wired to look forward to things, and yet even the best moments in life have a way of not quite living up to what we imagined beforehand. Newlyweds eventually find their feet back on the ground, those who retire can find themselves wrestling with boredom, and even someone who has lived a genuinely good life may reach the end of it wondering if this is really as good as it gets. Paul addresses this honestly in 1 Corinthians 15:19, saying that if our hope in Christ only covers this present life, then we are people to be pitied above all others.

But that is not the kind of hope Jesus offers. He does not simply make our days on earth a little more manageable or meaningful, though he does that too. He promises that life continues beyond death, and that the hopes and longings we carry through this life will find their true fulfilment in eternity. Our expectations are not wrong; they are just too small for this world. The best that awaits every believer is not behind them. It is still ahead, in the life to come.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Romans 8:18