Morning By Morning #276

…the hope that is stored up for you in heaven.

Colossians 1:5

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

Our hope in Christ for our future in heaven is the foundation and driving force behind our joy here. It inspires our hearts to think often of heaven, for all we could ever desire is promised there. Here we are weary and worn from our work, but beyond is the land of rest where the sweat of labor will no longer bead upon the worker’s brow and where fatigue will be forever banished. And for those who are weary, feeling totally spent, the word rest conveys a sense of heaven and its fullness to come.

Here we are always on the field of battle, being tempted within and continually attacked by foes without, to the point we experience little or no peace. But in heaven we will enjoy the victory, the banner will be waved high in triumph, the sword will be returned to its sheath, and we will hear our Captain say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21). Here we suffer bereavement after bereavement, but we are headed to the land of the immortal where graves are unknown things. Here sin is a constant misery and grief to us, but there we will be perfectly holy, for nothing will ever be able to enter that kingdom that could cause any defilement whatsoever. No poisonous hemlock will ever be found in the furrows of celestial fields.

Oh, what joy! We are not banished to dwell in this wilderness forever but will soon inherit the heavenly Canaan. Yet may it never be said of us that we continually dream of the future while forgetting the present. Instead, may the future sanctify the present for the highest possible purposes. Through the Spirit of God, the hope of heaven is the most powerful force for producing godly character, the fountain or source of joyful service, and the cornerstone of cheerful holiness.

The person who has the hope of heaven goes about his work with passion and determination, “for the joy of the LORD is [his] strength” (Neh. 8:10). He strenuously fights temptation, for the hope of the next world “extinguish[es] all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Eph. 6:16). And he can work diligently without present reward, for he looks for his reward in the world to come.

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

In the context of our verse today, Paul says God’s gifts of “faith and love” spring from “the hope that is stored up for you in heaven.” Of course, Paul thought of hope as much more than an attribute. He saw it as something personified by Jesus Himself, for he continued: “God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me” (Col. 1:27 – 29).

Paul wrote much about hope, including these prayers: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13). “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Eph. 1:18).

Why not make these your prayers today?