He is Our Hope

 By: Joanne Viola

And just like that – we enter the Advent season.

The first candle is Hope for Jesus brought hope into the world, He is our hope each day, and we have hope of His return one day.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires
and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory
of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
(Titus 2:11-11, NASB)

Let’s take a few moments to look at this hope:

• Past. “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men …” (Titus 2:11, NASB). The day Christ burst into our world as a small baby, born to a virgin, and placed in the manger, He brought hope of salvation once for all.
• Present. ” … instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age …” (Titus 2:12, NASB). He works in our lives each day to draw us to Himself and make us more like Him.
• Future. ” … looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13, NASB). One day, Jesus will return in the grandest of ways as our King. His majesty will be visible to every eye.

Jesus came as a baby, small and inconspicuous, to bring salvation. He is always at work to make Himself seen and known. And one day He will return in all of His glory and majesty.

We are living in the present age while we wait for the future age. Today He is at work in our lives, and in our world, but we must have hearts set to see.

This old hymn came to mind. May it fall fresh and fill you with HOPE, the focus of this first week of Advent.

Today may you see Him in the smallest of details.
In so doing,
May you come to see His greatness.

 

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