Like the Hope of a Tree

I sense a shortage of hope these days. The news is filled with virus reports, tallying up the infected, the dead, and those recovering from it. But we who follow Christ have an enduring hope which can't be stolen.

Many people today are like those in Job's time. They figure there's no life after death. But we truly are like the way Job 14:7-9 (BBE) describes a revived tree. "For there is hope of a tree; if it is cut down, it will come to life again, and its branches will not come to an end. Though its root may be old in the earth, and its cut-off end may be dead in the dust; Still, at the smell of water, it will make buds,
and put out branches like a young plant."

Even in the time of The Old Testament, people knew about resurrection. We read in Jude 1:14 and 15 BBE) of his mention of an ancient scripture about resurrection. "The prophet Enoch, who was the seventh after Adam, said of these men, 'The Lord came with tens of thousands of his saints, To be the judge of all, and to give a decision against all those whose lives are unpleasing to him, because of the evil acts which they have done, and because of all the hard things which sinners without fear of God have said against him."

In the oldest book in the Bible, we find this glorious statement on the resurrection. Job 19:26 (KJV) proclaims, "And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:"

In the New Testament, we have Christ's awesome revelation to Thomas. John 14:6 (BBE)reads, "Jesus said to him, 'I am the true and living way: no one comes to the Father but by me.'"

Since that is so, we know he will raise us up at the last day. Romans 8:11 (BBE) promises, "But if the Spirit of him who made Jesus come again from the dead is in you, he who made Christ Jesus come again from the dead will in the same way, through his Spirit which is in you, give life to your bodies which now are under the power of death."

Though things may seem hopeless these days, our great hope is in Christ. Let's live like we believe that.

On Thursday, if Christ hasn't returned by then, I hope to publish another post about our hope in the Lord.