The Heaton File

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats so that they began to sink. (Luke 5:4-7)

Fill Your Life With Jesus

Commercial fishing can be exasperating when the family’s livelihood depends upon success. From the beginning of the world, men have found ways to catch the creatures of rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans with great success. Four of the apostles of Jesus were commercial fishermen. One day when Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Peter and Andrew, casting a net into the sea. Nearby were James and John, mending their nets in their father’s boat. Peter and Andrew were in partnership with Zebedee, the father of James, and John, who also had hired men working for him. Calling the four men to His ministry, Peter, Andrew, James, and John became early disciples of the Lord and then called to be apostles.

Multitudes thronged to Jesus to hear Him teach about the Father. Coming to the Sea of Galilee, Jesus sat down in one of Simon Peter’s boats and taught the people. After Jesus taught the multitude, He told Peter to launch into the deep and let down his nets for a catch. The night before, the fishermen had toiled all night unsuccessfully, and Peter told Jesus of their empty nets. Obedient to the voice of Jesus, the fishermen launched into the deep to set their nets. What happened next astonished the seasoned fishermen.

As the nets were put into the sea, a great many fish filled the nets. There were so many fish the nets began to break. Calling to James and John, and the other fishermen, Peter struggled to bring the nets into the boat. The catch of fish was so large the boats were sinking. This was a miracle that stunned the fishermen. Peter recognized he was in the presence of deity. The night before, the fishermen worked all night without any fish. When Jesus came into the picture, their boats nearly sank for the weight of the abundance of fish.

The Holy Spirit records the miracles of Jesus to prove the man from Nazareth is the Son of God. When the fishermen saw the incredible catch of fish, they could see the power of God. There was a more subtle lesson that is taken from the efforts of the fishermen the night before and how things change when Jesus comes into the story. Fishing is a tedious and arduous job, often leading to empty nets, as the fishermen experienced that night. The labors of men are empty and fruitless when they try to fill their lives through their own wisdom. Men strive through the darkness of the night to find happiness, joy, satisfaction, and answers to life. As the morning breaks, they find empty nets without answers. All the strivings of men will be fruitless. It is not in man to know how to find real joy.

Lives change when Jesus is accepted into the will of man. Everything changes. What was an empty night of fishing becomes an overflowing catch of blessings. Jesus could have filled the nets with a few fish to satisfy the work of the fishermen, but the catch was so great the boats began to sink. The blessings of God do not come in small measure but overflowing. Putting the word of God into the heart does not make a man religious; it fills him with the glory and power of God. Intimately knowing the Jesus of scripture will change the life of the one who allows the blessings of God to flow through him.

There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who fish all night without Jesus and those who come to the Son of God for salvation and find blessings overflowing. The grace and mercy of God are not given in small portions. It breaks the boat. Trying to find happiness apart from God will always fail. Believing Jesus is the Son of God and asking for His power to work in your life will change everything. The blessings will overflow. And then eternity comes, and those blessings will never end. Who are you fishing with?

Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” (John 19:10-11)

I Have Power

Pontius Pilate was Judaea’s sixth Roman procurator (governor), appointed in Tiberius Caesar’s 12th year (A.D. 25 or 26). As the procurator, Pilate acted as a collector of revenue and judge in cases arising under it. He also had full military and judicial authority in the region and, like many Roman leaders, carried out his authority ruthlessly. Pilate angered the Jews when he brought the Roman standards with the emperor’s image to Jerusalem. Tiberius made him remove them. In his palace in Jerusalem, Pilate hung gilt shields with the names of idol gods on them. When Pilate took the Corban revenue of the Jews to build an aqueduct, the Jews rioted. Pilate sent in soldiers with concealed daggers, killing many of the rioters. Jesus refers to an incident where Pilate killed many Galileans while they were conducting sacrifices.

The Jewish leadership sought to bring Jesus before the Roman authorities to have Him killed. When Judas agreed to betray Jesus, the Jews found their time. Jesus was arrested and brought before the Jewish Council and then to Pilate. They caused a riot to have Pilate declare Jesus guilty and sentence Him to death. After Pilate had his soldiers scourge Jesus and beat Him, Jesus came out wearing the purple robe the soldiers put on Him along with a crown of thorns so that Pilate could present Jesus to the crowd. Pilate thought that might satisfy the crowd because he had found no fault in Jesus. The governor became upset when the crowd shouted to Pilate that Jesus considered Himself to be the Son of God. He returns to Jesus, asking Him where He was from. Jesus did not answer. This angered Pilate, who screamed at Jesus that he had the power to release Him or kill Him.

Bloodied, beaten, barely able to stand, and weakened by the scourging, Jesus looked into the face of Pilate and told him he had no power but what was given to Him by God. The only reason the Son of God stood before Pilate, nearly beaten to death, was because God allowed this to be done. Jesus knew what He was suffering was the will of His Father. He endured all of the beatings, scourging, and crucifixion because He understood before time began this was His sacrifice. Pilate was nothing more than a pawn in the scheme of God’s redemptive plan to save the world, yet Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea, thought he had all the power. He had nothing.

The angels of heaven must look down upon mankind with an eternal sense of dismay. Men will exalt themselves in pride because of the arrogant power they think they possess. Despots have risen over the eons of history, trying to conquer the world and, without exception – failed. The Roman Empire is the greatest manmade dominion to exist on the face of the earth, but it was only a part of the fullness of time to show the greatest power on earth – Jesus Christ. Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, the Japanese Empire, Saddam Hussein, and an endless list of leaders tried to rule the world and found the common denominator: death. All men who seek power fail.

God gives power and takes away power. He raises nations and brings them down. If God has a name for every star in the heavens and can hold the universe in the palm of His hand, what is man? Pilate stood before the Son of God, bragging about his power. When Pilate died, he came face to face with the One who had all power. You may not be the leader of a great country but if you think you have the power in your life, talk to Pilate. Refusing God does not make God go away. All men will stand before the only One with all the power and authority. And that person is not you or me.

Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him. (Colossians 3:9-10)

The New Man

At the beginning of each year, resolutions are made to become a better person in the next year than one in the previous year. Much of this cultural awareness comes from the awareness of time, twelve months, and each passing year. December 31 and January 1 are never different in their composition than any other day, but the acuity of what these dates represent brings out renewed feelings of change and resolve. Losing weight and getting in shape is at the top of the resolutions list. What is a gym in January becomes a donut shop in February. Quitting bad habits, getting out of debt, and traveling are common themes for the new year.

Using the change of year as a motivation to improve life is a noble aspiration. Like losing weight, most have to do with the physical and temporary. Diets are quickly forgotten. The determined spirit of January 1 gives way to the rhythm of life in March and April. Life finds a steady path of doing what has always been done. In reality, few people make spiritual goals the priority of their lives. There are many good and noble resolutions, but they all focus on short-term goals that will all fade away. Establishing good habits in the relationship with God will have eternal consequences.

Paul wrote about having goals in life. He reminds the saints at Philippi to seek after the new man. As people of God seek the higher calling of Christ, the Christian changes his mind to be more like Christ. Many things need to be taken out of life. Starting a new year must begin with removing harmful things before any good things can succeed. Sexual immorality, desiring money and things of this world, anger, and filthy language are some of the traits Paul says need to be taken away. It will be impossible to fill the heart with the spirit of God if these things persist in life. Lying to one another is sinful and must be taken away. The first resolution is to get rid of those things that are harmful.

The new man in Christ renews himself in the Spirit of God. When those things that harm are taken away, the void must be filled with kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, and forgiveness (to name a few). A new man is someone who is new. What makes them new is the new things they put into their lives. Instead of the old ways of living, the Christian seeks to renew himself as a new man with new things to show the world the newness of Christ. This takes time to process all the wrong things and implant the good ones. Changing from old to new is not easy, but the rewards are eternal.

Seeking the things above will make a marriage better. Wives and husbands are becoming new in Christ. Children renew their spirits to be obedient to their parents. Fathers become a new man to guide the home in the covenant of godliness. Employees and employers are better at showing the world how the Christian is a new man. The world sees a bright light shining in a dark world. A new man prays a lot. They walk in wisdom, redeeming the time. Their speech is seasoned with grace. The new man is evident to all. If you want to have one single resolution for the new year, resolve to be a new man in Christ. The rewards will be found in your example before others and your faith before God. Be a new man.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Called According To His Purpose

The grace of God is an unfathomable blessing of divine love to a creature that merits nothing worthy of salvation. There is a complete absence of worth for what man has done against God. Everything man needed was provided for him without measure, and he turned his back on God and screamed in the face of the Divine with his rebellious heart. The hatred and anger of humanity became so great they joyfully murdered an innocent man who went about doing good. Jesus was a man who lived for more than thirty years in sinless perfection. He was not a good man – He was a perfect man. Because of the nature of sin, His countrymen had Him murdered by the Romans. God watched His Son die and did the greatest act of love known to man – He did nothing.

Before the creation of the world, the Father knew what the Son must do. Throughout the history of time, God’s plan began to unfold in its eternal beauty. Jesus dying on the cross accomplished something that God desired and longed for. The Father wanted to call His children to Himself, so His children could show the world His grace. Jesus being murdered by His kinsmen was not a mistake but a divine plan. Through the death of Jesus, God would call the faithful to Him and give them a purpose in life. The joy of the early church was found in the hearts of the disciples who experienced the message of hope found in Jesus Christ. Those who came to the gospel of Christ found their calling and purpose.

A Christian is called by God to be special. Through the adoption in Christ, a sinner can be cleansed and set before the Father as holy. All those who hear the word of the gospel and believe its message find a need to change their lives. With penitent hearts, men will confess the need for the blood of Jesus Christ and do whatever the Lord tells them to do. In the waters of baptism alone will the blood of Jesus wash away sins, and the lost sinner will become a saint of God. The calling of grace is completed in the Christian. By grace is a man saved through the obedience of the gospel.

There are two things the Christian must never forget about the grace of God. A Christian is a called being created for a purpose. To be called by God is to know that salvation comes from Him alone. The Lord calls people to come to Him. Most people hear the call and refuse to obey. Those who hear the call and obey have been called to a purpose. It is not the design of eternal salvation to save a man, and that is all. Man was created for God’s glory, and the Christian was created to show the glory of God’s grace. Christians are called and purposed.

When Christians realize God calls them, a weight of thankfulness and responsibility should come over them. There is much to be thankful for in the grace of God. But that grace should not become empty. A Christian is called out, called up, and called to God’s grace to show the Divine’s glory in their lives. Each day is a purposed life to show their calling. A life without purpose is a wasted life. Living for God with an eternal purpose is a life filled with hope, joy, love, forgiveness, and grace. Christians are called to live before the world as purpose-driven souls who have been saved by the grace of God. Remember your calling. Find your purpose. You were called for a purpose.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (Romans 8:26)

I Need Help

Prayer is the privilege of approaching the Almighty God and Father and seeking petitions from His storehouse of blessings. It is impossible to receive anything from the Lord with an arrogant or prideful heart. Asking for forgiveness will not be granted if a man is unwilling to forgive another. Prayer requires faith. Persistence is the jewel of prayer. God has opened the door of His divine presence, allowing His creation’s feeble attempts to speak with Him. Prayer is an incredible avenue of grace because everyone needs the blessings of God.

The challenge of prayer is how to speak to someone so infinitely great. How does an atomic size creature stand in the presence of the one who can hold the universe (known and unknown) in the palm of His hand? The wisdom of God is so vast He knows how much water exists on earth and the amount of dust in the world. God knows the hearts of every living being on the planet – at the same time. Before the world was created, God was. By the power of the spoken word, the Lord God formed the world and all that is in it. God sent His only beloved Son to show His power through miracles: healing all disease, casting out demons, raising the dead, walking on water, and coming out of the grave after three days, never to die again. This is the God a man seeks to pray before and ask anything!

Prayer is simple, but it is complex. God has given man the promises of His divine word, and men seek to petition the Lord from these promises. Prayer is pleading the promises of God. The Father will not grant what He has not promised. As man prepares to pray, he stands before the throne of the Almighty and seeks to find words to express his heart. Prayer cannot be accomplished by the will of man alone. Through grace, God has afforded the Holy Spirit to intercede for the frailties of the human spirit. Prayer demonstrates that man cannot save himself and desperately needs help.

The Holy Spirit is given to all who obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. He dwells in the child of God through the Father’s love to help His children speak to Him. When a man seeks to pray to the Father, the Holy Spirit helps to guide and focus the petitions to the Heavenly Father. How the manifestation of prayer is conducted before the Father is beyond the mind of man. Prayer is a reminder of the human spirit’s need for and dependence upon the Divine. The Holy Spirit reminds man he needs help in talking to God.

Learning to pray is a vital part of the Christian experience. A deep and personal prayer life comes from years of experience of seeking the will of God through a study of the word and a trust in the manner God answers prayer. Using prayer as a vending machine in a time of need is not prayer. A constant presence of prayer in the heart draws a man closer to the Father and helps him enjoy a greater relationship with the Holy Spirit. Prayer shows a man his need for help in matters eternal. One of the great blessings of being a child of God is who our Father is. He gave His Son to die for us. And He also gave us the Holy Spirit to help us. What a three-fold blessing of being a child of God. I need help. Thank you, Holy Spirit.

Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul eyed David from that day forward. (1 Samuel 18:8-9)

The Poison Of Jealousy

Israel had the greatest army in the world, and it was under the leadership of King Saul. From the beginning of the nation at Mount Sinai, the army of Israel was victorious in almost all of its battles. Only one battle was lost during the wilderness wanderings, and then the travesty of Ai. Saul had a small army compared to the Philistines, but God was on the side of Israel. Nothing could stop the army of Israel.

The Philistines gathered their armies together to battle around the valley of Elah. Saul positioned his army before the great Philistine force in battle array. A champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath. He was a giant of a man in size and spirit. Every day for forty days, Goliath would stand before the army of Israel, spewing out curses and threats. Morning and evening, the Philistine challenged anyone in the army of Israel to fight him. When Saul and all of Israel heard about Goliath, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. No one had the courage to face Goliath.

A shepherd boy named David brought food to his brothers, who were among the frightened soldiers of Israel. When David heard the threats of Goliath, he wanted to know why someone had not killed the profaner of the Lord God. His brothers chastised him, and King Saul discouraged the young man not to face Goliath, for it was certain death. David went before Goliath in the name of the Lord and killed the great giant. Israel had a great victory that day at the hand of a shepherd boy who believed in the power of God.

After the defeat of Goliath, Saul enlisted David into his army and became one of the military leaders in the Israeli army. David went out wherever Saul sent him, having great success in his battles. The shepherd boy showed great wisdom in his fighting abilities, winning him many victories over the Philistines. When Saul set David over his men of war, it pleased the entire army and the people. Through the power of God, the Philistines were defeated through David’s leadership. As King of Israel, Saul should have enjoyed the victories gained by his young protégé, but there was a poison of jealousy that filled the heart of Saul.

When the army returned from its victories, the women came out of the cities singing of David’s victory over tens of thousands and Saul’s victories over thousands. Saul was very angry because the people ascribed tens of thousands to David but only thousands to the King. His heart became bitter. The poison of jealousy would drive the King to hate David. Saul would spend the rest of his life chasing David like a flea in the wilderness. His wrath was because David received more accolades than he did, and it infuriated him. Jealousy slowly began killing the heart of Saul.

The sad part of Saul’s jealousy was he could not see that thousands of God’s enemies were being defeated. Saul made a matter of numbers to be a matter of hatred. If David killed ten thousand and Saul killed one thousand, could not the King see that eleven thousand were defeated? Did it matter who received the credit? The truth came from the lips of Goliath when he defied the army of God. Goliath said, “Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul?” If Saul had dared to trust in God and fight the Philistines, Goliath would have realized the army belonged to the Lord God, not Saul. The jealousy of Saul destroyed him because he did not give glory to God.

It is easy to be consumed by jealousy. Preachers suffer from it, businessmen and women are consumed by it, and young people are pressured into conforming to the world to be accepted. God created man to show His glory in their lives in whatever abilities they have. The only man who was a perfect example of the glory of God was Jesus Christ, and He never was jealous of anyone. The Jewish leaders were jealous of Jesus, and they killed him. Saul should have gloried in the life of David. Instead, he allowed jealousy to destroy his life and good name.

For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

Argue With God, Not Man

The longest argument in the history of man is the history of man and the word of God. No debate can match the thousands of years of argumentation against and for what God says and what He does not say. The devil is the one who began the debate when he deceived Eve. In the days of Noah, all but eight argued against the word of God. Those who opposed the word of God died, and the eight righteous souls who accepted the word of God lived.

Noah preached to a world filled with wickedness. His preaching was based on righteousness, holiness, and the judgment to come. Moved by godly fear, Noah prepared an ark for the saving of his household. The rest of the world laughed and mocked him and denied the word of God. When the Lord shut the door of the ark, and the water came, everyone believed in the word of the Lord. Sadly, it was too late for those who perished, but they knew their argument with Noah was against God.

When Jesus came to earth, He testified to the word of His Father. He constantly reminded the people the words He spoke were not His own but from the One who had all power and authority. The miracles of Jesus affirmed He spoke in the Father’s name. When the Jewish leaders rejected the teaching of Jesus, the Lord reminded them they rejected not Him but the Father. Everything Jesus said was true because it was the word given to Him by His Father. Rejecting the teaching of Jesus was to reject the word of the Divine. Killing Jesus on the cross was the final demonstration of how far men will go to deny the word of God. But then Sunday came, and the world shuttered. The Word arose from the dead.

Through the divine providence of the Holy Spirit, the Bible has come into existence to guide men into all truth. The Bible’s purpose is to open God’s mind to the hearts of men. Contained with all of its pages, the Bible unfolds the plan of redemption promised in the garden of Eden and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The early church was established on the word of God. Letters and books form the canon of the new covenant written down so that men could read and understand the will of God. Paul commended the saints at Thessalonica because when the word was preached to them, they accepted it as the word of God, not the word of men. The Bereans may have been more noble than those at Thessalonica at one time, but there is no book of the Bereans preserved.

Religious division is rampant among those who profess to follow Christ. Multiple churches abound with different doctrines, practices, beliefs, and names. For some, unity is found in the diversity of churches, but this is against the prayer of Jesus, who sought for all men to be one. The reason religious division exists is that few men see the word of God as divine authority. They follow the words of men rather than what is plainly written in the Bible. God did not craft a book that is hard to understand and follow, yet human wisdom has denied the power of God’s word.

The only time there will be religious unity is when the Bible is accepted as the word of God. When men argue about the doctrines of the Bible, they must realize they are arguing against God. This is an argument that cannot be won. All the reasons and excuses were given in the days of Noah to view the coming flood as a myth. But those who saw God’s word as a myth, ‘mythed’ the boat and died. Let all men be liars, and God be true. His Word is His word. Deny His word and you die.

Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:23)

Desiring The Adoption

Death is the greatest reality that is the greatest fear. All men die, yet all men live as if death were a surprise. Methuselah lived nearly one thousand years, but he died. The old must die, and the young can die. Cemeteries fill the landscape of every community with its marble markers reminding passersby that death comes to all. Researchers estimate nearly 150,000 people die daily, which amounts to 6,000 people dying every hour of every day. The news always reports the deaths of those murdered, killed in accidents, or victims of nature’s rage, disease, pestilence, famine, and old age. Science seeks to find answers to extend life. Medical advancements have saved lives, but people still die. Death is real.

The view of death says a lot about how death impacts life. For most, death is filled with great fear and trepidation. They can live all their lives seeking every form of remaining young and lose in the final battle because there is no such thing as a fountain of youth. The reality of life’s finality begins when a child is born. Babies die, and this is great sadness. Young people die; middle-aged and old all share the common reality of death. Visiting a cemetery will tell the tale of every age. Reading an obituary is a testimony to the ages people die. Talking about death is considered morbid, gruesome, and sad.

For the child of God, the view of death has a different meaning – or at least it should. The Holy Spirit fills the Bible with how God’s faithful understood the dying process. Adam and Eve experienced the first pains of death when they buried their son Abel. The scriptures say that Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man full of years, and was gathered to his people. When Jacob died, Moses writes the son of Isaac drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

The Bible pictures the death of God’s saints as a beautiful experience. Paul uses the image of adoption as the reality of death. Children of God are first adopted into Christ when they obey the gospel in the waters of baptism. This adoption establishes the greatest adoption when death removes the fleshly tabernacle from the eternal spirit, and the child of God is with the Father. Death is an adoption. Salvation in Christ gives hope that death is nothing more than a sleep, a transition, a time when the frailties of life are left for the glories of Heaven. Life is filled with suffering. Death for the saint is joy. As children anxiously wait for someone to adopt them, the child of God eagerly looks to death as a time to be with God.

Death is something difficult to view as exciting. It is hard for the human spirit to accept death as good, yet God wants His children to have an eager expectation to die and be with Him. There is great sadness when loved ones die. When that loved one dies in Christ, there is joy. This brings comfort to the family, but hearts are still heavy. What makes it more bearable is the knowledge that all the faithful can take death for what it is and change how they feel about it. Paul urged the brethren to eagerly desire death. He wanted the saints to have happy hearts about death. There will be no denying death is coming, so why not accept it in its positive light.

Letting go of this world is where the eagerness for death (adoption) begins. The child of God cannot wait to be eternally adopted by the Father. There will be no death, sorry, or crying, and there will be no more pain. Who would not want to experience the blessings of God’s grace found in the adoption of eternity? Tertullian said, “Death ought to be a pleasure.” Paul said, “Eagerly wait for the adoption, the redemption of your body.” Praise God. I get to die.

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? (Romans 8:24)

Hope Saves

The joy of salvation is found through the blood of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice to die for the sins of the world. God’s love redeemed man from the blight of sin when he did not deserve it. No matter how good and just they are, the debt of salvation can never be repaid by anyone. Jesus Christ is the only man that lived a sinless and perfect life. The great heroes and heroines of scripture could not boast of sinless perfection. Jesus lived for more than three decades and never once disobeyed His Father. Grace saves man by the measure of God’s love. Water establishes a covenant with God when men obey the will of the Father. The list of reasons why a man is saved is almost endless.

One of the great joys of salvation is the hope of salvation; which also saves. Hope is defined as the favorable and confident expectation of the unseen. When the heart lives with the confidence of eternal life, hope guides the mind to trust in the promises of God. There are no doubts or fears. It is not a matter of ‘maybe” when it comes to salvation. The confidence of the heart is rooted in the knowledge of God’s love and that what the Lord has promised will come true. Having a hope of something not seen is the germ of faith growing the tree of hope in the fertile soul of the Christian. Hope looks beyond the trials of life. Looking through the vale of sorrow gives hope to the spirit. Having a view of what is beyond death is how hope saves.

Hope that is seen is not hope. True hope comes from believing in and trusting what cannot be seen. For the child of God, it becomes the faith of believing in Jesus Christ, whom they have not seen, and the promise of eternal life, which they have not possessed. Saving hope destroys the doubts and fears of life. When the trials of life seem to overcome, an upward vision of better things sustains the heart to endure and overcome. Hope makes a darkened world fill with light. The joy of eternal life overshadows the circumstances of a meaningless life.

God gives His children the earnest expectation of more than what can be seen with the eye. The world is limited and finite. Through hope, the heart is filled with visions of heaven. When John described heaven in the Revelation, he was instilling the eternal portraits of God’s promises in the hearts of the persecuted saints. Nothing can compare with the measure of what awaits the child of God. The finest possessions on earth cannot offer hope. True hope comes from knowing God’s word of what is yet to be. Through this anticipation, hope saves.

Having hope alone will not save. Hope springs eternal when God removes the sins of the heart as far as the east is from the west. Doing the will of the Father assures the obedient of salvation. Hope is born. Knowing God never lies, and all His promises come true, the hopeful heart will live daily with a firm determination of courage wrapped in the blanket of hope. The Ethiopian eunuch went on his way rejoicing because he had found salvation in the waters of baptism, which gave him the greatest hope of his life. A man is saved by grace, faith, love, baptism, and hope. It will change your life when you live with the hope and expectation of eternal life. Having obeyed the will of God, salvation awaits. Hope in Christ. Hope saves.

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. (Romans 8:18-25)

Eager Like A Roman

The first-century Christians lived within the lifespan of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Many of the early saints were disciples of Jesus who had walked with Him, saw His miracles, and heard His stirring sermons. After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to more than five hundred people. The early church consisted of those who had seen Jesus after He died. During the ministry of the Lord, He told how He would return from the Father. One of the primary teachings of the early church was the imminent return of the Son of God. It was to this belief that many held firmly to their expectations of the return of Christ.

Two thousand years have passed since Jesus promised to return, which has jaded the feelings of God’s people to expect His return at any moment. There is little eagerness for the return of Jesus. Life is so busy for most people that little thought or care is given to considering that at any moment, the shout of the archangel and the trumpet of God will sound, and the world will end. Unless the preacher presents a lesson on the second coming of Christ, no thought is given to its reality. People are eager to know what next week will bring or how the economy will survive in the new year. Jobs consume the thoughts of the heart, worried about paying the bills and taking care of the family. Everything weighs heavy on the mind but eagerly waiting for the Lord is noticeably absent.

Paul wrote to the Roman Christians in the spirit of the quick anticipation of Jesus’ return. Life was difficult for the apostle, but he could see the sufferings of this world could not be compared to the glory awaiting the faithful. Because of this, Paul expressed an eager anticipation for the coming of the Lord. He knew there was much to do in this life, but he could not wait to see his Lord face to face. He was eager for the adoption that was sure and steadfast. His salvation was promised by God, who cannot lie, and Paul lived to be adopted. His hope in Christ came from his eagerness to serve the Lord and his desire to die in the Lord.

Having a desire of eagerness is to fill the heart with a promised hope. This eager spirit was not trusting in the wisdom of men. Paul’s eager spirit fully trusted in the promises made by God to save him. He was looking forward to the coming of the Lord with great anticipation as though it would take place in his life. For the Christian thousands of years removed from the life of Jesus, it becomes hard to be eager about the return of the Lord. There is more anticipation for the events of life than the joy of eternity. Death is feared and dreaded. There is little thought given to eternal life.

The earnest expectation for the coming of Christ can only come from hearts longing to leave this world and seek for eternity. Life will take on a different meaning when, instead of being anxious about this world, the heart is eager to embrace the world to come. Having an eagerness requires faith to take the eyes away from the comfort of this short life and fill the heart with a “can’t wait” attitude of being with God. Learn to be eager. Allow the promises of God to loosen the chains of a world destined for destruction. Be excited. Eternity is coming.