By: Pastor Jarren Rogers

“My hope is built on nothing less / Than Jesus Christ, my righteousness; / I dare not trust the sweetest frame, / But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.” – Edward Mote

What do you hope for? What have you hoped for that just seemed to fall short?

Most of the time, our expectations or our hopes always fall short of reality. We can all probably share of a time when we really had been looking forward to a certain event or a certain day. But when that day finally came and went, we looked back and saw how it had failed to match up with our expectations. Our hopes were dashed.

I think that we have misplaced our hope so many times, that we feel it’s best not to hope and to have no expectations. I’m sure we’ve all been told, “Now, don’t get your hopes up,” because even others knew that our hopes could never match the reality that was to come. Our hopes were constantly destroyed, so we just stopped hoping.

Can I remind you today that there is one place that you can place your hope where reality will actually exceed your expectations!

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:1-5).

This time of year, we celebrate the fact that God sent His Son to earth. It is because of Christ’s coming and sacrifice that we are able to be justified through faith. It is because of our salvation that we are able to boast in our hope of the glory of God. This is a hope that will not be put to shame. It is not a hope that we will regret having. Instead, the reality of what God has to offer will transcend our small, human-sized hope in Him.

There will be a day when all of our tears will be wiped away. All sorrow and pain will vanish and Death itself will be vanquished. All of creation will be renewed and everything that was wrong will be made right. Love will once again reign supreme and hate will be no more. We will spend eternity worshiping in awe of our amazing and wonderful Creator.

That is something to put your hope in. That is something that each of us is able to look forward to in expectation.

So get your hopes up! Get excited. Live like you know the end of the story (which you do).

Place your hope in a God who is alive and reigns supreme now and forever. A God you will meet face to face.

I promise you, that moment will exceed your expectations.

Parents: Ask your children what they think Heaven will be like. Tell them that it will exceed their expectations.