The most potent force for the production of virtue!

(Charles Spurgeon)

"The HOPE which is reserved for you in Heaven." Colossians 1:5

Our hope in Christ for the future, is the mainspring and the mainstay of our joy here on earth.
It will animate our hearts to think often of Heaven, for all that we can desire is promised there.

Here on earth we are weary and toil-worn. Yonder is the land of rest, where the sweat of labor shall no more bedew the worker's brow, and fatigue shall be forever banished. To those who are weary and woe-worn, the word "rest" is full of Heaven.

We are always in the field of battle. We are so tempted within, and so molested by foes without-that we have little or no peace! But in Heaven we shall enjoy the victory, when the banner shall be waved aloft in triumph, and the sword shall be forever sheathed, and we shall hear our Captain say, "Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your Lord!"

We have suffered bereavement after bereavement-but we are going to the land of the immortal, where graves are unknown things.

Here on earth, sin is a constant grief to us-but there we shall be perfectly holy, for nothing which defiles shall enter into that pure kingdom! Hemlock does not spring up in the furrows of celestial fields.

Oh! is it not joy, that we are not to be in a state of banishment forever-that we are not to dwell eternally in this wilderness, but shall soon inherit everlasting glory!

Nevertheless let it never be said of us, that we are dreaming about the future-and forgetting the present. Let the future sanctify the present to highest uses. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the hope of Heaven is the most potent force for the production of virtue! It is a fountain of joyous effort-it is the cornerstone of cheerful holiness.

The man who has this hope in Jesus goes about his work with vigor, for the joy of the Lord is his strength. He fights against temptation with ardor, for the hope of the next world repels the fiery darts of the adversary. He can labor without present reward, "for here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come!" Hebrews 13:1

"The hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time!" Titus 1:2

"While we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ!" Titus 2:13

"Having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." Titus 3:7

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If you desire additional reading, may we suggest James Smith's superb 1 page article, "God Leading His People Through the Wilderness".