Waist Deep 2018 - October 16

I Corinthians 15: 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. (NIV)

Only in the light of eternity is godly living always more rewarding.*

Not all of us are called to a life of hardship and persecution. I have never suffered for my faith; have you? I have actually had a life of abundance. But whether my happy life is a result of God’s blessing or just good luck, it would be a pointless existence if I had no hope beyond living and dying.

If our only hope in Christ is what we have now, we have no hope because that makes Jesus a liar and not our Savior. If he is not who he says he is, then who is he? What does he have to offer us? The absurdity of believing in and having a relationship with someone who turns out to be the universe’s greatest conman is in stark contrast to the reality of our hope in Christ. How pathetic are those who have died for their faith if it turns out to be a hoax.

If there is no resurrection, then Jesus is dead. If Jesus is dead, who has been answering my prayers and walking beside me? What is the purpose of Christianity without the hope of the resurrection?* 

Hopeless world, don’t waste your pity on me! My hope is real.

Death is an affront to our emotions and reason. Death is the curse of life; the resurrection is the hope of
life.*