Paul begins his letter to Timothy with this little phrase, perhaps innocuous, but certainly not insignificant: “Christ Jesus, who is our hope.” For followers of Jesus, He is our hope. Which means, there are certain things that must not be our hope.
1. My health is not my hope
There is a saying, “If you have your health, you have everything.” In light of our Biblical phrase, “Christ Jesus, who is our hope,” this popular saying is patently untrue. First of all, if you have your health, and not Christ, then in the end, you will have nothing. Secondly, if you don’t have your health, but you have Christ, you do indeed have everything.
2. My spouse is not my hope
A good marriage is a wonderful thing. And I love my wife. But she is not my hope. And actuarily, it would be best if I were not hers, since she will likely live longer, without me, but not without Christ. She will still have her hope.
3. My house is not my hope
Oh, goodness, no. I am thankful for our house, but some days I feel that I’m a prisoner to it. If it’s not maintenance to stay the decay, it’s improvements to keep up with the times. No, my house is not my hope.
4. My retirement is not my hope
I think “retirement” may be a construction of sociologists, similar to “adolescence,” in which at least a few of both classes are excused for living irresponsibly. If retirement is your hope, you will find it short-lived and short-sighted. We must always ask, “And what then?” “Retirement years” are just as much preparation for the enjoyment of our true hope as are any earlier years of our lives.
5. My pleasures are not my hope
We are a pleasure-seeking, pleasure-indulging society. We believe that our happiness is linked to our pleasures. But pleasures, like spouses, are not designed to be the substance of our hope. Know this, that your hope is linked to your worship, and we ought not worship our spouses, or our pleasures, but rather, Christ Jesus, who is our hope.
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