Our Gospel Hope

 

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

 

As we read the above passage, it sounds pleasing and it seems simple enough. But, in reality, it’s anything but simple. It’s anything but simple because life is hard.

 

Life is full of problems and hardships. And, as we face them, we don’t feel like rejoicing, we don’t feel like praying, and it doesn’t seem to us that we have reason to give thanks. These admonitions, which ordinarily seem good and easy to fulfill suddenly become difficult on so many levels.

 

After all, why would we rejoice when life is hard? Why would we pray when it seems that our requests go unheard? And why would we give thanks when it seems we’re receiving only the curse and never the blessing?

 

These are all fair questions. And, as we live in this world, they seem logical. They reveal, however, that we’re short-sighted. They reveal to us that we’ve failed to understand the gospel.

 

According to Scripture, the difficulties and hardships of life are the consequences of sin. They’re the natural result of sin. And we must not pretend that any of these consequences are undeserved.

 

Yet, as we reflect upon this truth, our tendency is to point to the forgiving and gracious nature of God. And Jesus, indeed, came into this world to save us from sin and its consequences. This does not mean, however, that our life in this world will be perfect. It does not mean that it will be free of problems.

 

We will only be free of sin when we meet Jesus face to face. And we will only be free of the consequences of our sin when the end of this age has come. At that time, sin and its consequences will be no more as we are conformed to the image of Christ.

 

In the meantime, this means that we’ll continue to face hardships and difficulties. But we must realize that they’re only temporary. They will not endure forever.

 

That which is eternal provides us with ample reason to rejoice. It gives us ample reason to pray. And it gives us ample reason for thanksgiving.

 

We can rejoice in Jesus and what he’s done for us. We can rejoice in the sacrifice he made on our behalf and his resurrection from the grave. And we can rejoice in the blessings he’s provided for us in this way.

 

We can rejoice even in the face of hardships. We can pray in the face of difficulties. We can give thanks when it feels like we’re on the receiving end of God’s judgment. We can do so because of the gospel. We can do so because of the hope we have in Jesus.