Do you feel like you have a place—a person you can turn to that gives you real hope? And if you do, is that person always there for you, faithful to the end, kind, merciful, loving, and true?

You may have been a Christian for one year, ten years, or 40 years. Or you may have no idea what I mean by “being a Christian”. Either way, you still may feel like no one or nothing is giving you the hope you so desperately want and need.

Often times we look to the things of the world to give us hope, peace, and satisfaction—money, jobs, position, relationships, children. But all of these things can be gone in an instant. They in themselves do not offer lasting hope.

I was raised in a Christian home, but did not understand real hope until I was 26 years old. Even though I had grown up attending church and hearing about Jesus, God’s Son, I still did not understand what it meant to have a personal relationship with the only true Living God.

In order to know God—to become a Christian, we must first understand the Gospel.

God is the holy, just, and gracious Creator of all things.

• He is holy. (Isaiah 43:15)
• He is just. (Proverbs 17:15
• He is Gracious. (Titus 2:11)

We are each created by God, but we are all corrupted by sin.

• We have rebelled against God. (Romans 3:12)
• We are separated from God. (Romans 3:23)
• We are dead without God. (Romans 6:23)

Jesus alone is able to remove our sin and restore us to God.

• He lived the life we could not live. (1 John 3:5)
• He died the death we deserve to die. (1 Peter 2:24)
• He conquered the enemy we cannot conquer—death. (Revelation 1:18)

We can be restored to God only through faith in Jesus.

• We turn from our sin and ourselves. (Mark 1:15)
• We trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord. (Romans 10:9)

Our eternal destiny hinges on our response to Jesus.

• Hell is a dreadful reality for those who turn from Jesus. (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)
• Heaven is a glorious reality for those who trust in Jesus. (Philippians 3:20)
• Will you turn from Jesus or will you trust in Jesus? (1 John 3:16)

(from “Threads”, The Church at Brook Hills)

Because of the LIFE, hope, peace, comfort, guidance, and much more that is available only through trusting in Jesus, I pray you will reflect on your life, your life after death, your object or person of hope, and see that Jesus is the only person who will ever give you real hope, real peace, real life.

“Jesus said… ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.’”

John 14:6

Thanks for staying with me and taking the time to read. If you’ve not already, I pray you find Real Hope.

Quoted scripture is from the ESV unless otherwise noted.