We all desire to come to place when we are not easily moved by external circumstances, that our hearts are steadfast trusting in the Lord. This is a state where you find that regardless of what you have or do not have physically, you remain firm and can’t give up on God. Today many people have gone back from following Christ because they have not received the material things they expected. And this is influenced by how the gospel was presented to them, focused mainly on material gains on earth and only a better life once they made decision for the Lord.
So, for our study, let’s consider a scripture in Colossians 1:3-6 “We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it has also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;”
Note that the Colossian’s church had faith in Christ and love for all the saints. These two things must always go together. Actually love for the fellow believers is one of those important indicators that the love of God is in you and that you have eternal life as a believer in Christ. “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death”. 1 John 3:14.
Fix your eyes on eternal hope
Now, back to our scripture in Colossians. These people had all that faith and that love simply because they had their eyes fixed on the hope laid up for them in heaven. They looked beyond the current rewards and fixed their eyes to what Christ had prepared for them in eternity. I believe they understood about the future eternal rewards that Christ promised and the inheritance. They saw beyond the present earth. Hearing such gospel which showed them about what Christ had for them in heaven produced fruits in their lives and made them strong believers who could even show sacrificial love to other saint regardless of the circumstances.
Apostle Paul reminds us that, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. See 1 Corinthians 15:19. This is true because sometimes hardships hit and things do not seem to move in the directions we expected. We will utterly fall and lose heart if we are believers only for material gains today.
A living hope reserved in heaven
Let’s compare 1 Peter 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,”
Can you imagine this? We were born again to a living hope, to an inheritance. It is reserved in HEAVEN. Wow! It is not reserved on EARTH!
Conclusion
Therefore, much as we trust God to meet our current needs beyond what we ask and imagine, we should not forget to see the bigger picture of what Christ has prepared for us beyond this physical life. Having this attitude will turn you into an unshakeable believer in Christ who will as well be willing to share goods sacrificially with others even in trying moments.
