THOU ART MY HIDING PLACE AND MY SHIELD: I HOPE IN THY WORD. DEPART FROM ME, YE EVILDOERS: FOR I WILL KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF MY GOD. UPHOLD ME ACCORDING UNTO THY WORD, THAT I MAY LIVE: AND LET ME NOT BE ASHAMED OF MY HOPE. (Psalm 119:114-116).

What is the hope of man? Eternal life is a promise God has given to us even before the world began! (Titus 1:2,3). When Peter told the Lord he had left all to follow him surprisingly he was told he had left nothing other than to have gained even more in this life and the world to come eternal life (Mark 10:28-31) Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first. 

With all the trials and tribulations that we see throughout the world today, we would be without hope if we failed to set our eyes on the only hope we have which is faith in Christ and God our Father the hope of all of the Israel of God (Jeremiah 14:7-9) O Lord, though our iniquities testify against us, do thou it for thy names sake: for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against thee. O the hope of Israel, the saviour therof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night. Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.

As a believer in Christ we are cleansed of all sin by true repentance, and by the gift of God’s mercy do we inherit all promises we have lived for (Titus 3:5-7) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 

When we accept Christ we soon see a change of his work within us, the world does not know us as it once did for our way is now a different path of living for God and not the cares of this world we had previously lived for. (1 John 3: 1-3) Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knowest us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.