Have you ever been absolutely sure of anything? I am. What makes you absolutely sure of something? Is it the source? Is it yourself? Let me share with you what I have learned about assurance and how it brings hope.
The dictionary defines assurance as being certain in the mind. I think of it in those terms as well. I am assured when I know absolutely without a doubt that something is going to happen. How do I have such confidence? Well for me it is the source of the promise. For example, I know for certain that if an apple comes loose from the tree it is going to fall and not go up to a higher branch. It is so because sciences tells me that gravity will pull it to the ground here on earth now if we were in space where there is no gravity then who knows what the apple would do. So my source in this case is the scientific fact that gravity exists.
Now that was easy right. Now let me look at what will happen in the future. Not so easy. There are all sorts of things that are unanswered. Will I sell my house? Will I be happy? Will I live to be one-hundred? The answer to those types of questions is a mystery. There is a huge question that I am assured of the answer because it is backed by the source of a promise. I am assured that I have eternal life. I am going to live the rest of my life with God, The Father, The Son (Jesus Christ) and The Holy Spirit. I am assured of that because God has promised me. Jude 24-26 says, “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (ESV) These three verses alone give me assurance of my eternal life with God. I can think of nothing else that gives me greater hope. There are several other passages in the Bible that gives me additional assurance. I have included a more complete discussion in my book, Hope Amid Hopelessness: Our Abba Father Provides a Straight Path Through Mental Illness. I would encourage you to listen to a very encouraging message on this passage in Jude by Troy Dobbs of Grace Church Eden Prairie.
I see that there are only two choices that we have in life. I can choose to accept God’s free gift of eternal life with Him or I can reject His gift and spend eternity separated from God and burn in the eternal fire. I pray you choose to accept His gift. You can learn how here.
I pray that you will be assured your eternal life as I am by knowing you can trust the promises of God and realize the same love and hope that only comes from Jesus. It is through a relationship with God through Jesus that solves the problem of sin and brings us hope in the present and the future. I would also encourage you to seek Jesus for He is the only opportunity there is to have eternal life. This is to me the greatest source of hope. In doing so, I believe we will have hope and joy in our everyday lives. Understanding how Jesus Christ grants us access to eternal life, allows us to live in hope. “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3 (ESV) At the same time understanding you will live eternally knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ will also bring you the greatest hope. Because of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross satisfied the penalty for sins. His payment satisfies all my sins from the past, the present and in the future. My penalty and yours was satisfied on the cross by the death of Jesus, God’s greatest act of love and wrath, who became sin for me and you. It was also God’s greatest act of faithfulness because “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (ESV) Because holiness shows us, we need to believe in Jesus. I hope that you join me in helping others to choose Jesus.
If you have not read my previous blogs, you can find them here.
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You can find my book, Hope Amid Hopelessness: Our Abba Father Provides a Way Through Mental Illness here.
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