The Wellspring of Our Soul

  From a chasm deep within my soul springs forth a source of continual love: living water sparkling with crystals of faith that contain all understanding and knowledge from above, bursting forth a life surrounded by a fallen world where resides the precious anomaly of hope. Without it, any enthusiasm for life would disappear into a bottomless pit of despair. If all hope were destroyed within the heart of mankind, the human race would die out in a couple of years. Suicides would be the norm, and our creative drive would wither, exhausted from despair. Self-preservation would not be strong enough to save us from extinction, and we would wilt under the pressure of a futureless society.

Hope is a comfort to our soul, and it enables us to continue through life even when reason has long disappeared. The hope of those lost in the wilderness, floating aimlessly at sea, or suffering from disease, empowers us to carry on under the most excruciating circumstances. The long days of suffering can seem like years, and the pain we bear in the fight for life against overwhelming odds has saved many of us from insanity. It has saved the lonely prisoner who suffers for years in a five-by-eight cell just waiting to see the light of day and freedom. It is the most precious of all commodities, and brings a wealth of heart to those of us who rely on its healing powers.

  As Christians we are looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Through the promises of our heavenly Father, our belief rests in the hope of His return. Every one of us who has this hope purifies our self just as He is pure and without sin. In our aspiration for eternal life, which God Who cannot lie promised us, we place our hope in being justified by the grace of God. We will be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life so we continue our work of faith without ceasing. Through our labor of love we place our patience in our Lord Jesus Christ and in the knowledge of God our Father. We make our hearts holy, always ready to give an answer to those who ask for a reason to hope. We do this through a humble attitude and respect for the Lord.

Throughout history those who feared the Lord suffered greatly. Many were stoned, put to death by the sword, beheaded, and burned at the stake. The price for salvation cost many their lives. The servants of Christ lived in caves and holes in the ground, and wandered through the deserts to avoid persecution. Those of us who are alive have an example of the past so we should set aside every sin that encumbers us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2 NKJV).

  Our encouragement comes from God as we are children of the faith, and our hope is the sweet anticipation of things promised but not yet realized. We have great confidence in our hope because it is based on the character of God, and the redeeming work of His Son, Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3 NKJV). It is a living hope that rests on reality, and the vital expectation that in the end Jesus Christ will make all things right.