The Hope That Purifies

As I sat in the hospital room with a couple from our church, she said something that surprised me.

“Pastor Greg,” she told me, “I’m very excited about what is happening. The Lord is at work.” She went on to say the Lord was with them, and they were trusting Him.

The doctors had been running all kinds of tests on her, trying to figure out what was going on. Sometimes she couldn’t walk or even talk. Sometimes she would even lose her vision temporarily. And then she would be all right again.

I thought, “You’re lying in a hospital bed, and you’re excited?”

But she was. And why could she say this? Because when you’re going through a time of difficulty like that, God is right there with you in a special way.

Maybe it’s just that you’re more aware of how He is with you, and you are hanging on to Him more tightly. As He said to the apostle Paul, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT).

We can go through an entire day without a single thought about Heaven. We can even go through an entire week without even thinking about eternal things. But when you’re on your back, the only direction you can look is up.

I think we all need a heavenly perspective. And we need to be reminded of this simple fact: Jesus Christ is coming back, and He’s coming back soon. Are you ready?

The Bible says, “And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure. (1 John 3:3 NLT). If you really believe, therefore, that Jesus Christ could come back at any time, it will affect the way that you live.