hope of glory

hope.
The house is starting to stir with the sound of little feet and sleepy bodies arousing from sleep.
Soon the day will be full of words--children asking for what they need...what they think they need...
people greeting and those returning the greetings.
friendly conversations and irritated exchanges.
In all of the words spoken through the course of any day, I would venture to say the most beautiful word in the spoken language of any tribe, any tongue or any dialect is hope.
hope. 

'To them God chose to make known how great among 

the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery,

which is Christ in you,

the hope of glory.'

Colossians 1:27

God chose. 

He is subject to no one. He is second to none. 

He chose on His own divine and perfect accord.

how great among the Gentiles...

Israel is His chosen nation. His beloved people (Isaiah 43).

The Gentiles were alienated...enemies of God and His chosen people. 

They represented godlessness, depravity and hopelessness (Matthew 5:47, 6:7, 32; Luke 21:24).

Following Christ's death and resurrection, we see reconciliation between God and His people--all of His created people.

By including the Gentiles and revealing Himself to the Gentiles, it's as though God is saying,

"Dear child...if I can save them... if I can reveal myself to them...if my love can extend to them...

it can extend to you as well. Just reach out and take hold of it." 

Christ in you...

alive. personal. active. present.

in. you. 

This is not some strange possession that will make you foam at the mouth or run up and down the aisles of a church and send money to the televangelist. 

This is a God that stepped out of heaven--took off the robes of perfect glory and stepped into human skin and lived by the agonizing rules of the human race.

This is about a God that is relateable. victorious over the things that hold you down.

and He desires to be present, not only on Sunday mornings, or Easter or Christmas, or during crisis...

but He longs to live in you.

through the every day comings and goings of mundane life. 

through the mountain tops and the valleys below. 

through the light of day and dark of night.

through the private and the public. the intimate and the known. 

Christ in you!

the hope of glory.

hope of a future spent with God for all of eternity. 

hope of His presence in our lives while we journey through life on this dusty and messy planet. 

the beautiful understanding that all we have...all we are...all we hope to be...

is summed up in three words:

Christ in you. 

He is our hope. 

He is our glory. 

He is our future. 

He is our redemption from the past. 

He is healing. 

He is sustainer. 

He is hope. 

May a spirit of humility and overwhelming gratitude wash over you as your heart bends under the weight of His fullness.

Don't pat yourself on your back for your greatness, because there is no such thing. 

Don't give way to discouragement in light of your failures or flaws--God is a redeemer and hope. 

Everything we have, everything we desire to do and succeed at doing is from Him. 

It is Christ in us that is our hope of glory.

Hallelujah!