Since I Met You: A Five-Day Devotional With Jamie KimmettSample

DAY 2 \- Hope That Matters Hope’s effect on the human heart is what oxygen is to the lungs; It’s vital. The question is, what are we setting our hope on? As a 16-year-old, I was asked by my career-guidance teacher at school, “what hope do you have for the future?” “Well, I’m good at music,” I said, to which she replied, ”It’s best to manage your expectations!” The unspoken message was aim lower and avoid disappointment! On the other hand, I had friends who were told by their parents you can do ANYTHING if you set your mind to it! The problem was a skinny 5’1 Scots teen was never going to be an Olympic heavyweight boxing champion! The warning to take from these polarizing scenarios is that hope has to be realistic, doesn’t it? Or else it’s not genuine or worth our devotion. The reason Christianity is the most convincing ultimate hope to set our hearts on is that it is true and, therefore, realistic. The Christian hope also accomplishes something unique - resurrection and eternal life! Impressive results! Yes, the claims of Christ deliver and then some - His life, death, and resurrection are all recorded, and the evidence comes from both biblical and secular writings with eyewitness accounts! No one is left from the American Civil War but we know the facts because they were recorded and we place our faith in them. The old saying – “only two things are certain in life; death and taxes” may be well-attested - but I know of one even greater: Jesus Christ the Son of God died to pay our debt and rose again from the grave defeating death! These are, without a doubt, the most important events in history. Truths worth hoping for! One day our earthly bodies will fail and the earth will be gone. How we prioritize now will determine our eternal future. If our ultimate hope is family, career, kids, happiness, or travel then, sadly, it’s not Christ. Friends, while I still sometimes struggle to keep Jesus as my daily priority, I must confess since I met Jesus, I have a Hope and joyful expectation for the future unlike any other. One day soon we will be with Him in glory; worshiping as He wipes away every tear from our eyes and it will all have been worth it. Let us hope in Christ, friends, for He will never disappoint! "Everything’s painted in a shade of new ever since I met you."