Do Not Grieve


"We do not want you to...grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope." 1 Thessalonians 4:13


We're not always sure what hope looks like. No hope, however, is easy to spot. Immigrant youth in France see no hope in the future, so they lash out in violence, torching cars and burning buildings. American families, who have maxed out their credit cards and can't figure a way out from under the debt, often have as sense of hopelessness. In instances like these having no hope of a future causes grief to set in.


It doesn't have to be like that. Just when there seems to be no way out, Jesus says, "I am the way" (John 14:6). Just when death seems to have a victory, Christ shows us his empty tomb. Just when your world seems to get worse and worse, Jesus says, "I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am" (John 14:3).Having hope in Jesus shows itself in the most difficult situations. Parents who lost their two-month-old child still battle extended bouts of crying, but they have the peace of knowing she now with Jesus in heaven. A cancer patient struggling for his last breath passes peacefully into death, because he knows death is not the end. Grandchildren sing joyously through sobs, "I know that my Redeemer lives," because they know Grandma knew her Savior Jesus.Knowing Jesus is having hope - for he is our future!


Dear Jesus, give us hope that only you can give: because you conquered death and guarantee a glorious resurrection to all who believe in you, life is not hopeless and death is not final. Amen.