HOPE AND WORTHY ACHIEVEMENTS

“What makes the daring soldier rush into the mouth of death itself? Hope is the helmet and shield, which make him calm in the face of every danger.

Hope of salvation moves the Christian to perform high and worthy services. It is a grace conceived for great action. As carnal hope stirs carnal man to achievements, which gain them reputation in the world, so this heavenly hope influences the saint's undertakings.

What makes the daring soldier rush into the mouth of death itself? He hopes to rescue honor from the jaws of death. Hope is the helmet and shield, which makes him calm in the face of every danger. What makes a man tear his pants and crawl up some craggy mountain, which proves only a bleak, barren place to stand in? There he is wrapped up in clouds and can look over other men's heads and see a little farther than they. Now if these hopes-- which borrow motives from human ambition and imagination-- turn men toward accomplishments, how much more does the believer's hope of eternal life provoke him to noble exploits! Let us look at some examples.

Hope frees from lust. When Moses came to give Israel the hope of God's approaching salvation, his people experienced a mighty change. Whereas they had cowered under Egyptian burdens and had not tried to shake off the oppressor's yoke, now they broke free and marched toward their promised rest. It did not seem to make any difference that Pharaoh chased them with a raging determination-- they were fortified with hope.

How helpless is the person who does not have this heavenly hope! Satan makes a slave of him and he becomes the footstool for the every base lust to trample upon. He lets the devil ride him anywhere, at any time. No mud puddle is too filthy for Satan to lead him through with a twine thread. And the poor man follows because he does not know a better master, nor better wages than the sensual pleasures of his lust”

Quoted material from, ”The Christian in Complete Armour Daily Readings in Spiritual Warfare” by Gurnall and James S Bell. http://www.moodypublishers.com/pub_productDetail.aspx?id=41823&pid=53617