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“Because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven.”
— Colossians 1:5 NKJV
Colossians 1:5 reminds us that the fruit of our hope is like diamonds stored up in heaven. Hope begins with our understanding of faith. Faith is the substance that gives rise to the things we hope for. Faith looks upward to God; love looks outward to others; hope looks to the future. The Scriptures say, “without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6), and because God has poured out His love, “hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5). However, “the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13), which complements the hope stored up through faith.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
— John 3:16 NKJV
We have faith and love because of hope—our confidence in what God will do in the future. That is, Christ’s return, which we call “the blessed hope” (Titus 2:13). This hope influences our conduct (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). It reminds us that we have hope securely stored up in heaven. This is because Christ, who is the essence of our hope, is in heaven. Had Christ not ascended to heaven, where He makes intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1), we would have no hope.
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As Christians, we must remember that we are all members of one body. If one member of the body receives strength, the entire body benefits from it. Let us therefore be grateful and praise God for what He is doing in the lives of other believers who also have this hope stored up in the heavenly realms, for we all anticipate this hope. That hope is eternal life, of both our bodies and souls, and it awaits us in the resurrection when Christ returns. God, who cannot lie, promised the hope of eternal life before the world began. Until then, we should pursue the kingdom of heaven and God’s righteousness, that we may stand in the evil day.
Christ warned that in this world we will have distress and suffering (John 16:33). But you were saved for a purpose. And because of your hope laid up in heaven, do not allow your heart to become troubled, for Christ has also overcome the world. And since we are in Christ, and He is in us, we are also overcomers.
