Christ Alone
Written by Rebecca Schwartz
"...According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."
- 1 Peter 1:3b
Imagine a man stranded on a deserted island: no food, no supplies, no communication. He sits on the beach, aimlessly poking the sand with a stick, lost in himself.
Moments later, he hears the rumble of a low-flying plane. He jumps up with new purpose, arms waving as he runs along the shore, shouting for rescue. His heart alive, his eyes lifted.
Same man, same situation, yet everything’s changed. The difference? Hope.
We can place our hope in many things: possessions, relationships, wisdom, and health. But earthly things always falter. Christ alone can hold the weight and joys of our tomorrows.
I know this in my head, yet I don’t always live like it. When I find myself, like that man on the island, self-focused and anxiously poking the sand, it’s often because my hope is absent or misplaced.
This Advent, may our hope be in Christ alone- not "Jesus and _____," but simply Jesus. And may we stand, united with believers across the nations and the ages, as a people marked by the expectant hope of Christ. The day may change, but the source of our hope remains the same.
Steady and alive, a place where we can rest: this is the hope of our God. It transcends the temporary and rises above the circumstances of the day. May we live in that hope, tracing the shores of our lives with purpose and eyes fixed on Him.
PRAYER: God, You alone are our hope. Help us exchange the false securities of this world for Your living hope.
