Our Hope Is in Tomorrow EGP Blog post from April 6, 2014

Let me say this to you, and I want you to have your CONFIDENCE built in this. For the BELIEVER in Christ—so, NOT humanity [as a whole]—for the believer in JESUS CHRIST, bad days, regardless of how HORRIFIC, regardless of how SOUL-CRUSHING, HEART-FAILING, OVERWHELMING those days are, bad days for the Christian will ALWAYS ultimately lead to BETTER days, on into the BEST of days. Now, I’ll tell you why that doesn’t sit well with us, and why we have such a hard time with some of these things. Our culture in EVERY MEASURABLE POSSIBLE WAY has no FORESIGHT to see TOMORROW, it’s just TODAY. What I want TODAY and what I want to enjoy TODAY. … I need it RIGHT NOW. I need it to be EASY now. I don’t need there to be any DIFFICULTY now. We are SLAVES to the “god” of [personal] COMFORT and TODAY, and he KEEPS BETRAYING us and we KEEP WORSHIPING him. But for the Christian, our hope is in TOMORROW, not today but tomorrow. In fact, Jesus said it. “In this life you will have trouble.” … “but take heart,” He said, “for I have overcome the world.” …

There are a couple of reasons why I’m really GRATEFUL for being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, and having to do 18 months of chemotherapy, and having radiation pumped into my brain. … Because I’m not just standing here with this THEORY that all things work together for the good of those who love Him. That’s not a THEORY of mine. Like, I KNOW it to be true. “Well OF COURSE you do, Chandler, you’re ALIVE!” LISTEN! If I was dead, is that a net LOSS for me as a Christian? If I’m to DIE is that, “OH NO! I got ROBBED from so many BEAUTIFUL things”? Do you know how GHETTO those things are in light of what’s COMING for those of us who are children of God? “Well, you must not understand grand babies.” Well, you must not understand the glory of GOD, because it would make grandchildren PALE in comparison to the light of His GLORY and GRACE. It would make it WORTH it in a second. “ALL THINGS work together for the good for those that love God and are called according to His purposes.”

—Matt Chandler, The Village Church, Scattered to Gather

Key verses

John 16:33; Romans 8:28; 2 Corinthians 5:1–5