What is more important: To stake your hope in some created thing, something that will eventually pass away, that you will not be taking with you to the grave; or to stake your hope in the Creator, who existed from eternity past, united His deity to humanity, died on a cross willingly, rose from the grave, and all in order that you would believe in Him and be raised to new life after you die, and thus live forever with Him?

As believer’s we must have the eternal perspective that before the Father, standing in Christ alone, we have perfect approval. We don’t need approval from anyone else or any other created thing, because if we are in Christ, we have all the approval that will ever matter: the approval and justification of the eternal God in Christ! How wonderful is that? There’s nothing better! It’s in this perspective we approach all situations in life … good and blessed times, awful rotten times, whatever the situation, we find our confidence, approval, self-esteem, guidance, love, patience, morality, everything, in Christ alone. Christ was morally perfect and fulfilled the law from our side, but He also gained the eternal justification of God for us as well. And in regard to the various events of life, whether it’s experiencing a death of a close friend or relative, or gaining a top position in a law firm, none of these things give you more or less of standing before God. Sure, if you gain a position in an awesome law firm, you will get approval before men, sinful men. But how does that in any way matter for all eternity?

The very fact of the matter is that if we place our hope and trust in anything within this world, whatever it may be, relationships, jobs, money, positions, power, popularity, intellectual abilities, etc, anything apart from Christ, it is idolatry. “You shall have no other gods before Me.” In Christ, because He fulfilled this law and all of God’s laws from our side, through faith in Him, He are now freed from running to make everyone think we’re all that, when really none of us are all that, even at our best; we’re all sinners, unrighteous and filthy, apart from Christ’s work on the cross, applied to our lives. So we don’t trust or hope for anything within this world, but we trust in and hope in Christ alone, that He has redeemed us and will raise us on the last day.