Hope isn’t an evil to be caged; it is a boon and blessing for citizens of heaven. Hope is the home language of the Christian, and we need to stay fluent if we want to be useful to the Lord in this life.

According to Greek mythology, all evil is the fault of one woman: a young lady named Pandora. When the gods created Pandora, they each bestowed her with a gift. Among her birthday presents was a beautifully crafted treasure chest. But inside this box was a host of all the world’s evils.

When Pandora opened the box, the evils flew out like bats and immediately began plaguing mankind. Slander, greed, jealousy, hate, and every other degeneracy were forever at large.

But as the legend has it, Pandora managed to snap the lid closed just in time to trap one evil inside. Do you know which evil was not allowed to escape?

It was hope.

Hope, you say? How can hope be an evil?

It was believed by the Greeks that hope was the most pernicious of all evils because it prevented people from accepting their fate. As long as hope remained trapped in the box, people would not long for an afterlife and would, therefore, be more useful in this life.

Existential philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, suggested that in an extended time of difficulty, hope may prove worse than hopelessness. For example, prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole tend to adjust better to their situation than prisoners who hope for the day of their release. They accept their fate as hopeless, and thus learn to be content.

But does God want us to be perfectly satisfied with our current situation? Does God desire that we grow content with this life, where his will is not universally obeyed, where sin is rampant, and suffering remains part of everyday experience?

The answer is found in 1 Peter 1:13.

2 Instructions On Hope That Help You Live With Your Eyes Fixed On Jesus

1. The Command

1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The second half verse 13 contains Peter’s main point: we should hope. Hope in Scripture is something definite – something that can be relied on as certain to occur. So Peter says to set your hope fully on this: the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

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