Thanksgiving (5) Hope. Forever.

And finally, on Thanksgiving itself, we are so thankful for the eternal hope we have through the grace of God. There are so many rich quotes full of the truth of what that means and so many verses that I could use. One that struck me a few weeks back when I read it was the quote below. It's in a book that the history major in me is loving because it combines primary source documents with a few pages of preface for each section and traces the solidifying and defending the doctrine of Christ. I am so grateful that even in a world that despises God and often the belief in God that through His grace I know that He is real and I live for a life after this one and a world that I was made for where there will be no more tears, no more pain, and no more death. I just love the way this quote puts it as Ignatius defends against the idea that Jesus did not really come to earth as fully God and fully man.

"But as for me, I do not place my hopes in one who died for me in appearance, but in reality... He was crucified in reality, and not in appearance, not in imagination, not in deceit." Ignatius in "The Epistle to the Trallians'" quoted in For Us and For Our Salvation