The slow build-up of tension, the constant red-herrings and unexpected twists, before the final big reveal at the end that hits you completely out of left-field.
It’s all part of a great entertainment package that has been a staple of the movie industry since the days of Alfred Hitchcock.
In many ways, life is a bit like a thriller movie, with constant twists and turns and unexpected events. But unlike a movie, you don’t have the reassurance that someone has already planned it out to give you a satisfying ending.
Or do you?
What if we could know our life was going to finish with a satisfying purpose and plan at the end of it all?
As a follower of Jesus, I find the Bible makes a lot of sense about life and gives a satisfying reason for our existence.
And it also gives us hope for the future.
The Bible is really one big story about God’s quest to win back his people who had run away to do their own thing.
Like a thriller movie, there are lots of unexpected twists and a healthy dose of tension as God keeps the big reveal of his plan for the end of the story.
But the really great thing is that God’s plan isn’t a secret anymore. And his plan includes us.
Paul, one of the witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection, wrote to an early group of Christians in Turkey these amazing words: ‘God has chosen to reveal to us his amazing secret plan: Jesus Christ with you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)’
For followers of Jesus, these words give us a great reassurance there is someone making sure that our lives aren’t wasted.
That there is an ending we can look forward to.
We can know God has a plan which is both good and satisfying.
God’s plan was to send His own Son, Jesus, to defeat death by dying for us so we could have hope our future wouldn’t finish with death.
Instead, we know that we can look forward to a future filled with wonder and glory.
But how can we know this hope?
How can we be sure it’s true for us?
The clue is in the phrase ‘Jesus Christ with you’.
Becoming a follower of Jesus isn’t just about what happens when you die, it’s about a friendship with Jesus today.
And it’s experiencing this friendship that confirms the hope we can look forward to.
Are you willing to trust Jesus with the plot for your real-life thriller? He’s already given away the ending, but it’s worth it!
Donovan Jasper, New Life Baptist Church
12°C