All tagged Hope
How strong is our hope in God, and our faith in Jesus Christ? Do we turn towards the promises made to us in God’s Holy Word, and the gospel of Jesus Christ with absolute confidence? Do we trust with the faith that Abraham had in God, or do we need to touch the wounds of Christ like Thomas before we can bring ourselves to believe fully? Well, there is hope for us either way.
We talk quite a bit about having new life, or being transformed, as if we have no active part in achieving these things, But both require effort from us. It is true that these are founded on, and sparked by Jesus Christ, but we have a role to play in making our new life happen. In other words, Jesus makes them possible, starts them in motion, and abides in us, but we must accept Him, and working with the Holy Spirit, bring them to life in ourselves.
Are you feeling out of sorts in this time of COVID-19? You say that you aren’t depressed, and you aren’t anxious, yet you Still feel differently? You say that your energy is gone, you just can’t seem to get started in the morning, and even the good news you hear in life doesn’t seem to be enough? Well, I was listening to a good friend talk about feeling this way yesterday, and it dawned on me that what She was describing was quite simply hopelessness. She was feeling an ebb in her ability to hope, but remember; we serve the God of hope! So I ask that each of us consider this question… “When was the last time I prayed for hope?“
Trusting in God is not always easy, especially in the quiet times after our prayers have left our lips, and before His answer has become apparent to us, but in those hard times, Oh how our faith does grow. When we allow our hearts to lean on God’s strength, and we set aside our own reasoning, while depending solely on the understanding His Holy Spirit, we find our relief, and our strength abounds in His presence.
Has God finished His creation and turned it loose to play itself out? Is the big picture painted, and now we simply exist within it trying to perceive what it might look like if we could only step back to see it in total as through God’s eyes? Are we merely ants skittering here and there doing our small part, with our only purpose being to play out a part in some divine production? Well friends, God’s creation remains under constant construction, it is meant to be for and about us, and His love for us demonstrates this.
Do we claim the joy of our faith? Do we claim it even when things aren’t going well? The church is filled on Sunday with joy, and singing, but so often we see those same saints on Monday morning with sad faces, somber, and with the look of a mourner. Reentering our day to day life is no reason to abandon the joy we know in Jesus, or the hope we have in our faith. Have we become on again/off again Christians, and what message does that deliver to those around us... and to God?
Have you strayed from God, and Jesus? Do you think your wandering is irreversible? Well it is not! There is no place too dark, that God will lose sight of you, and no wallow so disgusting that He will abandon you there. Do not give in to the lies of Satan when he tells you that there is no hope, and that God has turned his back on you. Remember always that Jesus took on the sins of the world, and many of those were far greater than yours.
What do you hope for in faith? Do you hope to be free of pain, have straight and strong limbs, to no longer stutter, hear and see perfectly, or maybe to be cured of some disease? Whatever your hope is, it is certainly awaiting you in heaven through Jesus Christ. Every tear will be dried there, and all hope, faith, and love will be perfectly realized.
Are we sick, or dying? Are we growing old, and feeling the pains of a body that is winding down? Is our mind failing us, taking with it the things we once knew, and were so precious to us? If our bodies and minds are wasting away take heart, because our souls are forever young, and are renewed in the Lord every day. Don’t allow what is happening to a body, that is designed to last for a short while, to cause you to lose sight of what is eternally important and constructed within you.
Impatience, it is one of the greatest challenges to our faith, and brings many a righteous soul to that place where they begin to question God, or say to themselves on the third day that Jesus will not rise... He is dead. Are we in need of something from God right now that we have been praying for night and day, yet haven’t received so much as a hint of deliverance regarding? Well, waiting is not easy, and bearing pain and suffering while we do might feel cruel, but God’s ways are perfect, and by them He is perfecting us... have faith in your waiting.
Does what is happening in the world frighten you? Do you fear for yourself and your family because of the earthly shaking, and evil that surrounds you? Well take heart because we are in the hands of God, and no matter the ominous storms that come racing across the world, He will keep us, and protect us.
Do you suffer in your life simply because you deserve to? Is every bad thing that befalls you the result of some sin, or wrongdoing in your life? Certainly we have enough sin and disobedience in our lives to make an argument for this, but there are many times when we face hardship in the midst of our goodness, righteousness, and obedience. How should we view this seemingly unjust sorrow? Do we question God?
Of whom, or what, in our life can we say “will be with me always” with any true assuredness? We live in a transient world that is in a constant state of coming and going. People are born, and then die; buildings are built and then decay and fall. Trees grow tall, only to fall and return to the ground where past leaves await them. Without God, and Jesus Christ, there is no eternal hope... no “always” in our lives.
You woke up this morning from a night’s slumber, which is a form of mini-death, and found yourself once again breathing, eating, and going about your day. Did you jump out of bed in surprise and shout with joy, or did you expect that to happen? Did you routinely yawn, wipe the sleep out of your eyes, and stumble mute towards that first cup of coffee, or did you lift up your arms and say “Thank you Father for this day!”? If this is our earthly morning, how will it be when you awaken to Jesus Christ and Heaven on that first resurrected morning?
Do you lean on God’s promises for your hope? Does His Word not only give you hope, but does it allow you to live abundantly again? Sometimes our hopelessness becomes a millstone around our neck, and it is so burdensome that to go on living seems futile, but even in such drastic times we can find hope and relief in the Word of God, and certain joy in His promises.