Holding onto Hope

My dear friends in Christ, no matter what goes on in this life – job loss, tornadoes, COVID-19, divorce, hurricanes, moving, bankruptcy, cancer diagnoses, death, friend loss, loneliness, elections, births, and the list can go on and on and on – one thing remains constant and true. THERE IS HOPE. THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE.

It is constant (Hebrews 13:8).
It never forsakes us (Deuteronomy 31:6).
It was before all things (Colossians 1:17).
It is with us always (Matthew 28:20).
It cleanses us from sin (1 John 1:9).
It died for us (1 Thessalonians 5:10).
It saves (Matthew 18:11).
It gives peace (John 14:27).
It serves (Matthew 20:28).
It resurrects (John 5:39).
It works for our good (Romans 8:28).
It gives joy (John 15:11).
It loves (Ephesians 5:25).
It is light to the world (John 8:12).
It came and exists to give life (John 10:10).

And it’s if you haven’t caught on by now, it’s actually a person. It’s a person who willingly suffered a hardship far worse than any one of us will ever suffer and through it gifted us with the hope of eternal life with Him forever.

“Without Him I could do nothing
Without Him I'd surely fail
Without Him I would be drifting
Like a ship without a sail

Jesus, oh Jesus
Do you know Him today
Please don't turn Him away
Oh Jesus, my Jesus
Without Him how lost would I be”

Every day for about the last 5 or so years, I have to remind myself of this hope that is within me and of these attributes that I mentioned above. I have to remember that my hope is not in the things or situations or experiences of this world. My hope comes from above (Romans 15:13). It’s a daily battle for me because the devil does all he can to feed lies into my heart and my soul that attempt to drain my hope. It’s exhausting, emotional, and irrational. I don’t want to see that for myself or anyone else I love.

If you know me, you know my missional mindset. You know I desire to live a life of gospel witness to the world around me and see others do the same. Well, the situation we find ourselves in right now is prime opportunity to be a gospel witness to our fellow neighbor. Not only them, but the world is especially watching us as believers. Will there be unkindness, fighting, accusations or will be love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)?

Hebrews 10:23-25 says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Jesus’ return is ever nearer, I think much of 2020 has shown us that. We have to make the time left before His return count for the Kingdom. We have to be preaching, teaching, encouraging, and reaching out serving others in His name and for His glory. So today and looking into the future, take the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians with you, “Do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” That’s what counts, that’s all that counts, and that’s all that will count when all is said and done and we are in the presence of our Savior. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

What else do you know about this hope? Feel free to share! Let's encourage one another with the hope Jesus gives!

Hope When You're Hopeless

“For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!”
– 2 Corinthians 4:17

Saturday must’ve felt pretty hopeless for Jesus’ disciples. There they are – a group of men sitting in a small room, huddled together behind a locked door unsure of what the future holds. They are devastated because their leader is gone. They are scared because of fear that leaders will come after them because of their association with him. They are unsure of what will happen next. They are confused because they don’t understand how all of his teachings and miracles and interactions with others have led to what they see as the end. Yeah, he had talked about what would happen, but as Luke tells us, the disciples “didn’t understand” and “failed to grasp what he was talking about” (Luke 18:34). What hopelessness must’ve filled that room on that day so long ago.

Have you ever felt hopeless like that before – unsure of what happens next, of where to go from here, or of how you carry on? I think we all have at some point and time in our lives. Life is full of times where we didn’t see things coming or we are filled with some of the same emotions that Jesus’ disciples had in that locked room. But life – especially the Christian life – is about rising above those feelings of hopelessness and putting our hope in Christ and the fact that He is in control and His ways are higher than ours. He’s not going to leave us hopeless and helpless – His Word is filled with instances of providing us with hope – Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalm 62, Psalm 91, Philippians 4:6-7, Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 43:2, Jeremiah 29:11, Matthew 6:25-34, John 10:27-29, Romans 8:31, and the list could and does go on and on and on.

As Christians, it’s because of Jesus’ resurrection that His hope is ours for the taking (when we ask Him). The disciples didn’t have that understanding, but WE DO! We don’t have to stay behind a locked door in despair or fear or confusion or hopelessness because we don’t know what will happen next – we can know and depend on the fact that our HOPE is built on nothing less than Christ and His righteousness! Yes, we mess up and we fail Him and yes, there will still be days where we will still feel hopeless, but we can know and trust and believe that our Savior is a gentle and compassionate friend who is there to take our troubles and fill us with His incredible, merciful, and undeserving love and hope.

If I could go back in time to that locked room where the disciples were all huddled together, I’d share with them 2 Corinthians 4, ending with the beautiful picture of hope that is promised in verses 17 & 18 – “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” What HOPE!

What's in a Name?

"See the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which is translated "God is with us."

- Matthew 1:23

How did you get your name?  Was it a name your parents liked?  Was it a family name?  Was it a name that was popular in culture during the time period you were born?  My first name was a name that my parents liked; and one of my middle names is a family name.  I also know of many children who have names that were based on movies or celebrities.  Names can be anything from traditional to interesting to down-right “what was the parent thinking?”  God knew what He was thinking when He chose the perfect name for His Son.  He chose a name that would span the ages of time and would be meaningful to all.

In the New Testament, we find that God, through His angel messenger(s), gave specific instructions to Mary and Joseph about what to name His Son.  In both Matthew 1:21b and Luke 1:31b, the couple is told, “…you will call His name Jesus.”  It’s interesting to note that in Hebrew, this special name means “The Lord Saves.”  Coincidence?  I think not.

As we study the Scriptures, we find that our Savior Jesus has many descriptions, which we also refer to as “names,” woven throughout the Bible.  Isaiah 9:6 tells us our Savior will be the, “Wonderful Counselor, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.”  He is also described as Christ, Lord, Master, Messiah, Son of Man, Lamb of God, Light of the World, and so many more.  These descriptions help us to connect with and worship our Savior for the great and amazing things he has done and is doing in our lives.

In this season of my life, my favorite name of Jesus is “Immanuel.”  It’s actually the name that was prophesied for Jesus way before He was born.  “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).  The name Immanuel means “God With Us.” 

About this time last year, I was ever so mindful of the name Immanuel.  I was going through a very hard time of grief and loss – something that I haven’t really talked about publically.  It was one of the most painful things I have ever gone through in my life and I felt so alone in my sorrow.  Don’t get me wrong, my family and some close friends were there for me and walked with me through the valley, but I still felt like no one anywhere understood my exact feelings and my exact grief.  I came to really rely on the name of Immanuel because I knew He hadn’t forgotten me and was the only one who would walk every single second with me…and He has.

Our world is so uncertain and in such upheaval right now that having Jesus with us is about the only way we can make it through.  Devastation, loss, grief, violence, hatred – all of these are situations happening even as you read this blog that make you shake your head and feel hopeless.  If we place our hope in Immanuel, however, we can change our attitude into one of confidence because we know God is with us…always!  He will guide and direct us.  He will lead us through the valley.  He will help us know what to say and how to help others in their time of need.  Can you imagine how the world would react if we changed our attitudes to be one of hope during hardship?!

I find it so significant that Jesus’ last words on earth were such a testament to His name Immanuel – the name He was given and that was prophesied so many years before.  While ascending into heaven, looking at His disciples who were scared and unsure of when their Savior would return again, Jesus comforts them – and us, because we’re waiting too – with words that are so indicative of His given name.  “And remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).  Amen!

...But Joy Comes in the Morning

"Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” – Psalm 30:5

The day after Jesus’ death had to have been an intensely difficult day for the followers of Jesus.  The day before, they had just witnessed their Good Shepherd/Teacher/friend be killed by crucifixion and placed in Joseph’s tomb.  Sorrow, hopelessness, and a deep depression more than likely began to settle into many of the followers.  Questions filled their minds and the One who could bring the answers was no longer there.  Heartache.  Weeping.  Mourning. 

Psalm 30:5 says, “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”  Never would those words ring so true than on the day following this intense day of sadness.  But how on earth could things get better to the point of “rejoicing?”  Miraculously enough, however...everything did.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ² They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴ While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵ In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶ He is not here; he has risen!  (Luke 24:1-6)

Rejoicing had come in the morning!  Jesus is risen!  The women immediately ran to the other disciples to share this news.  Skeptical, the disciples ran to the tomb and discovered that Jesus was indeed no longer there.  Over the course of days and weeks, as Jesus began appearing to His followers, they came to realize that the news they had heard about His resurrection was indeed true…He had defeated the grave.  He had risen from the dead.  He is ALIVE!

This week my church lost a dear encourager, prayer warrior, and friend.  Her sweet family lost their precious wife and mother.  So many of us, including myself, can attest to the fact that our sweet friend Shirl was always one to offer her prayers and support during our time of need.  Her loss was unexpected and is so incredibly heartbreaking to so many of us.  When I found out yesterday that she had entered the throne-room of heaven, I immediately thought of Psalm 30:5.  The logic-part of my mind thinks the same thing the followers of Jesus thought on the day after the crucifixion – “how on earth can rejoicing come in the morning?”  I’m sad.  I’m heartbroken.  I miss my friend. 

Then there’s my faith.  My faith in the very One who rose from the dead.  My faith in the One my dear friend is with today because she knew Jesus as her Savior.  Because of Jesus I know that although our sadness and loss of our dear friend (and loss of so many other friends and loved ones) may endure for a while, as believers in Him, our joy will come when He comes again! 

In Revelation 22:7, Jesus says, “Look, I am coming soon!”  Someday in the not so distant future, Christ will return to take His followers to heaven with Him.  We will rejoice in heaven with our loved ones and friends at the feet of Jesus.  We will be in a place where there is “no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.  All of these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:4).  Our rejoicing will continue for eternity!

“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen” (Matthew 24:36).  Are you ready?  Is your faith in Christ?  Have you accepted Him as your Savior?  Do you believe with all your heart that He is the Son of God?  Have you confessed Him publically as Savior of your life?  If you haven’t, He’s ready with open arms to accept you as His child.  I can’t think of anything better this Easter than to surrender your life to the One who gave His life for you.

“ALIVE!  ALIVE!  Look what mercy’s overcome!  Death has lost and Love has WON!  ALIVE!  ALIVE!  Hallelujah, risen Lord, the only One I fall before, I am His because He is ALIVE!”