Hope comes in many forms & sizes. It comes in the big things & the small things-in the simple things & in the complicated things! I was pondering writing this entry a week ago & when I went to church the sermon was on..you guessed it...hope! There's a saying that says "hope springs eternal" but sometimes not so much! We know as believers our hope is in Christ & in Christ alone but we are human & "life happens". We hope for many things in this life & our ultimate hope of heaven is assured with our salvation. Some of the things we hope for never come to pass & we must trust the Lord that it really is OK.
When I think of hope I also think of suffering, for those who suffer often have lost hope. I heard it said that in America we pray for God to remove our suffering but in third world countries they pray for God to help them through it. Why is that? Well, for one thing we have a certain degree of "entitlement" in America I believe but also when you live in physical, mental, &/or financial poverty your expectations are simply to make it to the next day. In a perfect world we might strike a happy medium but we live in an imperfect world but ... with a perfect God! Praise his mighty name. In that sermon pastor said we can make our suffering a moat or a bridge & over the past year I have had more than one chance to put that to the test! Sometimes we have to do what we have to do whether we want to or not & often we must accept things we would rather not.
I was recently in the midst of a "financially interesting" week which started with a thousand dollar+ dental bill & ended with a thousand dollar car bill. I made a very intentional decision to smile, ignore the fact that the car repair was taking way longer than expected with no explanation until I requested one, & place my hope in Christ & him alone! Oh yes, mid-week the garbage disposal died to add to my fun. In fact I was out pricing a disposal when the car started a knocking noise! The Lord truly does care about our everyday issues & I just prayed he would provide. Right after my dental appointment he had unexpectedly given me some work for the next week & I had worked out a payment plan with the dentist so I was feeling pretty good about that. Then I sold something I had advertised & it was enough to take care of the disposal which was great as it was creating a major leak under the sink. I almost feel guilty not just getting along without it & just catching and dumping the leak because I know we pitch more food in this country probably than people have to eat in some places. It gives me reason to stop & pray for those people I will never see or know who suffer every day. It created a bridge to take my inconvenience & make of it an opportunity to pray. Finally I was surprised & very grateful to learn the car place had a great payment plan & they did a fine job with the car. We must look beyond our circumstance & hope in Christ or we can drown in the moat of discouragement.
There are all sorts of situations people face every day that are far, far worse than my examples from my week yet they rise above it & hold onto the hope of Christ. I read a book called Hope Beyond Reason written by a wonderful pastor who went through the battle of cancer & hearing about the hope he & his family clung to was incredibly inspiring. There is a healthy anticipation in the hope in Christ as opposed to the false self confidence we sometimes have. It is a hope that literally can heal our body, our mind, & our spirit. NEVER, ever give up....the Lord has never given up on us and he never will. I have thought about perseverance often the past few months as I have learned that for muscles to heal they must be used over & over again. There is a lesson in every single day if we look for it. That is how those many daily devotionals are written! (write me at ecbcfbt@gmail.com if you would like a copy of the devotional I wrote, or information about it-I am selling the remaining copies to anyone who writes me for $5 pp and I will sell copies of 6 or more for $3.50 pp. and a full case of 90 for $2ea. plus shipping which runs around $15-20 a case). I am considering publishing a newer, better one down the road a bit. The one I wrote is on basic Christian living.
Prov. 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick.
Hebr. 6:19-20 We have this as a sure & steadfast anchor of the soul a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf....
Psalm 71:14 But I will hope continually & praise thee more & more.
(emphasis mine...taken from the RSV-my favorite well worn & torn Bible)
When I think of hope I also think of suffering, for those who suffer often have lost hope. I heard it said that in America we pray for God to remove our suffering but in third world countries they pray for God to help them through it. Why is that? Well, for one thing we have a certain degree of "entitlement" in America I believe but also when you live in physical, mental, &/or financial poverty your expectations are simply to make it to the next day. In a perfect world we might strike a happy medium but we live in an imperfect world but ... with a perfect God! Praise his mighty name. In that sermon pastor said we can make our suffering a moat or a bridge & over the past year I have had more than one chance to put that to the test! Sometimes we have to do what we have to do whether we want to or not & often we must accept things we would rather not.
I was recently in the midst of a "financially interesting" week which started with a thousand dollar+ dental bill & ended with a thousand dollar car bill. I made a very intentional decision to smile, ignore the fact that the car repair was taking way longer than expected with no explanation until I requested one, & place my hope in Christ & him alone! Oh yes, mid-week the garbage disposal died to add to my fun. In fact I was out pricing a disposal when the car started a knocking noise! The Lord truly does care about our everyday issues & I just prayed he would provide. Right after my dental appointment he had unexpectedly given me some work for the next week & I had worked out a payment plan with the dentist so I was feeling pretty good about that. Then I sold something I had advertised & it was enough to take care of the disposal which was great as it was creating a major leak under the sink. I almost feel guilty not just getting along without it & just catching and dumping the leak because I know we pitch more food in this country probably than people have to eat in some places. It gives me reason to stop & pray for those people I will never see or know who suffer every day. It created a bridge to take my inconvenience & make of it an opportunity to pray. Finally I was surprised & very grateful to learn the car place had a great payment plan & they did a fine job with the car. We must look beyond our circumstance & hope in Christ or we can drown in the moat of discouragement.
There are all sorts of situations people face every day that are far, far worse than my examples from my week yet they rise above it & hold onto the hope of Christ. I read a book called Hope Beyond Reason written by a wonderful pastor who went through the battle of cancer & hearing about the hope he & his family clung to was incredibly inspiring. There is a healthy anticipation in the hope in Christ as opposed to the false self confidence we sometimes have. It is a hope that literally can heal our body, our mind, & our spirit. NEVER, ever give up....the Lord has never given up on us and he never will. I have thought about perseverance often the past few months as I have learned that for muscles to heal they must be used over & over again. There is a lesson in every single day if we look for it. That is how those many daily devotionals are written! (write me at ecbcfbt@gmail.com if you would like a copy of the devotional I wrote, or information about it-I am selling the remaining copies to anyone who writes me for $5 pp and I will sell copies of 6 or more for $3.50 pp. and a full case of 90 for $2ea. plus shipping which runs around $15-20 a case). I am considering publishing a newer, better one down the road a bit. The one I wrote is on basic Christian living.
Hebr. 6:19-20 We have this as a sure & steadfast anchor of the soul a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf....
Psalm 71:14 But I will hope continually & praise thee more & more.
(emphasis mine...taken from the RSV-my favorite well worn & torn Bible)
