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Good Reasons for Hope

Bible Reading: Romans 8:28-39

Romans chapter 8 has been variously described as “the mountain peak” of Scripture” and “the chapter of chapters for the Christian believer.” A German author once said of it, “If Holy Scripture was a ring, and the epistle to the Romans a precious stone, chapter 8 would be the sparkling point of the jewel.”

The chapter begins with “no condemnation” and ends with “no separation.” In between the message is of “no defeat” (Romans 8:1, 39, 37). I have an IRA and regularly receive a prospectus forecasting its financial health and expected future returns. Romans chapter 8 is a prospectus, so to speak, regarding the future of the believer. But unlike that financial document, what we have here is promised to us by God. And in these wonderful truths we find good reasons for hope:

1. God is at work in our lives to conform us to the image of His Son and can even use our bad to achieve His good (Romans 8:28).
2. God always finishes the work he starts in our lives (Romans 8:29-30).
3. Since it is God who is for us, then there’s no one who can work to prevail against us (Romans 8:31).
4. If God didn’t spare even his own son for us, will he not also with him graciously provide everything needful to accomplish His purpose in us (Romans 8:32)?
5. Since it is God who has justified us, then there’s no one who will be able to condemn us (Romans 8:33).
6. Christ Himself is interceding for us from heaven (Romans 8:34).
7. We are more than conquerors through Christ who has loved us (Romans 8:37).
8. No one and nothing can work to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:35-39)!

Diane was a beloved member of our church family, active in fellowship and in serving others. A series of health problems worked to send her to the hospital on many occasions in her final months, until that one final visit to ICU.  I was there with her husband when the Doctor came to the waiting room at the hospital to bring us the news–despite all their efforts Diane wasn’t going to make it.  Bob and I visited her in her room.  I’d seen such scenes before–IV bags and electrical devices and tubes and wires and doctors and nurses were all working to keep her alive, but we could tell there was little life left in her.  She looked so weak and frail, lying there in that hospital bed.  And we were both filled with sadness over her pending death.  But then a thought crept into my mind.  I remembered the promise of Romans 8:37–no matter what happens, no matter how severe the trial or what life assails us with, “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:27).  She looked so weak and frail, but the spiritual reality was that Diane was headed home.  Home, to the presence of Jesus and that place where pain, and mourning and death will be more.  Home, having her earthly tent put away, she was entering into that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  Home, triumphant in the One who died for her sins and rose from the grave!

F. B. Meyer, “Oh blessed Love! that comes down to us from the heart of Jesus, the essence of the eternal love of God–nothing can ever staunch, exhaust, intercept it. It is not our love to Him, but His to us, and since nothing can separate us from the love of God, He will go on loving us forever, and pouring into us the entire fullness of His life and glory. Whatever our difficulties, whatever our weakness and infirmity, we shall be kept steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; gaining by our losses, succeeding by our failures, triumphing in our defeats, and ever more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”

We Are More than Conquerors Through Him Who Loved Us!

Heavenly Father! How incredibly blessed we are! Praise You. Thank You! How amazing Your love for us! Our insecurity and frailty and doubts sometimes threaten to overwhelm us! But since You are for us, who can be against us? And how can any accusation stand against us, when its You who have justified us through Your Son? Time after time You work to turn our bad into good. And You even intercede for us from heaven. Nothing in all Your creation can work to separate us from Your undying love. May our hearts rejoice in these wonderful truths and may we be encouraged all the more to fully trust You and set our hope on You. Thank You for loving us, no matter what! Amen.

One final thought…”We should ask God to increase our hope when it is small, awaken it when it is dormant, confirm it when it is wavering, strengthen it when it is weak, and raise it up when it is overthrown.”

John Calvin

The Hope of Heaven

Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10

2 Corinthians 5:1-2, “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling.” 

This verse looks back to that which proceeds and the encouraging word that our present day trials are “preparing us for an eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17).  Looking not at the things that are seen, we do not lose heart knowing that “he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus” and bring us into his presence (2 Corinthians 4:14).  A distinction is made, in these two verses, between our present dwelling (our earthly home) and that which awaits us in heaven.  We now reside in a tent, but we long for our heavenly abode. 

Our family used to tent camp at a State Park at the mouth of the Deschutes River.  It is oftentimes very windy in the Columbia River gorge where the park is located.  Sometimes it seemed as if the winds would lift our tent right off the ground and blow it away.  When camping there on one occasion, a sudden thunderstorm brought terribly strong winds and heavy rains!  Most of the tent campers hurriedly picked up their tents and gear and hastily departed.  Tents are temporary dwelling places, subject to deterioration and limited in their ability to provide a comfortable shelter.

The Maryhill Museum of Art lies across the river from the Deschutes River State Park.  We once left behind our tents to visit the place.  The  building was designed over 100 years ago by a famous architectural firm and built by Sam Hill to be his residence.  It is constructed of steel I-beams with interior steel studs.  The walls, floors, and ceilings are constructed of poured concrete reinforced with steel.  Sam Hill built it to last “1000 years.”  For over a century it has  weathered the strong winds and storms that sometimes visit the Columbia River gorge. But as impressive as the Maryhill building is, it is subject to the same decaying forces that permeate all of this curse-afflicted creation (Romans 8:21; 2 Peter 1:4).  It too will be destroyed one day (2 Peter 3:10-11). 

Our earthly bodies are compared to tents.  They are temporary dwelling places.  They are frail, subject to decay, and not fit for heaven (1 Corinthians 15:50).  They are “perishable,” “sown in dishonor” and “weakness,” “natural” not spiritual, “from earth,” and “of dust” (1 Corinthians 15:42-49).  No “age-defying” machination of man can work to prevent their decay.  Only through God’s intervention, in receiving the One who died for sins and rose from the dead, can any of us experience triumph over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:16; John 1:12).   

Paul was writing to believers in Christ and his message was one of hope and assurance.  God has prepared a home for us in heaven.  In contrast to the temporary dwelling places in which we now live, our heavenly home is “eternal.”  It will last far longer than 1000 years.  It is not subject to rot, or rust, or robbers (Matthew 6:19-20).  As any homeowner knows that it takes a lot of work to keep up a house, but not so our heavenly abode.  No earthly home is without flaws, but our heavenly home will be “imperishable, undefiled and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4).  A famous architect designed the Maryhill home, but it is God Himself who has designed and constructed our eternal one (Hebrews 11:10, 16).  

Moving is a difficult and tiresome thing, but the distress is lessened if the move is to a more desirable place.  Every believer in Christ will one day make a last final move to a heavenly abode.  Jesus’ presence there makes that place most desirable (Philippians 1:23; 3:20).   Our present hope is focused on our future home.

Our Present Hope is Focused on our Future Home

Heavenly Father. We are daily reminded of the frailty of our earthly tents. Thank You for saving us and assuring to us a future home in heaven, an eternal home You’ve prepared for us. For now we groan in our earthly dwellings, but one day we will glory in Your very presence. May the Spirit work within us that our hearts might be filled with anticipation of what You’ve prepared for us! As we eagerly anticipate that time, may we walk by faith and not by sight. And may we make it our aim to please You in all things. Amen.

The Certainty of Hope

Bible Reading: Philippians 1:3-11

Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

My 90 year old Dad likes to paint.  Over the years he’s painted hundreds of paintings.  Some adorn the walls of his home, still others he has given away; to family, to friends, and to neighbors.  Last year he painted for me from a picture we took from Meacham’s Bridge over Dairy Creek, the place where we first went fishing together, when I was just a little boy.  A lot of water has flowed under that bridge in the 60 years since!  I asked Dad if he had ever given up on one of his paintings.  Of course, he replied, as sometimes the painting he was working on wasn’t turning out quite as he had hoped.  When that happened he’d either paint over what he had started, or in some cases discard the painting altogether.  We all have such unfinished projects laying around, be it a painting, or a book, or a craft or something else.  Things we started on, but for one reason or another didn’t finish.  Not so with God!

God always finishes what he starts.  So it was in His creation of all things.  So it was in His plan of redemption, having sent Jesus to die on a cross for our sins.  From that cross Jesus declared “It is finished!”  The One who “does all things well” has never left a project half-way done.  Philippians 1:6 speaks to this truth as it relates to the believer in Christ, God will finish that good work he began in you and me.  That’s true because God is who He is.  Loving, All-wise,  Omnipotent, Sovereign over all, Faithful–He always keeps His promises.  And in the reality of this truth we have good reason for an abiding hope.

The God who is good and does good (Psalm 119:68), began a good work in you in saving you by His grace.  By His doing you are in Christ Jesus (1 Corinthians 1:30).  You are “his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:10).  The term translated “workmanship” could be also translated “work of art” or even “masterpiece.”  You are His masterpiece!  As such, your by grace  salvation, and transformation, will testify in the coming ages to the immeasurable riches of his grace” (Ephesians 2:7)!  From the beginning, He’s been at work in you, “both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).  As a skilled Potter working with his clay, He knows and is well able to form us to his design.  Nothing can work to deter God from completing his work in you.  We face trials of many kinds.  Some simply because we live in a sin-cursed world.  Some because we sin and suffer the consequences.  Some because we’ve identified ourselves with Christ, and some folks don’t like that about us.  God is well able to use even our bad, to accomplish his good, as Romans 8:28 makes clear: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”  His purpose?  That we might be “conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29).  God began a good work in you.  He’ll finish the work he started!  You can count on it (Romans 8:29-30)!  And in this we have good reason to be hopeful, no matter what kinds of troubles we face!

When Hope Animates us There is a Vigor in the Whole Body – John Calvin

HE WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK IN YOU

He who began a good work in you
He who began a good work in you
Will be faithful to complete it
He’ll be faithful to complete it
He who started the work
Will be faithful to complete it in you

If the struggle you’re facing
Is slowly replacing
Your hope with despair
Or the process is long
And you’re losing your song
In the night

You can be sure
That the Lord has His hand on you
Safe and secure
He will never abandon you
You are His treasure
And He finds His pleasure in you

He who began a good work in you
He who began a good work in you
Will be faithful to complete it
He’ll be faithful to complete it
He who started the work
Will be faithful to complete it in you

c1987 Birdwing Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing), Jonathan Mark Music (Admin. by Gaither Copyright Management)

Heavenly Father. Praise You for Your finished work in the creation of all things! Praise You too for Your finished work on the cross! How thankful we are that You are faithful always to fulfill Your promises. We are weak in ourselves. And sometimes we fail. Sometimes the weight of our trials seems overwhelming. We have friends who fail us and foes who assail us. There are times when the journey seems to hard and the destination too far away. But thank You for this wonderful truth–there’s nothing that can work to snatch us our of Your loving hands and nothing in all of creation that can work to prevent You from finishing the work You’ve started in us. Knowing that You are working in us both to will and work for Your good pleasure, may we be working out our salvation with fear and trembling. To Your honor and glory. Amen.

By Hope Made Strong

Bible Reading: Isaiah 40:27-31

I couldn’t help but notice the words of Isaiah 40:31 emblazoned on the t-shirt of my hospice patient.  That he was wearing such a t-shirt did not surprise me, for he was a man of faith.  But I thought to myself–what a curious juxtaposition of realities.  On the one hand, my patient friend was bedridden and suffering from a terminal illness.  On the other hand, his t-shirt verse spoke of running without growing weary and walking and not growing faint?

The promise of this oft-quoted verse needs to be understood in its context.  The prophet Isaiah addressed Judah and Jerusalem in the book.  Whereas the first 39 chapters dealt primarily with judgment, chapters 40-66 focused instead on comfort, with words of encouragement addressed to the Jewish exiles in captivity.  These later chapters are filled with Messianic prophecies which directed Israel to the restoration and strength that would be provisioned in their promised Messiah.

In the immediate context (Isaiah 40:9-30), we are reminded that God is the omnipotent creator of all things.  Nothing is too difficult for him!  Unlike us, “he does not faint or grow weary” and “his understanding is unsearchable” (Isaiah 40:28).  “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength” (Isaiah 40:29).  The promise of Isaiah 40:31 is to those who wait (hope, in some translations), on Him.  To wait is to prayerfully and humbly trust him.  It is to set one’s hope on his provision and to rest in his providence.  Those who wait on him are promised renewed eagle-like strength, allowing them to rise above their circumstances; and the necessary endurance that they might persevere!

Her hands were so gnarled by arthritis that she was unable to hold a pen, so a crayon or stick of chalk was wedged between her fingers so she could write on a surface suspended over her bed. She had hoped to become a concert pianist, but in her late twenties she was diagnosed with severe arthritis. By the end of her life she was only four feet tall. Annie Flint was born in New Jersey on Christmas Eve 1866, she would go on to endure more than her share of sorrow. When she was only four, her mother died giving birth to her sister. At age six her father died of an incurable disease. She and her sister were adopted by a Christian family, but both her adopted parents died soon after she graduated from high school. Annie’s arthritis grew worse, until she was no longer able to walk. Later in life she was no longer able to open her hands, so she typed poems on a typewriter with her knuckles. In spite of her sorrows and infirmities, she wrote many poems, intent that God’s grace might thus be made manifest in her weakness. Her life verse was: “My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). You know of her as the writer of the words of the hymn, “He Giveth More Grace.” Indeed He does, and in that reality we find good reason for hope amidst our challenges.

HE GIVETH MORE GRACE

He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

Hope is never ill when faith is well – John Bunyan

Heavenly Father. Thank You for this timeless reminder that we should always look to You amidst our afflictions. As our Omnipotent Creator, You never grow weary or tired and are well able to strengthen us in our weakness. Forgive us for our sinful tendency to rely on ourselves and our hoarded resources. Thank You for all the times You’ve come to the aid in our past, help us to readily look to You even now. Praise You for Your limitless love and measureless grace! No matter how weak or weary we might find ourselves, You’ve an infinite supply of grace to meet our need. May the reality of Your gracious provision in our lives lead others to look to You. Amen.

A Hopeful Perspective

Bible Reading: Philippians 1:12-26

I came across this helpful quote from Chuck Swindoll years ago: “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes.”

We have little or no control of our circumstances or of what others say or do, but we can control our attitude.  And a healthy attitude can radically affect our spiritual and emotional well-being and dictate, to some extent, our usefulness to God.  Recall that hope is an attitude, a way of thinking.  A way of thinking that is well-founded on the God of hope, borne in us by the Spirit, and instructed and encouraged to us by the Word of God.  Hope is essential if we are to maintain our focus and persevere through challenging circumstances.  In fact, hope’s value and beauty are made manifest not so much in our easy times, but when times are tough.

Paul was a man full of faith and hope in Jesus, writing to the Philippians from jail.  His hopeful attitude was essential to his positive response.  This was not the first imprisonment of the Apostle Paul.  In fact, back when Paul first brought the gospel to Philippi, a riot ensued, and he and Silas were locked up in a prison.  Remember that?  And what happened on that occasion?  Paul and Silas were “praying and singing praise to God” (Acts 16:25).  And the prisoners were listening to them.  And God caused a great earthquake.  And the jailer, terrified because he himself would be executed if he were to lose his prisoners—was ready to take his own life.  But Paul shared the gospel with him, and he and his whole family were saved!  Now our text says that Paul’s later imprisonment worked out for the “greater progress of the gospel,” but what was true in this later case  was also true in the first.

So Paul was locked up in jail again.  The man who had thrice journeyed afar, bearing the gospel message,  was imprisoned.  But hope, well-founded on the God of Hope, the God with whom nothing is impossible, is not constrained or deterred by challenging circumstances. How did Paul’s circumstances work for the “greater progress of the gospel?”  Because of his imprisonment Paul was able to reach people with the gospel he would have otherwise not  been able to reach (Philippians 1:13; 4:22).  Because of his imprisonment, and specifically because of his godly and courageous response to it, others had “far more courage to speak the word without fear” (Philippians 1:14).  Though some were taking advantage of his situation, envious as they were of Paul, and were preaching out of selfish ambition, Paul nonetheless rejoiced in that the gospel was being preached (Philippians 1:18).  In addition, Paul’s imprisonment provided an opportunity for the Philippian believers to express their loving concern for Paul (Philippians 4:18).  Much of these positives would have been impossible if Paul would have spent his time bemoaning his circumstances, or if he had allowed his troubles to dictate his attitude.  Hope made the difference!

Optimism is defined as an “inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome.”  According to this definition, Paul was an optimist, and for good reason.  It was his walk with Jesus that made him so.  It was because his hope was set on God, and he well knew what God could do.  What about you?  How’s your attitude?  As Thomas Brooks once said, “A man full of hope will be full of action.”  And he will not be deterred! 

“A man full of hope will be full of action” – Thomas Brooks

Heavenly Father. How thankful we are that You are well able to bring good out of our bad! Time after time we’ve seen You do that. And even though we know that You cause all things to work together for good in our lives, we are oftentimes doubtful and sometimes complaining about the circumstances we find ourselves in. Forgive us our lack of faith and cause us instead to be filled with a hope that is well founded in the knowledge of who You are and what You are able to do. May the Spirit work within us that we might think about things in tune with the great hope that is ours in You. That both in our “good” and in our “bad” You might be honored and glorified in our lives. Amen.

The Hope of Your Calling

Bible Reading: Ephesians 1:15-22

In 1952 Florence Chadwick attempted to swim 26 miles from the coast of California to Catalina Island. After 15 hours, a heavy fog began to block her view, she became disoriented, and she gave up. To her chagrin, Chadwick learned that she had quit just 1 mile short of her destination.  Two months later Chadwick tried a second time to swim to Catalina Island from the coast. Again a thick fog settled in, but this time she reached her destination, becoming the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel. Chadwick said she kept an image of the shoreline in her mind even when she couldn’t see it.

We, as believers, are pilgrims on a journey to a place we’ve not yet seen.  For now we are encouraged to persevere as we look “to the hope laid up for (us) in heaven” (Colossians 1:5).  We haven’t seen that which awaits us.  We can’t see it now.  But we’ve a Helper in the Holy Spirit who works both to assure us and to keep us looking to our destination.

Ephesians 1:15-22 constitutes a prayer of the Apostle Paul for the believers in Ephesus.  Paul had previously instructed these believers on their future hope (Ephesians 1:13-14), here he prays that they would know of their hope and the riches of his glorious inheritance.  His instruction to them was needful and important, but Paul also appreciated the importance and value of prayer.  So He prayed that the eyes of their hearts would be opened to see what he had previously spoken of.  Put simply, Paul was praying that these believers might be filled with hope, and have their hope set firmly on their glorious future. Or, to simplify the matter further, he was in essence praying that they would be “heavenly minded” Christians!

We tend to forget or underestimate the role of the Holy Spirit in this work.  And while He fulfills various roles in our lives, his chief work is to unveil to us the glory of Jesus (John 16:14).  He is constantly working to manifest the presence and glory of Jesus to us, in us, and through us.  He helps us to see, enlightening the eyes of our hearts, that which we otherwise cannot see.  In directing our souls Christ-ward, he is in fact working, even now, to open our eyes to that which God has prepared for us.  It is by the Spirit that we were born again to salvation.  And it is by the Spirit we were born again to a longing for heaven.  It is by the Spirit that we are enabled to set our minds on things above, and not on things that are on the earth.  

In praying as he did, the Apostle Paul has set a good example for us. So many of our prayers are regarding earth-bound concerns, but we would do well to include these kinds of heaven-ward prayers.  God uses prayer to change our hearts and our perspective.  Recall that hope is an attitude, a way of thinking.  The Spirit works through the Word to renew our minds, that our attitudes will be as they should be.  Prayer is integral to this work, and is necessary if we are to keep our eyes on the prize of what awaits us in heaven!!

D. A. Carson, “In our generation, which reflects too little on the future and almost never on eternity, it is distressingly obvious that we need help, help from God, so as to be able to know the hope to which we have been called.  Only then will we become more interested in living with eternity’s values constantly before our eyes.  What we will have to show before the great King on the last day will be infinitely more important to us than what we leave behind here.”

By the Spirit we Behold the Glory of Jesus and the Hope Laid Up for us in Heaven

Heavenly Father.  It’s all to the praise of the glory of Your grace!  You’ve chosen us and adopted us as Your children.  In Jesus we’ve been redeemed and forgiven, according to Your eternal plan.  You’ve sealed us by the Spirit, and guaranteed to us an inheritance in heaven!  May the eyes of our hearts be enlightened that we might live daily according to the hope of this high calling You’ve prepared for us!  Forgive us for our propensity to set our minds on earthly fare, when you’ve prepared for us a future banquet of blessings!  May we be Spirit led and empowered to eagerly anticipate that which You’ve graciously set before us!  Amen.

Hope for the Hopeless

Bible Reading: Psalm 42

In this Psalm the writer passionately expressed his sorrow amidst a time of trouble he was facing.  Sorrow is something we all deal with. Even the most spiritual amongst us are not exempt, as is evidenced in the other examples we find both in the Scriptures and scattered throughout the history of the church.  

The writer of this Psalm was of the Sons of Korah, a group of men who served as musicians in the temple worship.  There’s some question about the exact circumstances of the Psalm, though many suppose it to be when the Sons of Korah were accompanying King David as he was driven from Jerusalem by his rebellious son Absalom (2 Samuel 15).  As David and his friends fled Jerusalem, the Sons of Korah looked back in sadness at being driven from their home (Psalm 42:5).

Why is the Psalmist sorrowful?  There are many reasons.  As a deer pants for flowing streams, his soul pants for God.  But God seems distant and removed from him (Psalm 42:1,9).  He’s far removed from the temple and the temple worship, a source of joy for him in the worship of his God (Psalm 42:4, 5b).  The absence from corporate worship and remembrance of the way things were conspire to break his heart.  He’s facing trial after trial (deep calls to deep) as the “breakers and waves” of troubles wash over him.  He mourns in the oppression of his enemies, who taunt him, saying, “Where is your God?”  His tears are his food.  He’s broken-hearted and full of sorrow.

Can you relate to the Psalmist?  Have you ever felt like that?  Broken hearted?  Despondent?  Depressed?  Have you ever been so deep in your sorrow that the only prayer you can utter to God is “help?”  There’s some good news in this Psalm, for the Psalmist also speaks of hope.  You’ll note that the Psalmist talks to himself.  Amidst his troubles and his sorrow, he speaks to his own soul.  That chorus of this hymn is repeated three times if you count its occurrence in Psalm 43 (Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5).  And what is it that the Psalmist says to his soul?  We note in his words a dramatic shift in focus.  He’d been focused on himself in his troubles, but then he asks his soul “Why?” and directs his thoughts instead towards God.  “Hope in God” he said to his soul!  If you are discouraged or distressed it’ll do no good to look horizontally, you’ll need to look to God.  

Martin Luther dealt with times of sorrow and depression.  Charles Spurgeon wrote of one such occurrence: “Martin Luther was a very cheerful man, as a rule; but he had terrible fits of depression. He was at one time so depressed that his friends recommended him to go away for a change of air, to see if he could get relief. He went away; but he came home as miserable as ever; and when he went into the sitting-room, his wise wife Kate, Catherine von Bora, was sitting there, dressed in black, and her children round about her, all in black.  ‘Oh, oh!’ said Luther, ‘who is dead?’  ‘Why,’ said she, ‘Doctor, have not you heard that God is dead? My husband, Martin Luther, would never be in such a state of mind if he had a living God to trust to.’  Then he burst into a hearty laugh, and said, ‘Kate, thou art a wise woman. I have been acting as if God were dead, and I will do so no more. Go and take off thy black’.”  – “The Complete Works of C. H. Spurgeon,” Volume 38 By Charles Spurgeon

It is as Corrie Ten Boom once said, “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God you’ll be at rest.”  The Psalmist looked to God and the hope founded in Him and His sure promises, “for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God!”  The Psalmist has set a good example for us.  We live in a trouble-filled world.  To be sorrowful and even to the point of depression is to be human.  But the good news amidst our sorrows is that God never changes.  And as we shift our focus to Him, and are reminded of who he is and the salvation he brings, we find good reason for hope!  Time after time!  Amidst the ups and downs of life, God, our Rock, remains the same.

Corrie Ten Boom: “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God you’ll be at rest.”

Heavenly Father. Forgive me for my wayward eyes. I’ve looked around and have been distressed by all the troubles I see in our world. And I’ve looked within myself, only to be depressed in my own inabilities to bear such burdens or affect any change. Grant me the grace and wisdom to keep my focus on You. To set my hope on You. Praise You for Your faithfulness. You are as a Rock, firm and unmoving and dependable always. You are My salvation! You’ve never failed me and never will. Help me to set my hope firmly and securely on You. And rest in the peace and security of knowing You’ve got it all in control! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“The Hope that is in You”

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 3:13-17

A man named John used to come to our weekly Men’s Bible study. He didn’t have a car, so one of the men picked him up each Saturday morning. We’d begin our study by singing a hymn, and I often asked if anyone had a song that they’d like for us to sing. Inevitably, John would ask for some hymn about heaven. I later learned that John had been orphaned as a child, and had lived a difficult life, but you’d never know that from the smile he bore. He was always talking about Jesus and heaven. John was an older fellow, and his health wasn’t so great, so I was not surprised when I got the news of his death. I attended his funeral service. He had no family there, and left behind few belongings. But at his funeral we heard story after story about how he’d talked to others about Jesus and impacted their lives. He was a heaven-bound saint and wasn’t shy about letting others know that. He was glad to share of the hope he had in Jesus!

The context of verse 15 has to do with the suffering any of us might encounter as a result of being a Christian. We are told not to fear or be troubled, but instead to set apart Christ as Lord in our hearts, trusting and submitting ourselves to Him in our response. Note this! The verse presupposes that others might ask us regarding “the hope that is in (us)” (1 Peter 3:15). Having been born again to a living hope, there’s to be a manifest difference in the way we conduct ourselves. Is your walk with Christ such that others see the difference in you? The days in which we live are filled with uncertainty. Many are weary and sad. But you possess a living hope, and others need to see the reality of that in you!

You need to be ready to “make a defense to anyone who asks” about the hope that is in you.  Opportunities abound.  Are you ready to do that?  The only way you can be ready is if you are walking by the Spirit and according to the truth of the Word.  Not only can the Spirit embolden you to speak without fear, He can give you the words to speak.  The term translated “defense” is related to our word “apologetics,” which has to do with “reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something.”  Whereas books and Bible School courses are devoted to that theme, the matter is relatively simple.  What is your defense or argument as to the source of the hope you possess?  It starts with the gospel, that glorious message of hope.  Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).  Having put your trust in Jesus, you’ve been saved from your sins and given assurance of a future home in heaven.  No matter what happens to you here, you know that you are destined to heaven, and to that inheritance which is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4).  As someone once said, “When it comes to sharing your faith, it’s not a matter of how much you know, but Who you know, and how much you want others to know Him!” 

Our response to others, even in the face of threats and harsh treatment, needs to be “with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).  According to the example of Christ, and the example of countless other saints who have likewise testified about Jesus in difficult circumstances (1 Peter 2:21-23; Acts 7:59-60).  The uncertainty of these days has worked to open a door of unprecedented opportunity for us.  “In the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” we are to “shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life” (Philippians 2:14-16).  You have hope.  Others need what you have.  The hope you possess in Jesus was meant to be shared!

The Hope You Possess in Jesus Was Meant to be Shared with Others

Heavenly Father. We remember something of what it was like when we were without You and without hope in this world. But then You caused us to be born again to a living hope through Jesus. How incredibly blessed we are to possess such a hope! Forgive us when we are too focused on the troubles of the here and now, and not enough on the glorious destiny You’ve prepared for us. May we be full of hope, as we well should be, and may that hope adorn our words and deeds. Grant us opportunities, as Your ambassadors, to share with others about what You’ve done for us. And when we are thus privileged, grant us compassion to care and the words to speak! That others might be reconciled to You! That You might be honored and glorified in all. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hope’s Purifying Work

Bible Reading: 1 John 3:1-5

I got a haircut a few days ago.  The beautician at the beauty shop did a great job, especially considering what she had to work with!  I was reading the other day about the “beauty shop visit” of Queen Esther who was being prepared to see King Ahasuerus.  Her makeover lasted twelve months, and involved “beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments!”  Holy Makeover!  But then again one’s got to be ready before going to see the King!

We are so blessed to be called the children of God (1 John 3:1)!  But as long as we are in this world we are out of place. The day is coming when we will be presented to Jesus, Our King!  “What we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.  And everyone who hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3).

This confident expectation of seeing Jesus, now works to motivate and instruct us towards holiness.  Jesus spoke of his preparatory work regarding his church this way: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27).  How much time and effort is directed towards preparing a bride for her wedding day?  Jesus is even now working to prepare his bride, the church, for her presentation to him.  So, the church works towards this purpose, even as its members exercise their gifts that they “might grow up in every way into him” (Ephesians 4:15).  

Salvation is in three tenses.  The believer has been justified (past tense), is being sanctified (present tense), and will be glorified (future tense).  How wonderful this sanctifying work of Jesus, whereby he takes us from where we were, dead in our trespasses and sins, and works to transform us into Christlikeness!  It is the ultimate of makeovers.  It is a work of the Spirit, as he mediates the presence of Christ to us, in us, and through us.  Through the renewing of our minds, and as we put off sin and put on Christlikeness, he works to transform us “from one degree of glory to another” (Ephesians 4:22-24; 2 Corinthians 3:18). The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to change us (John 17:17). “The Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword” and is able to discern “the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16).  Those who hope in him pay attention to the Word–hearing it, reading it, studying it, memorizing it, meditating upon it, doing it–that the Spirit might work a powerful, transforming change in us!

People pursue earthly hopes, like fame and fortune, with an amazing degree of effort and determination.  How much more should the certain hope of seeing Jesus work to motivate the believer in the pursuit of holiness!  All three members of the Triune God have worked and are working towards that goal in our lives!  We’ve been saved to that purpose.  The Spirit of God now works within us, towards that end.  We’ve been well-provisioned–in the Word, in prayer, and in the fellowship of believers–that we might be purified as we look to our glorious union with Christ!  There’s no more virtuous purpose! We do well to pursue it with renewed Spirit-led enthusiasm!  

John Angell James, “the very contemplation of heaven, in which hope indulges—has a transforming power…Oh, the unworthiness that is in me! Not only the sins I have committed and still commit, but the evil nature, the unworthiness in me, all these things which I have to mortify. There is so much to be done, and time is uncertain. We do not have a moment to spare or to waste. We may find ourselves with Him, facing Him, at any moment!”  

What You are Looking for will Determine What you are Living For

Heavenly Father. How incredibly blessed we are to be called Your children! We once were children of wrath, but now we are objects of Your love. We were once lost in sin, but now we’ve been forgiven and empowered by the Spirit to walk in newness of life. You’ve availed to us everything needful that we might put off sin and put on Christlikeness. Forgive us for our inattentiveness to Your rich provisions. Though we don’t now know what we shall be, the day is coming when we will, having been glorious transformed to be like You! May this present hope in our future destiny work to motivate us in the pursuit of holiness, that we might be pure even as You are pure. Amen.

Hope, A Sure and Steady Anchor

Bible Reading: Hebrews 6:13-20

On February 4, 1999, a ship, the New Carissa, was bound for the Port of Coos Bay, Oregon to pick up a load of wood chips.  The ship’s crew was informed by the local bar pilots that weather conditions would prevent the ship from entering the harbor until the next morning.  The captain ordered the ship to drop anchor some distance off of the coast in order to ride out the storm.  The crew dropped anchor, but the anchor line was too short.  Heavy winds drove the ship to the shore where it ran aground.  Though no lives were lost, the recovery and cleanup cost tens of millions of dollars.  The New Carissa was provisioned with a suitable anchor, but since it could not be well-positioned it was of no help.  Amidst the storms of uncertainty we face in life, a “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul” has been provisioned by God to the believer in Christ.

We all have need of an “anchor of the soul.”  “Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold, threaten the soul with infinite loss.”  We face trials and temptations of many kinds.  An untethered soul will inevitably be “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14). The anchor provisioned by God is both “sure” and “steadfast.”  Each term relates to the nature of the anchor in a different way.  The word “sure” speaks of that which is certain.  The word “steadfast” speaks to the anchor’s security when placed under stress.  The hope of the believing soul is both certain and unassailable. It is so because of who God is, He Himself being immutable and faithful.  God has promised salvation to the believer.  The believer’s assurance is based on “two unchangeable things” (Hebrews 6:18)—His promise and His oath (Hebrews 6:13-18).  Since “it is impossible for God to lie,” we know we are secure in the salvation He has promised.  No matter what happens in this life, nothing can work “to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).

An anchor is of no value if it is not laid hold of by some means.  The author of Hebrews spoke to those “who have fled for refuge…to hold fast to the hope set before (them)” (Hebrews 6:18).  How is a soul tethered to the sure and steadfast anchor?  Is it not by faith?  “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  Faith “flees for refuge” in the unseen Christ.  Faith works to bind one’s self tightly to Him.  No one can be saved apart from it.  It is by faith that the believer experiences both security and stability.

Note the place to which the anchor is secured.  It “enters into the inner place behind the curtain” (Hebrews 6:19).  The well-anchored soul is tethered to heaven itself.  And though we face the winds and waves of adversity here, all is calm in that harbor.  Is your soul even now bound by such an anchor to such a glorious place?  Charles Spurgeon concluded a sermon on this topic with these words, “My cable has grown shorter of late, a great many of its links have vanished.  I am nearer my hope than when I first believed.  Every day hope nears fruition!  Let our joy in it become more exultant.  A few more weeks or months and we shall dwell above!  And while we shall need no anchor to hold us fast, we shall eternally bless that Divine condescension which produced such a holdfast for our unstable minds while tossed upon this sea of care!  What will those of you do who have no anchor?  A storm is coming!  I see the lowering clouds and hear the distant hurricane!  What will you do?  May the Lord help you at once to flee for refuge to the hope set before you.  Amen.”  

MY ANCHOR HOLDS

Tho’ the angry surges roll
On my tempest-driven soul,
I am peaceful, for I know,
Wildly though the winds may blow,
I’ve an anchor safe and sure,
That can evermore endure.

Refrain:
And it holds, my anchor holds:
Blow your wildest, then, O gale,
On my bark so small and frail;
By His grace I shall not fail,
For my anchor holds, my anchor holds.

Amidst the Inevitable Storms of Life, In Jesus You’ve a Sure and Steadfast Anchor of Your Soul

Heavenly Father.  Like the disciples in their storm tossed sea, the waves of uncertainty in this sin-stormy world would work to frighten us or move us off course.  But You have worked to save us and in You we have set our hope!  Praise You for Your faithfulness!  Our souls have found a sure and steadfast resting place in You.  May our faith rest solely on You, and not on ourselves or others.  May our minds be firmly set on the hope laid up for us in heaven.  Being well tethered by faith in You, may we be “steadfast, immovable, always abounding” in You work.  To Your glory!  Amen.