Hope

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JESUS SPEAKING

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I also go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know; and the way you know.” (John 14: 1-4)

FAITHFUL THOUGHTS

Jesus says, “let not your heart be troubled;” a clear reference to the anxiety, fear, and depression that can afflict the lives of those who have lost hope. The definition of hope is, ‘the feeling of joy and optimism experienced in the present, as it relates to the anticipation of some future good.’ By simply contemplating the wonders of God’s coming kingdom, those who believe can feel joy even in the darkest moments. Such a splendid hope can also eradicate the distress of any present suffering.

As the story goes, a large school system once had a program to assist children who were sick in the hospitals with their school work. One day a teacher was asked to visit a particular child. She spoke with the child’s regular teacher who told her, “We’re studying nouns and adverbs in his class now. I’d be grateful if you could help him understand them so he doesn’t fall too far behind.” That afternoon, the hospital teacher went to see the boy. No one had told her that the child had been badly burned and was in great pain. Upon witnessing the boy’s injuries she was upset and began to stammer. “I’ve been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs.” Having completed her session, she left; feeling as though she had accomplished very little. However, the next day a nurse asked her, “What did you do to that boy?” Believing she had committed some offense, the teacher began to apologize. “No, no,” replied the nurse. “You don’t know what I mean. We’ve been worried about that little boy, but ever since yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He’s fighting back, responding to treatment. It’s as though he’s decided to live.” Two weeks later the boy explained that, until the teacher had arrived, he had completely given up hope. Everything changed when he came to a simple realization which he expressed this way: “They wouldn’t send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?”

The child in this illustration had been struggling because he had lost hope in the future. If we have lost our joy in the present, it is because we have taken our eyes off of the eternal life we have been promised in the future. We are therefore instructed to look forward to our everlasting fellowship with Jesus in God’s kingdom. If we believe God, we can endure any trial or tribulation in this place. Never lose hope; never doubt the promises of the Lord; and you as well will experience “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding.”

“Lord Heavenly Father, we trust You with our lives and believe in Your promises. Increase our faith, that no matter what circumstances we might encounter, we can experience the joy that accompanies our hope of eternal fellowship with You. May we continue to spread the gospel message to others; that they too might walk as Christians, from this day forward. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you!

Receiving God’s Message

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JESUS SPEAKING

“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that that You sent me.” (John 17: 6-8.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

As Jesus spoke directly to God in the presence of His disciples, He identified His task and acknowledged that it had been accomplished. His duty was to make God known to all those who were willing to listen. The true children of God heard Jesus, accepted Him as God’s messenger, and received His words as the words of God. Still today the Lord is selecting individuals out of the world, to become His eternal possessions. Anyone who accepts the message of Christ is a true child of God. Those who follow God are saved, while those who ignore His message will perish.

In 1912 the Titanic slipped beneath the icy waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Nearly 1500 people joined the ship on its journey to the bottom of the ocean. Although there weren’t enough lifeboats to carry all of the passengers, no one truly needed to die. Most people are unaware that a large ship named ‘The Californian’ was less than 20 miles away that night (close enough to have saved most of Titanic’s passengers.) ‘The Californian’ received some distress calls from the Titanic (via radio communication.) The crew also observed distress flares being fired from the titanic. And yet, for some reason the Captain of ‘The Californian’ didn’t take these messages seriously, and returned to bed after hearing the reports. During an official inquiry into the Captain’s actions, he remained elusive, continually changing his story; some even reported that he made attempts to doctor the log book and change their reported position on the evening of the tragedy. The real circumstances of his inaction were never clearly identified. Many still speculate that the Captain simply didn’t take the messages seriously. He had heard the reports, but didn’t believe them, and for that reason 1500 people lost their lives.

Jesus Christ, and the words that He spoke are God’s signal flares in a very dark and frigid world. Some see the signals, and they are drawn to Him. They see Jesus and know that He is God’s message, and because they believe in that message they are saved from death. Sadly, no matter how many flares He sends up pointing to His Son, most will never take them seriously. Jesus Christ is God’s message to us all. Those who respond, will follow Him and dedicate their lives to spreading His message. May we all respond to God’s calling.

“Lord heavenly Father, we come before You and ask You to increase our faith. We desire to be Yours, and we believe Your message and accept Your words. As we await the life You have promised us, we ask that You strengthen our hearts in this world, that we might accomplish Your work. Give us a desire to spread Your message, that we would make more disciples. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name, Amen.” God bless all of you!

Being Honest

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JESUS SPEAKS

While speaking with a group of men, Jesus said, “If you were Abraham’s children you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (John 8: 29 – 34)

FAITHFUL THOUGHTS

Lying and dishonesty are sinful behaviors that originate from Satan; these dreadful lies produce confusion, hardship and suffering. The truth however, which is pure, unchanging, and reliable, emanates from God the Father. He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to preach the truth, and for that purpose He was hated. Many today remain frightened of the gospel message because they yearn to continue in their sin without guilt or remorse. Thus honesty creates great animosity. Speaking the truth can be quite costly; which constitutes one of the reasons Jesus Christ is rejected more often than He is accepted.

In 2004, a high school golfer named Chelsee Richard, of Bloomingdale Florida, lost her chance to win the state championship by being honest. In the qualifier for the state finals, Chelsee hit her tee shot on the second hole into the rough. She then unkowingly played another golfer’s ball out of the rough and finished the hole. However, on the third hole she realized what she had done. The rules stated that a golfer must declare on that hole, that they hit the wrong ball before putting the ball into the cup, or they are disqualified. Chelsee drew strength from her favorite bible verse, Philippians 4: 13; “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” She promptly reported her error, ending her senior season and her dream of going to the state finals. Concerning the incident, she said, “With my faith and with God, being honest was the most important thing to me, and that’s what is going to advance on through my life; being honest.”

Like Chelsee, many Christians have committed themselves to walking in the truth. We must always speak what is right and avoid dishonesty, no matter the cost. For those who have been called according to God’s purpose, lying of any sort is entirely unacceptable. We will undoubtedly encounter hatred, disdain, and derision, but our hearts will overflow with gladness. As we avoid Satan’s lies, those who are walking in darkness will see a great light and be drawn to God.

“Lord Heavenly Father, we love You and are committed to Your cause of salvation. May we speak only those things that are true and never fall victim to the lies that tempt others to sin. Sanctify us by the power of Your Holy Spirit, that we might be bold messengers of the Gospel. We love you Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.” God bless all of you!