Posts Tagged ‘Hebrews’

Hope

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Hope is an important part of who we are.  Without a feeling of hope, we wither away.  Without hope, we give up. And, hope is the groundwork of our faith (Hebrews 11:1).

Where we place that hope is important.  We all know the feeling of having hope destroyed, that feeling of being let down.  Sometimes our hope is misplaced, and we are pinning our hopes to something that will fail.

Individuals, institutions, and situations ultimately will fail us.  Everyone experiences loss when hope is placed in these things.

The one place that we can place our hope, the one in whom our hope truly rests, is God. In Psalm 38:15, it says,  “For in You, O LORD, I hope;  You will hear, O Lord my God.” (NKJV)  When our hopes are placed elsewhere, we run the risk of great disappointment.  When our hope is in God, we are hoping in someone who has been proven over and over, many times before.  Nobody else, nothing else, has that track record.

When we have hoped elsewhere, and get let down, it is important to remember where our true hope lies.  Psalm 42:5 states, “Why are you cast down, O my soul?  And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.”  (NKJV)

Our true hope is in the true Source of life, the Giver of what is good and perfect (James 1:17).  When everything and everyone else fails, even that in which we believed strongly, and defended adamantly, fails, we know that we can return to our true hope.  We need not be destroyed and despairing (”Why are you cast down, O my soul? “) but we can hope in believe in someone who wants to see our greatest hopes realized (”Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.”)

Be blessed and have a great day.

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Riding the Train

Monday, June 15th, 2009

Last night I was indulging in an activity that I don’t take time to enjoy as often as I used to.  I was listening to some Johnny Cash.

Specifically, an old song called “Life’s Railway to Heaven.”  For those unfamiliar with the song, it compares the journey of life with a train traveling a treacherous mountain route, with Christ as our engineer, guiding us safely to heaven.

I relate to this because I grew up in a small town by a short line railroad, and when I was very small my grandmother lived within sight of the tracks.  I would watch the trains as a small child, with the coal cars, tanker cars, and boxcars, trying to read the writing on the side as they passed (I was just learning to read at the time.)

Just like the engineers who took resposiblitiy for getting that freight where it was going safe and on time, no matter the conditions, we have a guide to our destination doing the same for us.

Psalm 48:14 tells us, “For God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto death.”

When we turn our  lives over to Jesus Christ, He takes responsibility for guiding us through the mountain passes and the storms of our lives.  Just like in that old song, there are storms, night, and sidetracks that are unforeseen.  Unpleasant and undesirable events sometimes unfold in our lives.  Sometimes we fret and worry about these things, but we must remember that we have a God who wants to guide us through these times as long as we follow him.

And like the engineer, He is familiar with the route and the trouble it can bring. Hebrews 4:14-15 tells us that our great high priest, Jesus Christ, understands our infirmities, as He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”  He traveled the route, from the cradle to the cross, and knows how to guide us through any situation.  He knows the pitfalls of the route, every turn in the track, every tunnel, every bridge and trestle, and every change of degree in grade.  Although the route holds surprises for us, it does not for Him.  He knows the route perfectly.

Continue to have faith my friends.  And trust in the Great Engineer.

Have a blessed day.

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You Gotta Have Faith

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

In order to set the stage for what I am about to write, I am going to make a confession about myself.

I have found it very important to me that others have faith in me, and in what I am doing.  Although I have enough confidence in God and in myself to do the things I need to do, the knowledge that others believe in me spurs me forward and encourages me to do greater things.  I am not referrring so much to a cheerleader to encourage me as a friend who demonstrates confidence in me,  not just someone saying “You can make it!”, but rather someone who can support me and my efforts with a confidence and courage that goes beyond words.

On the other hand, it is quite daunting to be in a situation where I dont have that support.  It is much more difficult to go it alone (Ecclesiastes 4:10), and while not impossible (all things are possible with God), the going is much tougher.

Worst of all is when it feels as if others don’t have faith in me.  That is a very discourageing feeling, and it makes the going much rougher if everyone expersses doubt.

So, how does it make God feel when we exhibit doubt instead of faith in Him?

In John 14:1, Jesus said to his disciples, “ye believe in God, believe also in Me.”  Faith is very important to God.  I believe that it truly breaks the heart of God when we do not have faith.  Hebrews 11:6 tells us it is impossible to please God without faith.

Matthew 13:58 tells us that Jesus did not do many mighty works in Nazereth “because of their unbelief.”  It is difficult to imagine how this unbelief grieved the heart of Jesus.

If we are affected by the faith of others in us, and bothered when others lack confidence in us, then how much more does it bother God, who is almighty and able to do all things?

If we need to strengthen our faith in God, let us start with what we have, and let God build upon it.  The best place to start, in my opinion, is to honestly state to God the same thing theat the father of a demonically tormented son said to Jesus: “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (Matthew 9:24)

God is willing to meet us where we are in our faith, to teach us, to strengthen us, and to help us conquer unbelief.  He is willing to work with what we give Him, if we truly give it to Him.

Have a blessed day.

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