hope
Courage
Courage is displayed in many facets of life in and through activities that are visible to the eye, but unseen courage of the heart, however, is another matter altogether. This is the stuff on a personal level (unseen courage) that makes life worth living, powered by an eternal hope that never dies.
“The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him.” (Lamentations 3:24)
Setbacks are real, and they have the tendency to knock us off track of pursuing life goals. Courage is real, and it has the power to get us back on track toward pursuing life goals, the hopes and dreams that we desire. As a Jesus follower, or Christian, we are encouraged to finish the course that God has set before us, to the point of being able to say to God in the end;
“I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave Me to do.” (John 17:4)
It takes courage to stay on the course of life that leads to accomplishing what you set out to do. It takes a heart completely devoted to the One who not only assigns your course but provides the courage and inspiration you will need to complete it. After Jesus fed the five thousand He instructed His disciples to get into the boat to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. He knew that they would encounter a storm while at the same time knowing that the storm would give opportunity to make them aware of their need for courage that could only come through a relationship with Him in order to fulfill His assignment on their lives.
“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Matthew 14: 27)
Purpose, hope and courage weave together in such a way that sets us apart from the average mindset of “what will be, will be” approach to life; these three attributes enable us to face difficulty, danger and pain with a bravery that we’re given through our relationship with our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
“…But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13-14)
Take courage my friend!
Scripture Quoted in ESV, NIV
I Have Decided
Decisions are made through a process of settling a dispute or doubt, making a judgement or determining a preference that brings us to a conclusion “by giving victory to one side.”* Decisions are made in the soul of our being, where our will, emotions and mind reside.
Major life decisions affect the projectory of our life outcomes and the people we encounter along the way. The impact can be enormous when you think about it from the perspective of eternity.
In 1904 a spiritual revival swept across Wales, England and a particular Welshman accepted Jesus and the missionary call to travel to India to a remote village known for its violence and savage head-hunters who prided themselves in displaying as many heads he had collected. This was a sign of their marriageability – the more heads a man had, the more eligible he was.
One tribesman heard the gospel and accepted Jesus as his Savior against much opposition from the tribal chief. After being brought before the entire village the chief demanded that this tribesman stop following Jesus or his children would be killed. “No, I have decided to follow Jesus, I am not turning back,” replied the man. His children were killed.
The chief went on to threaten the man to stop following Jesus or it would cost him the life of his wife. “Thou none go with me, I still will follow, no turning back,” replied the tribesman. The chief killed his wife.
Left alone after witnessing the murder of his children and wife, the angry chief demanded a third time for the tribesman to stop following Jesus now at the threat of losing his own life. “The cross before me, the world behind me, no turning back, no turning back,” replied the man at the cost of his own life.
With the entire village witnessing this ordeal and this one tribesman willing to sacrifice all that was dear to him to follow Jesus, one by one the village people began to make the decision to follow Jesus and eventually the tribal chief bowed his knees to follow Jesus.
God is eternal, our time on this earth is not. Jesus came to make a way for our relationship with God to be restored to His original, eternal plan. Jesus took our place on the cross and made restitution for our sins, completely wiped them away by the shedding of His blood, making a way for those who would choose to believe in Him, granting eternal life in the presence of God. Forever.
I was 14 years old when confronted with this soul decision. By Gods grace I knew in my heart that I needed a Savior, that I didn’t know enough (and never would) to do life on my own. I’m so grateful for my life journey that brought me to a place of settling the struggle and doubt in my heart at that time. This song of the ages propelled me to the altar to proclaim my decision to follow Jesus.
“I have decided to follow Jesus…no turning back, no turning back…Though none go with me, I still will follow…no turning back, no turning back…The world behind me, the cross before me…no turning back, no turning back.” (Author Unknown)
This one tribesman’s decision is still reaping a harvest today. Who could have known but Jesus the ripple-effect of his decision throughout time, the world and the lives that would be impacted and the souls brought into the eternal loving arms of God.
Image: PlanWallpaper
*dictionary.com
Eternal Hope
Like a vapor in the backdrop of eternity, life can seem to vanish before our eyes from our first breath to our last just as the Bible describes it.
“Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14, NASB)
With the recent passing of my mother, her 85 years of life seemed to pass so quickly now that heaven is her home. She was an influencer of her faith in God to those around her. She lived out the assignment on her life in a most sincere, loving and courageous way. Her gift of encouragement and quiet reserve veiled her fierce faith and steel-like determination to pray things through. She was convinced that God could do the impossible for others just as He had done for her. Her faith was contagious and present, as a result of having survived many seasons of suffering that taught her not take her lifespan for granted. She understood what it meant to live out her trust walk day by day, depending on God’s provision for each moment of life.
“Give us each day our daily bread…” (Luke 11:3, NASB)
She lived with an eternal hope that was anchored in the promises of God and His vision for her family which she spoke over us numerous times. She never stopped believing, persevering right up to the end of her life.
To those she left behind, the many lives she impacted, she passed along her baton of faith. Now its our turn to carry on the mission of passing along the eternal hope that sustained her through the travel of life. Let’s pick up where she left off by not only living out our faith with a steel-like tenacity but with the desire to leave the fragrance of Jesus wherever He sends us.
“For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (2Corinthians 2:15, NASB)
Her life was a sweet fragrance of eternal hope, a hope that is needed in our world with all its tribulations. The world is waiting to see this hope lived out. The world is waiting for you.
“…In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33b, NASB)
Prisoner of Hope
The word prisoner carries a negative connotation and yet in the context of faith in God it is a positive attribute that points to a lifestyle of built on hope. Whereas a prisoner loses his/her freedom to choose and are held bound to obey a higher authority, God followers are invited into a lifestyle of eternal hope.
Hope anchored in God is described as a stronghold; a well-fortified place, a fortress and a refuge from anyone whose aim is to keep us from fulfilling our destiny according to God’s will. It is also a place of restoration in the aftermath of great lost.
“Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.” (Zechariah 9:12)
In seasons of hardship its easy to forget that our position of strength is to remain in God’s stronghold of protection and His promise of restoration to all those who have placed their hope in Jesus, His Son. Jesus is the fulfillment of our hope.
“For all the promises of God find their Yes in Him (Jesus).” (2Corinthians 1:20)
Who is your stronghold and in whom have you placed your hope? In God we have the full assurance of hope until the end, the fulfillment of His promises. (Hebrews 6:11)
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him.” (Lamentations 3:21-24)
He is Hope Eternal
Image: Planwallpaper
One Hope
Hope is a positive emotion, the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. What is your hope based upon and on whom are you relying to achieve the outcomes you hope for?
Self-reliance has a proven history of mixed results. How often have you failed to reached the desired end of a hope born out of inspiration? Or encountered another human being that didn’t have a failure or two to remind them that hope in ‘self’ can not be trusted to get you where you want to be?
Jesus had something to say about hope. He revealed to us who our hope should be anchored in to ensure crossing the finish line of life without regret. He knew and took the steps to live His life in a way that would please His Father in heaven. He humbled Himself and followed every command of His Father without exception. He trusted God and placed all His hope in Him to the point of God becoming His all in all. And He did it for us.
“…then the Son himself will also be subjected to Him who put all things in subjection under Him, that God may be all in all.” (1Corinthians 15:28)
God is our sure and living hope offered through Jesus Christ who humbled Himself by descending from heaven to save a hopeless, self-reliant people striving after the wind.
It is in Christ Jesus we find eternal hope and triumph over failure and triumph in life. When we place our trust in Him He promises to stay with us to the end.
“…I will never leave you nor forsake you…” (Hebrews 13:5)
Out outcome has been guaranteed, sealed in eternity in the power of His Name. He is our One Hope, our all in all!
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you…” (1Peter 5:6)
Image: FavIm
loretta j. willis, author 