Our Hope in Him

 

 Living in this small Central Florida community we have a large number of retirees that have come to enjoy their sunset years here with us.  Some live to be in their eighties and nineties and remain very active in our town as well as in church.  As I reflected on this today, I was reminded of a story I read concerning John Adams, the second president of the United States.  He lived to be 90 years old and one morning as he took a morning stroll, another walker greeted him by asking, "And how is Mr. Adams today?"  John Adams replied, "This old tenement I live in may be falling down, but John Adams, sir, is quite well indeed."
     When we look at John Adams' words, we note that he had a keen sense that life was much more than the condition of our physical bodies.  Certainly the Apostle Paul would agree with this for he wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:16:  "Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day."  Aging brings inevitable changes to us all because our bodies are imperfect and will die one day, but Paul points out that even though our bodies decay, we are renewed in our spirit daily by the Lord of Life, Jesus Christ.
     We must remember that Jesus came to offer us life that does not depend on our age or physical bodies.  He told us that He had come to "bring life, and that...more abundantly" (John 10:10).  Our Lord did not come to just refurbish our old bodies and spruce us up.  Rather He offered us life that comes from an eternal source established in our repentance and turning to Him in complete commitment.  This life will never die but will live in His presence forever.    It is a divine life which defies physical death, and one day we will have a new body that will never decay, be sick or die.
     This is the hope we have in Jesus Christ.  He came and took upon Himself our sins to set us free from spiritual death; so no matter how our physical body is today, our spirit is being renewed daily.
     When life seems gone, Christ offers us life.  When our hope is drained from us, Jesus reminds us of the abundant life He has come to give us.  This is not a hope that we can work up or do for ourselves.  Instead, it is hope based on the irrepressible and undying life of Jesus Christ being lived in us.
     There will be days when we feel overwhelmed by grief, depression, weariness or sadness, but we must remember that the cross of Christ is our promise that suffering and death do not have the final word.  The Psalmist named our source of hope in Psalm 71:5 which reads:  "You O Lord, are my hope."  This is a hope we can also pass on to others around us who feel overwhelmed by life.  We have the greatest story to offer not based on how we feel but based upon the truth of God's Word.
     John Adams knew that while his old body was not in great repair he had hope in the Lord who made him.  We, too, can have the same outcome when we look not at circumstances but look, instead, into the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ who offers us eternal life through His shed blood.  All we must do is repent and call upon Him, and He will renew our hearts daily.  Be renewed in the Lord this day and let Him encourage you no matter what you are facing for He has over come the world!  Selah!


I welcome your thoughts and invite you to leave a comment.

Directionally Challenged?

In Switzerland, trying to decide which way to go!

     Over the many years that Glenn and I have been married, we have been lost in both cities and the countryside more times than we can count and that is even when we use a GPS.  Of course, not all GPS units are geared towards taking you the shortest way among other shortcomings.  I don't know if we are "directionally challenged" or if we just lack the ability to stop and ask for help.  It may even be a genetic thing?
     I remember clearly that my father refused to stop and ask for directions when we were traveling to Florida one winter.  We ended up fifty miles off the beaten path.  It took us several hours just to get back to where we should have been, but my father was not one to stop and ask for directions.
     We may be lost when it comes to finding a certain address but we do not need to be lost when it comes to our eternal destiny.  John 14:6 reads:  "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me."
     This beautiful verse of Scripture is preceded by reassurance from our Lord that our hearts do not need to be troubled over things that are to come.  Our Lord is preparing for us a beautiful home in heaven.  Since He is the one preparing it, we know it will be perfect even as He is perfect.  Jesus even reassures us that we will be with Him.  What a blessing!
     However, verse 6 of this passage makes it clear that the ONLY way to the Father is through Jesus Christ our Lord.  There is NO OTHER WAY!  He is the truth when we don't know the answers and the life when we feel ours is slipping away.  What blessed assurance we have in Him.
     Yet, this world believes there are many ways to heaven and that those of us who do not accept this are "narrow minded".  The other night on a talk show, I heard a commentator say that he was a Christian.  I perked up to see what he had to say on the subject.  He went on to say that even though he was a Christian, he believed that all other faiths were valid too and all would go to heaven if they were sincere.
     Needless to say, it grieved my heart because this is not the truth as found in scripture.  There is no other way to approach the Father.  He is the only One who has the key to life and happiness and it is only through His Son Jesus Christ who is the Door.  Not Buddha, Mohammad, nor any other religion named on earth has the answer or the keys to the kingdom.  Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies in the Old Testament which were made about Him.  He alone stands as the perfect sacrifice for our sins and the true, valid Redeemer.
     We need to be sharing this Good News with our friends, family and loved ones.  No one know when our Lord will return for us but we know He is coming and we will be with Him.  As we share our faith, we can be confident that Jesus is the "way, the truth, and life" for He sealed this covenant with us in His own blood.  Selah!

The Greatest Sacrifice

Tornado spotted near Venus, FL this past week

     This past week as we vacationed with our daughter, son-in-law and two of our precious grandchildren, we had the opportunity for sweet conversation.  My daughter shared with me that she never realized how much love you could have for your children.  She said that you would be willing to give up your life to save your child.  I told her that I remembered that feeling, and in fact, it never goes away no matter how old your children are.
     Little did we know a week ago that those words were almost prophetic as we heard the story this week of Heather Town who was killed by a tornado while protecting her three year old daughter.  This mother of three held her child so tightly that a few rib bones were cracked as the tornado struck her double wide trailer sending her and the child flying 200 feet.  Unfortunately, Heather did not live but neighbors heard a child crying and came to the rescue of the three year old still wrapped tightly in her mother's arms.  She was rushed to the hospital and is recovering.  This story is a perfect example of the deep love a parent has for her child.  While this account touches our hearts, there is an even greater sacrifice we can read about in God's Word.

Trailer where Heather Town lived courtesy of Fox 13 News

     In his letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul wrote:  "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost."  The remarkable thing is that God loved us so much that He sent His only Son into this world to die for us!  This is made even clearer by the Apostle John who wrote these words:  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him"(John 3:16-17).  Now this is what true love means.
     Furthermore, Paul writes in his letter to the believers in Rome:  "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).  We, who have turned our backs on God and lived for self in our sin nature, were deemed worthy by God's own choosing for salvation.  This is amazing.
     We can understand a mother or father who would willingly give their life for their child as the mother who died protecting her daughter in the storm.  This is a devotion we can all relate to; however, God loved us even while we did not care for Him.  In fact, He loved us so much that He sent His own precious Son to be a sacrifice for our sins.  By His blood, we are set free from sin and death.  What He suffered on the cross is hard for us to fathom.  Yet, He did this willingly taking our place to satisfy the demands of the Law.
     Without a doubt, we know we would be willing to give up our lives if necessary to save our children or grandchildren.  However, consider how we would feel about giving up our lives for our worst enemy or someone who has hurt us.  This is what Christ did for us.  We were God's enemies.  Still, He ransomed us out of a love that took His Son to the cross.
     While we mourn the loss of this young mother who gave her life to save her child, we must not lose sight of the life saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ for those whom God has called.  If you are a believer, this should make your heart draw even nearer to our God.  If you have never committed your life to Christ, then, today is the day of salvation.  He died that we might live.  Take a moment to think on this, pray over this tremendous sacrifice offered for our sakes while we were still far from God.  Then, live each day for His glory and receive His forgiveness.  His death brought life eternal to those who come to know Him as Lord and Savior.   This is the greatest sacrifice.  Selah!

I welcome your thoughts on this devotion.  Please leave a comment.