Our Hope

"But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:37-39)

Today, and most every day people all over this world are in distress, in pain, in sorrow, and in great heart break. Today, all around us and far off are people who know no hope. They live under oppressive governments or their belief system has captured them into cycles of misery and poverty.

They all wear the same coat of flesh that we do. They all want the same basic tenants of life that we do such as family, a filled belly, and a secure and peaceful house to call home. Yet, their greatest desire is hope.

Some of these know the joy of the Lord while many do not. Some live with wealth and have great abundance and show a façade of happiness while behind doors they must consume some stimulate of choice to numb the misery called selfishness. Others have wealth and give freely for they received freely from their Lord.

We, people of earth come in all sizes, shapes, colors, cultures, and
temperaments. All these we categorize and label and we separate those who are like us from those considered different. We are united as sinners and all become equal and title-less when in the grave.

The great hope of our generation as was true of previous generations is Jesus Christ. For without Christ there is no hope only the simmering unspoken realization on the back-burner of the mind of impending judgment and looming darkness and eternal flame.

For those who walk in the light of His grace, mercy, and goodness there is a shout of joy and triumph in the acknowledging that we cannot be separated from Him who loved us first. Through Christ the distress may yet be present but the sting is not consuming; His grace gives us strength to endure.

The pain of loss or in giving birth is swept away; some in a short time and for others the loss is permanent; even so, there is 'joy unspeakable and full of glory.' Sorrow and heart break may be our bread today but tomorrow - when our eternal tomorrow comes, then the tears will fade, His joy will persist, and the calming balm of His love will heal.

For we have hope! Not in what we see, or hear, or experience but in Him who formed us in His mind before the stars burst forth their first light until they glimmer into darkness. We plod down the path of eternity because when we were vile and hopelessly lost in the debauchery of our carnality our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ loved us, saved us, and now heals us.

'Father, may the hope that you've planted in our hearts demonstrate itself in goodness, kindness, giving, and mercy to those with no hope'