HOPE
Help,
When All Seems Hopeless
Ever
feel like just plain giving up? Well, I've been there too. Yet, now,
I am filled with joy! I'd like to share a little, about how we can
all have hope!
Does
it feel to you as if your circumstances are just out to do you in?
Does it feel as if it is just completely impossible for you to get
your feet under you? As if you can never get ahead? Does it feel as
if there's no way out of this? Well, let me assure you, there
is hope!
There
is a way to rise above one's circumstances.
A
REAL PERSON WHO LOVES YOU
Has
anyone ever taken the time to tell you about Jesus Christ? And no,
I'm not talking
about empty religion! What I am talking about is
a person! A
real
person, who is also 100% God. This Jesus actually wants to have a
relationship with you, and no, not just here and there, but for time
and eternity! This Jesus is ready to forgive us because He wants us
to be able to enjoy an awesome relationship with Him! He is not out
to get us, as some would like us to believe. For it is written, “I
[Jesus] did not come to judge the world but to save the world.”
(John 12:47) It is however true that He will be forced to give us the
consequences for our sin if we refuse Him. For He also said, “Then
I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it. From his presence
earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw
the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were
opened...And the dead were judged by what was written in the books,
according to what they had done.” (Revelation 20:11-12) Yet, He has
no desire to give us our due. Instead, He took the due Himself on the
cross in order that we could be forgiven. Now that is not just talk!
It is love in action.
HE
CAME IN INCOGNITO
Let me tell you a
little more about this amazing Jesus! This Jesus left His beautiful
home in Heaven and came down to this Earth for you and I! Neither did
He come to be treated as a King – as he truly is, but He came in
incognito. How did the world receive their Creator-God? Well, they
nailed Him to a cross to die. He was hated, indeed! Yet, what had He
done?! He had healed their diseases, fed them, taught them
life-giving truth, raised the dead, and blessed their children. Yet,
the Bible says, “They hated me without a cause.” (John 15:25b)
THE GREATEST
LOVE
Yet, we must remember,
that as God, He knew that He would be treated like this. So we must
ask ourselves, why would He come if He knew in advance that He would
be so shamefully treated? Well, to put it simply, it was because He
loved you and me. It was love that motivated Him. His death was no
accident, He came to take the penalty for our sin, which God says in
His Word is “death” (Romans 6:23). He took our punishment of
death, so we wouldn't have to be separated from God and His holy
heaven. For it is written, “For God so loved the world that
he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have eternal life.” (*John 3:16) Now,
put put your name in the place of those underlined words and see how
it reads!
HE GOES
THROUGH TRIALS WITH US
I ask, have you ever
had anyone love you that much before? I sure haven't! Not only that,
but He says that, “Whoever comes to me, I will never cast
out! (John 6:37b) He has promised, and God cannot lie, that He “will
never leave you or forsake you”! (Hebrews 13:5) So, even
when we pass through dark valleys, you guessed it! He's with us! In
fact, He came to indwell every single believer by the Holy Spirit. He
is literally with us, even when we go through the “storms” of
life! Now, if you are a believer, put your name in place of the
underlined words and see how that sounds!
HE PAID FOR
YOU
Have you placed your
trust fully in Him as your own Savior? Are you assured that He took
the punishment of God instead of you? That Jesus was fully punished
for all of your sin, and not just some of it? Do you believe that He
is able to see you all the way to Heaven by His doing? Are you fully
resting in Him? For it is written, “He is able to save to the
uttermost [completely].” (Hebrews 7:25) For we must realize, that
the laws of God show us that we are all sinners. That we are all
guilty and deserving to be cast out of His holy presence forever.
Yet, God is a God of mercy. He didn't want to see you pay the penalty
for your sin, and He knew you could do nothing about it. That is why
He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for you. He came to
take your place, because He loved you and wanted you with Him in His
beautiful Heaven forever! We could say, Jesus died on the cross to
pay the sin-debt of __________________ (your name). It is simply by
trusting Jesus as _________________'s (your name) Savior, that you
can know that you have eternal life. That you do not, “Come into
judgment, but [have] passed from death to life.” That, “There is
therefore no condemnation” for you.” (John 5:24, Romans 8;1) This
alone, is a real message of hope for you and I. O, what a Savior we
have! We can rest, because we know that Jesus was already
judged for our sin on the cross. That God the Father has already
punished His Son, Jesus for our sin! What love!
HE IS “FOR
US”
So yes, life's trials
may seem hard to bear at times. Yet, we have the Holy Spirit to be
our “Comforter.” We have Jesus, who said, “I will never leave
you or forsake you.” And we also have our Heavenly Father, who is
“for us.” Amazing isn't it?! (John 14:26*, Hebrews 13:5, Romans
8;31)
For further reading on
this topic, particularly respecting joy in one's Christian life,
please read my blog title, “The Royal Road to Victory and Vic's
Testimony.”
“Why are you cast
down, O my soul,
and why are you in
turmoil within me?
Hope in God.”
Psalm 42:5
“The LORD preserves
the faithful...
Be strong, and let your
hearts take courage,
all you who wait for
the LORD!”
Psalm 31:23-24
“The hope of the
righteous brings joy.”
Proverbs 10:28a
“May the God of hope
fill you with all joy
and peace in believing,
so that by the power of
the Holy Spirit
you may abound in
hope.”
Romans 15:13
Victor J. Reimer
*Scripture
quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV),
copyrighted © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights
reserved.
*KJV
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