this is from my Florida Beach trip--- more pictures to comes soon :) :)
I can't ignore the hope that keeps coming up in my life. In fact, 2009 was my year of hope. It guided me through a crazy crazy year. Let me give you a little tour....
It all started with Luke 24:20 ---"The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel."
Does that just hit your heart?? "but we had hoped" ... how many times do we hope for things that don't work out the way we planned? I got this new job, and I had really hoped it would change things.... I had hoped this relationship would be better.... I had hoped you'd change your mind.... It's such a cycle, we put our hope in things on earth that have no power to heal or help us. I listened to a man speak on this passage and he absolutely changed my way of thinking. He said that we all think of hope as being something very future-based. We're looking forward, which me might call hopeful. Or we're hoping for good things to come. Here's where is gets amazing --- he challenged us to think of hope as something that's already happened, which is more something in our pasts. Not that hope doesn't influence our future too, but if hope is something that has already happened, that takes the pressure off the cycles of hope and dissappointment we get ourselves into. Our hope is in Jesus who died on the cross to save us from our sins, that hope is permanent and unchanging, it has happened and with that as our past, nothing can shake us.
The full message is amazing, and if you are in a place where you feel a little hopeless, take the 30 minutes to listen to this:
(still trying to get the link to post ... check back for this soon!)
2009 continued on after I redefined my idea of hope and I found myself in the Appalachian mountains working with some students in the poorer areas of the state of Kentucky. I was helping one of the students put together a devotional thought to share and we were talking about hope. We were sitting in a kitchen area with lots of people coming and going, we were asking others what they thought about hope and if there were any ideas or scriptures that really spoke to them. The man that runs the mission there (Hi Kevin!) had walked through earlier and we had asked him these same questions... he came back a little later and confidently told us "and hope does not dissappoint" Romans 5.
And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us,
Romans 5 is now one of my absolute favorite passages of scripture and I could read that whole chapter everyday just to remind myself of what Jesus has done for us and what he wants to do for us. I kind of named the blog after that chapter in fact.
So I know that hope is something that I have in Jesus, and I know that his word tells me that His hope will never dissappoint me. Aren't we all looking for something to cling to that will never disappoint us?? Hope. Hope in Jesus. Hope because of Jesus.
So this year I'm reading through some past Bible studies I have done and I come accross a lesson on the Tabernacle of all things. The Tabernacle from the Old Testament is often one of those scripture passages that we skip over, it's hard to understand and there's so many details that we just don't get. I have discovered that the Tabernacle in summary is a picture of God's incredible desire to be with us -- it was constructed so that the Israelites would have a place where God could dwell.
Well so many New Testament scriptures tie to this and that is where I find my verse this week.
"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf."
The author spoke to the connection that there is between hope and soul. She challenged that when we really feel sick, right down to our very souls, it's most often because we find ourselves feeling hopeless. I've been thinking about this and I really believe its true.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul
Mind -- Makes me think of loving God with my thoughts, how I think, my intellect, my reasoning. (This one is the hardest for me...)
Heart -- Makes me think of feelings, it's a choice to love, but loving with your heart is an emotional thing for me, it's a protective, secure and affectionate feeling toward God.
Soul -- Here's where I'm not as sure. I think loving the Lord your God with all your soul has to do with belief. Do you believe that was He says is true? Do you believe God? More than just having a belief of Him? I think our belief that He is who He says He is provides a great amount of hope. I defenitely think hope and soul are closely tied.
I'm spending some time at the ocean this weekend. And let me just tell you, the waves never stop. Aren't we all looking for an anchor, firm and secure, that is constant throughout never-ending waves? I don't foresee life suddenly getting easier and free of white-capped waves, so the solution is finding the anchor.
Let these verses just wash over you and see if you find a little hope for your soul... :)
Psalms 42:5
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Psalms 62:5
Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Psalms 119:81
My soul faints with longing for your salvation,
but I have put my hope in your word.
Psalms 130:5
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
And in His word I do hope.
Proverbs 24:14
In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul.
If you find it, you will have a bright future,
and your hopes will not be cut short.
Hebrews 6:19
We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us...
No comments:
Post a Comment