A Life Worthy

Tag: hope

  • One-a-Day Monday, 9/15/14

    number 1

     

    But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more (Psalm 71:14).

    I bought a car yesterday.

    No, not because I wanted to.  I bought it—or rather, I began the multi-year process of buying it—because Coco Puff, our faithful minivan of many years and many miles, finally vroomed her last vroom.

    Those of you paying attention to such things will note that this is the second car that has died on me in the last three months.  Add to that the dishwasher and the stove, and a picture emerges.

    This guy’s infrastructure is falling apart.

    Now, this is the part where I tell you that I’m not stressed by any of this, because God is my hope and I trust him completely and so should you.  This is the part where you look at your own circumstances, which may well be more difficult than mine, and take encouragement and strength from my bold proclamation of faith.

    Except I am stressed.  Sorry about that.

    Don’t get me wrong.  My faith isn’t crumbling over some financial difficulties.  I trust him; I know he has me in the palm of his hand, and not because he is in the process of crushing me.

    Still, some days that, “I will praise you more and more” part is a real act of will, you know what I mean?

    Yeah, I’m thinking you do.

    So, today I will exercise my flabby will.  I will choose to rejoice in him.  I will choose to remember the many ways he has shown his faithfulness in the past.  I will choose to trust him today.  I will lift tired hands and heavy heart and praise him, because he is worth it.

    Because…he is worth it.

    Care to join me, Beloved?

  • One-a-Day Friday, 9/12/14

    number 1For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth (Psalm 71:5).

    Think about it.

    It doesn’t say, “You have given me hope.”

    Or “You give me reason to hope.”

    It says, “You have been my hope.”

    God himself is our hope.  He is our confidence.

    I gotta tell you…I’m not even sure what that means, but this passage seems to be not about what God does, but about who he is.

    I’ve been walking, stumbling, slipping, and striding with Christ for twenty-seven years now.  I can’t count the number of times he has been hope and confidence and joy and strength and peace for me, when there was no earthly reason I should have any of those things.

    I can’t count the number of times…but it’s fun to try.

    As you head into your weekend, consider the times that God has supported you, not just with his gifts, but by his very nature.  And praise him, not just for what he does, but for who he is.

    Happy Friday, Beloved.

  • One-a-Day Friday, 7/11/14

    …those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31). 

    I have, on occasion, taken verses a bit too literally.

    Once upon a time, I ran a marathon.  Actually, that’s not quite accurate; I ran part of a marathon and hobbled the rest.  This verse kept running through my mind.

    My hope was in the Lord.

    And yet…

    My strength was depleted.

    Though I was sore, I did not soar.

    I ran, and grew quite weary.

    I walked, and was faint.

    I crawled, and was blistered.

    So maybe God wasn’t talking about marathon running.  Maybe he was talking about our spiritual life.

    And yet…

    Sometimes I feel like my spiritual life is a lot like that marathon.  The pressures crowd in on me from every side, and I can’t find peace.  My hope is in him, but I just feel weak and low and tired and afraid.  It doesn’t look like my hopes will ever be made real.

    I’m sure you never feel this way—thanks for putting up with my dysfunction.

    As I write this, my mind goes to two places—painful and awkward, but that’s how my brain works.  First, I think of yesterday’s verse: Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.  My hope cannot be based in my circumstances; it must be based in God’s character.  Second, I have to realize that this race is not over yet.  I may feel like I’m about to drop, but I haven’t.

    Does that resonate with you, even a little?  Because I hate to feel alone.

    You feel like you’re about to drop, but you haven’t.

    By his grace, you keep putting one foot in front of the other.

    And that is our hope.

    As I think about it, I remember the end of that marathon.  After doing the death crawl for several eternities, I reached the 25 mile marker.

    1.2 miles to go.

    I prayed that God would give me the strength to finish at a run…and he did.

    I ran the end of the race.

    One might even say that I soared…but one would be wildly mistaken.

    Still, I finished strong in that race.

    And I will finish strong in this race.

    And so will you, Beloved—that’s a promise.

  • One-a-Day Thursday, 7/17/14

    number 1Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him (Job 13:15).

    Job was the poster boy for rough times.

    He was beaten up, knocked down, stepped on.  He had more reason than any of us to think that God had abandoned him.

    Yet what did he say?

    Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.

    Can you say that, Beloved?  Will you hope in him regardless of what happens in your circumstances?  Is your hope based entirely in God’s character, or is it based in your own wants and needs?

    Are there any limits to your hope in him?

    Any “if’s” to your love?

    Something to chew on today, Beloved.

  • One-a-Day Wednesday, 7/16/14

    …God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of Glory. (Colossians 1:27).

    I don’t understand how.

    I can’t fathom why.

    I just know what.

    And the what is that the Lord of the Universe has chosen to make his home in you.  Somehow, someway he lives in your heart, and that makes you completely, irrevocably his in a way that will always be a mystery.

    It is, nevertheless, true.

    And that truth is what gives us hope.  The security, the strength, the love that we can never earn is ours by right because we are his.  We are like street urchins who learn that we are, in fact, the lost heirs to the throne of the kingdom.  Vast, unimaginable riches are ours by birthright.  You don’t need to mourn the past—those debts are paid.  You don’t need to fret over the future—glory awaits.  You need only to let him live in and through you today, to let him build his home in your heart.  And that is exactly what he wants to do.  And that is your hope.

    You are his Beloved.

    You are his, Beloved.

  • One-a-Day Tuesday, 7/15/14

    number 1We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19).

    Go with the flow.

    Drift with the tide.

    Float wherever the breeze may take you.

    Uh, no thanks.

    Ships that drift are not happy ships.  They have an awkward tendency to bump into things like rocks and reefs and other ships, with unfortunate results.  Ships need guidance and direction and, when it’s time to rest, an anchor to hold them secure.

    Yesterday we talked about hope.  As you looked at the things your heart aches for you may have seen all kinds of desires: physical healing, financial security, marriage, children, a loved one coming to Christ.  These are all worthy desires, but none will keep you from drifting, because none is guaranteed.  An anchor must be a sure thing, solid and unmoving.

    Like Christ.

    Our hope in Christ is unlike any other hope, because it cannot fail to come to fruition.  Frankly, there is no guarantee that the other hopes we have talked about will ever come to pass.  I would love it if you were healed, or got married, or became wealthy, but nobody has promised you those things—at least, nobody with the power to make them happen.  But Jesus has promised you some pretty powerful things.  He has promised to love you forever.  He has promised that you are his, wholly and completely.  He has promised to be with you, now and always.

    Jesus is not the God of Maybe.

    He is the great I Am.

    So don’t drift through your day, Beloved.  Set your anchor and let your soul rest.

  • One-a-Day Monday 7/14/14

    number 1This week we focus on Hope, because…  

    Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12).

    There’s a whole lot of sick hearts out there.

    We hope, we hunger, we long for something, and it tears at us.  We feel a hole in our hearts, and we yearn for that which will fill it.  And then, after weeks, months, years of patience, we obtain our hope, and all is bliss.

    Except when we don’t.

    Then what?

    I’m going to open the week with a simple question:  What do you hope for?

    I said simple; I never said easy.

    Do us both a favor; don’t tell me—or God, or yourself, for that matter—what you think we want to hear.  Because, “I hope for Christ’s return, when I will be glorified with him and made complete in him,” sounds incredibly spiritual, and is a gold star answer in Sunday School, and is probably even true.

    But it’s not all, is it?

    Dump out your heart this morning.  Sift through all the bits and bobs.  What do you find yourself yearning for, aching for, hoping for?

    What is missing?

    Just something to ponder as you head into your week.

    Happy Monday, Beloved.