Feeling hopeless? Over a certain situation? Over your life in general? Over the world’s woes? Over anything at all? Please read on!
Hopelessness is one of the most awful feelings I have ever experienced! And rest assured I know all about it! Honestly, I felt hopeless, helpless, purposeless, lost, broken, and despairing for most of several decades!
But I am not here to talk to you about hopelessness. I am here to tell you about hope! A hope, in fact, that nobody can give you and that nobody can take away. An indescribably wonderful and marvelous hope you can have and hold onto for the rest of your life!
And let me be ultra clear. You should be wary when anyone promises you an easy, comfortable, wonderful, pain-free, hurt-free, and perfect life filled with prosperity, luxuries, and niceties. This is not the hope about which I share with you. This is a false hope for nobody is promised this on this earth.
I am writing to you about a hope that you can have and treasure and enjoy and hold onto no matter what you face in life even when you are in the thick of battles and in the hardest of struggles.
And let me be truthful. I still struggle each and every day. God has given me a story that has been filled with endless challenges, and I am not here to tell you that I have hope today because my life is easy and just what I want. This is simply not true.
Truth is you and I can have hope for the remainder of our lives no matter what happens in our lives and no matter what happens on this earth.
How so?
Simple, beautiful, fabulous, and available to us all.
Let me share with you 5 truths:
- THE NUMBER ONE AND ONLY PERFECT HOPE IN THIS WORLD IS GOD. Jesus Christ is Lord, He died on the cross to pay our sin penalty, and was raised from the dead so all who turn from our sins, believe in Him as Lord and in His death and resurrection, are forgiven our sins, promised a forever relationship with God, and the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. Whereby we are saved from God’s wrath, spared of hell and the lake of fire forever apart from God, and can enjoy intimate fellowship with God the Father here on earth and forever in heaven! We go forward learning to follow Jesus day by day and forever!
- THE HOPE FOR BELIEVERS IN AND FOLLOWERS OF JESUS REGARDING THE FUTURE IS THAT WE WILL SPEND FOREVER WITH GOD IN THE NEW HEAVENS AND THE NEW EARTH WHERE THERE WILL BE NO TEARS, PAIN, SUFFERING, DEATH, TRAGEDIES, PREJUDICE, VIOLENCE, LOSSES, HUNGER, POVERTY, SICKNESS, DYING, DIVORCE, REJECTION, NOT ANYTHING BAD, DARK, OR EVIL AT ALL NOT EVER! No matter what trials we face on this earth, we have the HOPE of looking forward to being with God in a perfect place forever and ever!
- THE HOPE FOR BELEIVERS IN AND FOLLOWERS OF JESUS REGARDING THE PRESENT is that no matter what trials we face we can find in Jesus and our relationship with Him an endless supply of unimaginably wonderful love, grace, peace, joy, wisdom, direction, comfort, compassion, kindness, goodness, tenderness, lordship, friendship, companionship, fellowship, a listening ear, someone we can pour our hearts out to, rest, truth, and so very much more. This we can have RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW and for the rest of our time on this earth! We simply need to learn to humble ourselves before God, to read and live by the Bible, to be filled with and led by God’s Holy Spirit, and to spend time in God’s presence experiencing and enjoying a personal intimate relationship with Him.
- We must realize and expect that anytime we put our faith, trust, hope, and expectation in this world, in people, places, and things, and in ourselves, we will at some point if not often and even in some cases all the time end up disappointed, discouraged, let down, depressed, downhearted, hurting, and sometimes even all out broken. Why? Because people and this world are imperfect. BUT WHEN WE PUT OUR HOPE IN GOD AND IN THE BIBLE WE CAN REST ASSURED GOD IS ALWAYS PERFECT AND NEVER FAILS IN HIS LOVE AND HIS MERCY NEVER COMES TO AN END AND HIS GOODNESS IS FOREVER AND HIS OFFER OF INTIMATE FELLOWSHIP FOR HIS FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS IS ONGOING – YES, FOREVER!
- YOU AND I HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, AND THE OPTION, AT ANY POINT IN TIME, EVEN IN THIS VERY MOMENT AS YOU READ THIS, AND IN ALL THE REST OF THE MOMENTS OF OUR LIVES TO CHOOSE TO PUT OUR TRUST AND HOPE IN THE LORD. No matter how hopeless we may feel, or how hopeless we may become, as long as we are still breathing on this earth, we can make the decision to TURN TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST and to devote our lives to Him, to put our trust solidly in Him, to put our trust in the truth of the Bible, and to PUT OUR HOPE IN JESUS!
Even in my hardest of times now, even when I feel like giving up because my heart is so broken over what I experience, over how people treat me, over my life’s circumstances, over something that happens, over a loss I experience, over the trials of this life, over the state of this world, over how people behave, over how many people are living in rebellion against God which grieves me beyond measure, over anything at all, deep within me is THE HOPE OF JESUS. And no person, nor anything, can take from me the hope of my Lord, my Savior, my King, my first love, Jesus the Christ.
Will you put your hope in Jesus, my friend? Oh, please, please do so now! And moment by moment, breath by breath, step by step for the rest of your life, please make the decision to put your hope in the Lord, AMEN!
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:19-20 NKJV
“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:3-5 NKJV
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NKJV
“rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;” Romans 12:12 NKJV