Last night at our church’s budget and trustee council meeting, our pastor Dr. Dennis Brunet asked us what we thought we needed to do to be more effective and how we were doing as a church. Bro John Osborne encouraged our pastor to keep preaching the Truth because in these troubled economic times people are hurting and they are seeking.
I told the men that people are seeking the Truth because they have discovered that the world is a lie. All its trappings, material prosperity, financial riches, the American Dream are all a lie in the face of eternity.
And unlike the “hope†and “change†our nation was peddled during the last presidential election, our only hope for America is in the change that Jesus Christ brings in a life surrendered to Him.
If we cannot trust our elected officials, the media, and many church and conservative leaders, to bring us the Truth, where do we turn?
Where do we turn when as a nation we discover that we are NOT the change we’ve been looking for?
How could we be?
We didn’t change!
Charles Colson was famously quoted in Steven Curtis Chapman’s song “Heaven in the Real World†as saying:
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“Where is the hope? I meet millions of people who feel demoralized by the decay around us. The hope that each of us has is not in who governs us, or what laws we pass, or what great things we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people. And that’s where our hope is in this country. And that’s where our hope is in life.”
That quote was made in 1994; the same year as the supposed Republican Revolution lead by Newt Gingrich; the man who has just endorsed a woman who is pro-abortion, pro-big taxes, pro-union card check, pro-gay marriage. If you would have told me a couple of weeks ago that Newt was going to do that I would have thought you were on drugs. But Newt is only a man.
My point is if in troubled times we look to men as a hiding place then we will find a world without hope. Better to run to the Lord:
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“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.†(Psalm 119:114)
It is in God’s Word that we find His hopeful words; words in the form of promises that restore our strength and renew our courage. The promise of protection from the evils of this world was given to Abram when all he had to go on was a faith in Jehovah God:
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“After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.’†(Genesis 15:1)
When the world is dark we can curse the darkness but what a dark world needs is light!
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“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.†(Psalm 119:105)
And beloved no matter the depth of darkness and length of life, the Word is our Light because He has always been here:
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“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.†(John 1:1-5)
My dear friends, are you seeing it yet?!!
It is through the Lord Jesus Christ that all hope is found because He is the Word who has always been with God because he is God and He made everything and there is nothing made that He did not make because He is life and that life is our light!!!
HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go ahead and read that again and yell “Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!â€
Do you not already feel invigorated?! It is because you have real hope that will bring real change.
Dr. Martin Luther King in is book “The Trumpet of Conscience†wrote:
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“If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.â€
Have you lost hope?
Are you missing “the vitality that keeps life moving�
Have you lost “that courage to be�
Are you void “that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all�
Turn to Jesus. Turn to His Holy Word.
Read your Bibles.
Beloved, read your B-I-B-L-E-S.
Seek the Lord; He promises you’ll find Him.
Amen!
I will be out of pocket for a few days so we’ll see you on Tuesday.
Have a blessed weekend and remember to go to church on Sunday!
In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4
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Copyright © 2009 David Jeffers
Tags
Bible, Christian Activism, Christianity, Conservatism, Corruption, Culture, History, Media, Morality, Obama, Patriotism, Politics
If Jesus wasn’t who He is- I would not have lived this long David. I’ve lost a lot of things in life, and some days my hope is all which keeps me going. If it weren’t for Him sustaining me and giving (filling me) with His hope eternal, well I really would have given up a long time ago. I am grateful for His NOT changing, being the same yesterday, today and always! Hallelujah indeed! God Bless you David!