Wednesdays are difficult to post due to a busy schedule. However, I won't "skimp".
Psalm 121: 1 & 2 - "I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." Many people read this as a verse thinking the author is appreciating creation and that the God of creation is where his hope comes from. Only the second part of the preceding statement is true. If we know much about the context, there were many altars built to false gods in the mountains. While it is nice to think about the beauty of creation, we must understand that the author is telling us that his hope DOES NOT come from the "gods" represented in the mountainside shrines.
When looking for hope, we need to TRULY seek after God. Not that He is hard to find, rather we become so distracted looking for beauty (hope), we are not really seeking God or pursuing Him with ALL we have. So, where is my hope found? The obvious, and spiritual answer, is God. And where is God found? In our circumstances? In others? In The Body? Working through non-believers and pagan world systems? Sometimes. Yet sometimes, the difficult struggle can be found in the desire to see God tangibly - not just try to "tie Him" to some providential work.
It is like the story of the little boy who lost his daddy. His mother, being keenly aware of the her son's profound sense of longing tried to encourage the boy by saying, "Remember, Jesus is a father to the fatherless. God is your daddy," to which the boy replied, "I know mommy, but sometimes I need God to have a body so I can throw the football with Him." Maybe we as believers lose hope because we need to see MORE of Jesus from each other - especially from other Believers that we respect. Like the little boy, is it really wrong to desire to see "God with a body"?
None-the-less, our hope comes from the Lord. I think the challenge for me is to be God with a body. My hope is that THE Body, will truly become HIS Body.
Day 4 - Is it easy to come by or difficult to come by? I suppose it all depends on how individuals see their circumstances. Of course, the more trying the circumstance, the more difficult hope is to come by and yet, it is hope that keeps us going. It is easy to become "despondent" over our current economy, government, personal finances, not having "enough" and so on and so on. However, put yourself in the place of a mother in an impoverished nation frantically praying for food for her child who is slowly starving to death. Hope seems hard to come by and her situation makes our concerns seem rather petty.
Our hope is in God. So is the mother's hope... but the mother's hope is also in US, the Body of Christ, to do SOMETHING! Anything! We are the hope. We are the hope from God and of God. God has put us here to be the hope, not to get concerned about relatively petty concerns. Sometimes we need to see that we are the hope. So if we are looking for hope, the closest place to look is in the mirror but only if the mirror allows us to see others, not ourselves!
2
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Day 2 - Hope
Psalm 25:5 says, "Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." I have to constantly remind myself that keeping my eyes "on the world", is what could leave me with a sense of losing hope. Don't get me wrong, there are times when I can see hope in the world, but I do not look at the world for my hope.
This means I must find my hope in God, for as the Psalmist said, "...you are my God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." This means I must seek out God much more than I seek out hope in the world. Seeking God brings about hope.
No matter what the world or the culture may say, God is still at work through His people. I think of places like the Philippines. When tragedy hits, it is often The Church that steps up and delivers hope in the name of Jesus. We must remember that our job is not to "change the world", or job is to love God's creation (not love the things of the world). "For God so loved the world..." This verse speaks of loving God's Creation. Loving His Creation brings about redemption and restoration. Other governments might bring relief, but there is still another disaster waiting around the corner. Relief brought in the name of Jesus brings more than food, water, shelter and medication - it brings hope for eternal salvation.
Our hope is not found in the world. God can use the things of this world, but it is His presence in His people that brings hope. "Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God, all all these things will be added..." Matthew 6:33. What if all true believers sought after God FIRST and His Kingdom rather than trying to "fight the world"? This is what it means to bring about His Kingdom on earth. When we do this, it will be God who brings about the change for we are allowing His presence to break through. This is where I MUST find my hope.
How about you? Once again, if you have a story of hope, please send me your story at richgriffith@yahoo.com
This means I must find my hope in God, for as the Psalmist said, "...you are my God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." This means I must seek out God much more than I seek out hope in the world. Seeking God brings about hope.
No matter what the world or the culture may say, God is still at work through His people. I think of places like the Philippines. When tragedy hits, it is often The Church that steps up and delivers hope in the name of Jesus. We must remember that our job is not to "change the world", or job is to love God's creation (not love the things of the world). "For God so loved the world..." This verse speaks of loving God's Creation. Loving His Creation brings about redemption and restoration. Other governments might bring relief, but there is still another disaster waiting around the corner. Relief brought in the name of Jesus brings more than food, water, shelter and medication - it brings hope for eternal salvation.
Our hope is not found in the world. God can use the things of this world, but it is His presence in His people that brings hope. "Seek FIRST the Kingdom of God, all all these things will be added..." Matthew 6:33. What if all true believers sought after God FIRST and His Kingdom rather than trying to "fight the world"? This is what it means to bring about His Kingdom on earth. When we do this, it will be God who brings about the change for we are allowing His presence to break through. This is where I MUST find my hope.
How about you? Once again, if you have a story of hope, please send me your story at richgriffith@yahoo.com
Monday, November 18, 2013
30 Days of Hope and Joy
It has been a while since I have posted and posting is mainly for myself. I do have a few "readers" and I hope that those few will keep me accountable for the posts to follow.
I am beginning (and hopefully will stick with) two-30 day blogs. The first blog will focus on looking for hope and the second will focus on looking for joy.
After some serious "introspection", I have decided that there are two things that I desperately lack in my life: hope and joy. I think one must first find hope in order to obtain joy. As many might know, joy is not "happiness". We live in a culture obsessed with being happy. Happiness is based on circumstances while joy is something found more "deeply within" - even in light of negative circumstances.
I am not sure where my emotional apathy began. Maybe it first reared it's ugly head after taking a course on "At Risk Children" as part of my Masters Degree. Hearing about child-soldiers, human trafficking, abuse and neglect of children world-wide put a wound in me that maybe I did not want to acknowledge. This wound grew deeper with multiple senses of betrayal throughout a long career in ministry and various dimensions that come with that call.
I am convinced that the fight against human depravity, whether personal or societal, is the most difficult fight humanity ever faces. Personal demons or national atrocities seem to be in abundance. As a Christian, I have to believe that there is redemption to be had. As a human, I want that redemption to happen in the here and now, not just wait until Jesus comes back.
So, day one in my search for hope begins...
Sometimes hope can be difficult to find - especially on a daily basis. I fear that this may be a daunting task if I undertake this on my own. I don't want the search for hope to be inauthentic. I don't want it to be the kind of thing we experience when we are told to, "Say something nice about a person," and the only thing we come up with is, "I really like your shoes." I may need help and encouragement to find hope.
I suppose it would be cliche to say I always have my hope in Jesus, but truth be known, sometimes I need to see "Jesus in action" and, more than likely, that is going to have to come through other people. Some of those people may not even be Christians. I do believe that God can use ALL things and ALL people to bring about hope - even if they do not call upon His name.
Day 1 of Hope - https://www.operationundergroundrailroad.org/
This organization is headed up by ex-Special Forces and former Navy Seal Operators. Where governments fail to declare war on sexual perpetrators and those who run human sex trafficking rings, these folks step in and take care of business. In Matthew 18:1-9, Jesus gives a profound warning to those who would harm children or cause them to be taken advantage of.
My hope today is that God would use Operation Underground Railroad to dramatically eliminate sex trafficking of children and that hope would come to these rescued children.
I am beginning (and hopefully will stick with) two-30 day blogs. The first blog will focus on looking for hope and the second will focus on looking for joy.
After some serious "introspection", I have decided that there are two things that I desperately lack in my life: hope and joy. I think one must first find hope in order to obtain joy. As many might know, joy is not "happiness". We live in a culture obsessed with being happy. Happiness is based on circumstances while joy is something found more "deeply within" - even in light of negative circumstances.
I am not sure where my emotional apathy began. Maybe it first reared it's ugly head after taking a course on "At Risk Children" as part of my Masters Degree. Hearing about child-soldiers, human trafficking, abuse and neglect of children world-wide put a wound in me that maybe I did not want to acknowledge. This wound grew deeper with multiple senses of betrayal throughout a long career in ministry and various dimensions that come with that call.
I am convinced that the fight against human depravity, whether personal or societal, is the most difficult fight humanity ever faces. Personal demons or national atrocities seem to be in abundance. As a Christian, I have to believe that there is redemption to be had. As a human, I want that redemption to happen in the here and now, not just wait until Jesus comes back.
So, day one in my search for hope begins...
Sometimes hope can be difficult to find - especially on a daily basis. I fear that this may be a daunting task if I undertake this on my own. I don't want the search for hope to be inauthentic. I don't want it to be the kind of thing we experience when we are told to, "Say something nice about a person," and the only thing we come up with is, "I really like your shoes." I may need help and encouragement to find hope.
I suppose it would be cliche to say I always have my hope in Jesus, but truth be known, sometimes I need to see "Jesus in action" and, more than likely, that is going to have to come through other people. Some of those people may not even be Christians. I do believe that God can use ALL things and ALL people to bring about hope - even if they do not call upon His name.
Day 1 of Hope - https://www.operationundergroundrailroad.org/
This organization is headed up by ex-Special Forces and former Navy Seal Operators. Where governments fail to declare war on sexual perpetrators and those who run human sex trafficking rings, these folks step in and take care of business. In Matthew 18:1-9, Jesus gives a profound warning to those who would harm children or cause them to be taken advantage of.
My hope today is that God would use Operation Underground Railroad to dramatically eliminate sex trafficking of children and that hope would come to these rescued children.
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