Hope

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning of this week, the Apostles were hopeless.  They had seen their leader executed before their very eyes.  There was a bounty out on each one of their heads.  What had started out as a glorious week of triumph as they victoriously entered Jerusalem had now become a life and death struggle for survival.  They were wanted men and had nowhere to go.  Their insurrection had been snuffed out in just a few hours and their unbeatable commander was in the grave.  No hope!  Their dreams had been shattered.  Their visions of grandeur had been trampled.  One of their cohorts was also missing.  They were hiding away, counting on the charity of a few women as they plotted their escape from Jerusalem.  But where could they go and what could they do?  They certainly couldn't return to their jobs because the Romans would be hunting them down to bring them to justice.  No hope!

We may not be a band of outlaws on the run and boxed in, but we have been in hopeless situations.  We have faced the death of loved ones and there was nothing we could do.  We have been told we have an aggressive form of cancer and the doctors have no cure for it.  We have spent all of our money and there are still more bills piling up and needing to be paid.  We have invested in a relationship which has just come crashing down.  We have tried our best in Algebra and it looks like we will fail with Summer school on the horizon and we may not even graduate.  Our boss has told us that the business has gone bankrupt and in two weeks we will be unemployed.  The list of hopeless situations could go on and not.

The point of this Sip is not to dwell on the overwhelming circumstances we face, but to remember the One who conquered the most deadly and damaging of circumstances - Jesus, the Messiah.  On Sunday morning, a hopeless situation turned into a life-changing situation for those eleven Apostles.  Jesus did what He said He would do - He rose from the grave!  Resurrection power kicked in!  Good Friday was followed by Easter morning.  These Apostles who had been hidden away for fear of being arrested, tortured and killed, now boldly stepped out to tell of the risen Savior.  They willingly gave their lives as martyrs because of Resurrection Sunday.  This Sunday had such a profound impact on their lives that they changed the day of Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday.

Of course, you know where I'm headed with this.  If we focus on the circumstances, we will never experience resurrection power.  Jesus does not promise to make all of our pain go away, but He does promise to be there in the midst with us.  He promises to give us comfort and peace.  He promises to never leave and abandon us.  He promises that ALL things will work for the good.  He promises to give us an eternal home in Heaven where thieves can't break in and steal and where moth & rust cannot corrode.  We are simply passing through in this life on the way to that awesome home He prepared for us.

Colossians 1:27 reminds us, "To them God has chosen to make know among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory".  We always have hope!  We are never in a hopeless situation!  Would you take a moment to thank God for the situation you are in now and celebrate His power at work in you?  Let's stop living self-centered and sadly.  Let's live like Jesus has conquered death for anyone who will trust Him!  We have THE hope!

I pray this Sip will refresh your soul to face the struggle God has brought into your life.