Hope

On December 11, 2010, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium hospital rescued a little 58-lbs 3-month old dolphin that they named Hope. They found her undernourished and dying, but within several months of rehabilitation, she was growing and healthy. Her story, along with the injured dolphin Winter, that the aquarium had found several years earlier, was part of a movie series called Dolphin Tale. It happens to be a favorite movie for my kids. In fact, it inspired my family to take a trip to Clearwater last fall to see Hope and Winter.

It's the tiny dolphin’s name that I want to focus on in this article – Hope. I'm not sure if there were any interviews as to why Hope was the name chosen, but logic tells us they were hopeful to revive her. Even though she was now being nourished, she still wasn't “out of the woods” yet. They had HOPE that they could make her healthy again, but that would be somewhat dependent upon the will of that dolphin.

That's true in our life as well. We have to want to rid ourselves of the disease of self and pride; Or as Paul told the folks in Lystra in Acts 14:15 that they should turn from their worthless and vain things and listen to the gospel. James describes this worthless living as selfishness and arrogance and that it is not from God but from the Devil (James 3:14-18). But just as Jesus warned His disciples in Matthew 26:41-42 “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Our flesh is drawn to shiny, exciting things of the world; that's part of being human. But the dangerous side is that we allow those things to take our eyes off of the life God has offered us through Christ. Our involvement in the process is having the will to live. He is our hope, and He will be where we find true and lasting life. There will be a day that we will be glad we didn't give in to the temptations of the world, but for right now, we have to keep watching and praying.

We have hope of eternal life because of the salvation that Christ made possible. And while it is offered to anyone and ultimately everyone, not everyone will have the will to live. They will lose hope throughout all their trials of life and take the easier road of worldly living, of selfishness, of greed, of hate, of things contrary to the will of God. As Paul said in Colossians 3:2, “Set your mind on things above, not things that are of the earth....”

To stay hopeful will require us to surrender our will to His care. He has the power to nourish us and heal us, not the things of the world. Don't lose hope in the promises of God.

The Best Gift Ever

What is the best gift you’ve ever received? Would the value of that gift change if the giver of that gift had been someone different? For instance, if your grandfather gave you one million dollars, you’d probably appreciate it greatly. What if a terrorist gave you one million dollars, would that change how excited you were about it? The same could be said about nearly anything…including salvation.

The more we get to know who God is, and what He longs for, and what He loves, and what breaks His heart, the more we see the value of salvation. We need deliverance from our foolish choices to ignore His boundaries that were put in place for our protection. So, the fact that “salvation” is even necessary highlights the trustworthiness of God’s promise. He went to great lengths to give us the best gift ever given.

Paul said in Titus 2:11-15, “For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. You must teach these things and encourage the believers to do them.”

As you read about Christ’s arrival to this world, and all the attempts to destroy Him in some way, it’s easier to recognize God’s love for us. More than anything God wanted this precious gift to be given so that all those who will trust Him will be able to enjoy it. When you read the history of Israel’s origins and their journey to the Promised Land, you quickly realize how long this story was actually unfolding.

So, no wonder that when Jesus began to teach, He helped connect the dots for us. He said to the Apostles in Luke 24:44-45, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about Me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then, the Bible tells us that He “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.”

Everything about Him helped people see God through Him (if they had eyes to see, or ears to hear). He even told His closest followers during a bout with doubt in John 14:9-11, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don't know who I am? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father! So why are you asking Me to show Him to you? Don't you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in Me does His work through Me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen Me do.”

Those same words ring true for us today: believe in the message of salvation because all the proof wrapped up in the message that has spanned over thousands of years. We, too, must embrace what Jesus did, taught, and asked of us—and recognize him as the door to salvation. What a wonderful gift! 

Help!

“Help!” is a word that brings panic to any situation. But within that same word is a plea filled with hope. God’s word consists of descriptions of God’s actions, His thoughts, and ultimately His will. Therefore, when we read God’s word, when we meditate on it, when we do what it says, we are following the healing, redemptive, powerful guidance of God Himself.

Psalms 119:147, “I cry out for help and put my hope in Your words.”

Psalms 18:6, “But in my distress, I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to Him reached His ears.”

Psalms 56:9, “My enemies will retreat when I call to You for help. This I know: God is on my side!”

All throughout the book of Psalms we read of people’s plea for help to the one who can heal, deliver, protect. God is our physician, our redeemer, and our comforter. The medicine He prescribes is found in His Holy Word (Psalms 107:20, John 1:14).

In Proverbs 4:20-22 Solomon says, “My son, attend to my words; incline your ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.”

God's Word is the medicine given to us by our Creator to aid in our infirmities, our fears, our struggles. We are expected to follow the directions for the medication given by doctors; how about the medicine God prescribes? We honor God as the great physician by taking the powerful medicine He gives us, the Word of God.

Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”

“God so loved the world that He sent His only son…”, or as John said of “His only son” in 1 John 1:1-2, “He is the Word of life. This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen Him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that He is the one who is eternal life.”

If you haven’t read, meditated on, or studied the words of God recently, then realize you’re missing out on an invaluable resource sent from the creator of the universe, a gift that helps, protects, redeems, heals, and guides your life.

Psalms 119:34-35, “Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found.”

Going Back to School

School-time conjures up feelings of great joy for some and great dread for others. What is school about? Learning, as they say, can be fun; but it depends on your willingness to make it that way. Consider the Apostles’ education in ministry that they enrolled in when they accepted Jesus’ invitation to “follow me.” Throughout those three years, they learned how to pray (Luke 11:1), they learned that Jesus truly was the son of God (John 11:42; John 17:7-8), and they learned how to bless people the way Jesus did. The blessings Jesus focused on weren’t strictly miraculous, but generous and highly encouraging.

Upon graduation (Jesus’ ascension) they had to go out on their own. But they weren’t alone, because Jesus had promised a helper would come once He had ascended to the Father. John 16:7, “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” And, once the helper came, that’s when they would realize how much God was really with them helping them know what to say (John 14:26).

Although we may not encounter the situations the Apostles faced on a day-to-day basis, we still have the responsibility of putting our “education” into practice; and that always helps when you are prepared for action (1 Peter 1:13) and when you have someone to work alongside of you.

They learned how much they needed to get rid of some non-essentials on their journey. We read about some of the things we need to get away from in places like: 2 Timothy 2:23, “Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.” Colossians 3:5, “So [get rid of] the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy.…” Hebrews 12:1-2, “Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.…”

But Christianity is not just a bunch of “thou shalt not’s.” In fact, these things are put away to make room for more beneficial things like “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.…” (Galatians 5:22-23). Those are what causes the real fruit to be seen. Or as Peter said in 2 Peter 1:8, “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” If we want to learn the ways of Christ, we’ll aim to carry the good things and ditch the bad things so we will put our knowledge of Christ into action.