HOPE

Last night I had the privilege of going out to dinner with a good friend. It's always good to get out of the house these days and I find that it is much easier to come back home knowing that these various opportunities will be dispersed throughout the next couple of months (how's that for a run-on sentence?). We went to Outback and did a little shopping afterward (I left my purse in the car for what I think is an obvious reason).

I am reminded, once again, of the strong importance of surrounding yourself with godly people; of how your closest friends should be believers. We tend to, whether we realize it or not, be influenced most by those whom we surround ourselves. I can easily look back on a period of my life where I was dangerously influenced. I didn't realize it at the time, of course. Hindsight is 20/20 as the saying goes. However, when I think about that unusual time now, I am so RELIEVED and GRATEFUL that God protected me. I could've made some truly foolish, life-altering decisions that would have been irreversible. I feel...SAVED....DELIVERED....FREE! While these experiences are not always those of "feeling", they are genuine nonetheless. My point is this: if you've never had the experience of walking away from a conversation with a friend pondering thoughts of a spiritual nature, then you need to find new friends! Our relationships should be those that leave us encouraged and desirous of knowing more about our Creator.

Throughout the course of the dinner conversation last night, the topic of "Hope" was broached on the part of my friend. Fortunately, she is someone who "Gets it" - she's sharp and doesn't tend to proof text. She spoke of an all-to-familiar passage in Romans 5:1-8.

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

I love this passage. It's one that I've read over and over and over again. I've studied the book of Romans with intensity, with purpose, and ultimately, with hope! One thing that's bothersome and worrisome to me is that "hope" is often read as a verb. It is NOT a verb in this passage! It is a NOUN - JESUS IS HOPE! How can we so completely drop the ball! I think often of two other passages that are seriously misconstrued. The first being:

Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them."

Read the rest of the passage! Better yet, read the book! This is talking about discipline!

The second:

Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart."

Okay, I'm delighted, now where's my million dollar mansion, Fortune 500 husband, Jag, and live-in nanny (by the way, Super Nanny rocks!)? I have to laugh! I am guaranteed NOTHING, but promised EVERYTHING! Confused? That's okay, most of us are perpetually so! God does not guarantee us a spouse, children, the perfect car or home. He especially does not guarantee us a life of frivolity. He does not work on a merit system: if you do this, I will grant you that. So many people become frustrated when they don't get what they want. Well, if doing something only to be rewarded in return is your motivation for honoring Christ, then are you truly being obedient? Here's another favorite of mine:

Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

Maybe it's just me, but I can't see the part where it says, "Trust in the Lord....and he will give you a car." Trust me, I looked! I really need the car! While it is true that God provides our every need, He is NOT Joel Osteen (sorry, Joel). He does not go around saying, "Live your best life and I will give you a lucrative Swiss bank account." That is a merit system if I ever heard one. God does not have an "insert quarter here" slot. He does, however, say, "Honor me and I will give you MY best for you: protection, food, clothing, eternal security, true purpose and fulfillment, the HOPE that is ME." After all, "I AM THAT I AM." This isn't a slam against Joel Osteen fans, this is a plea to begin to THINK. Don't look for God's Word to tell you what you want to hear. Read it for Who He is. This is His love letter to Us. Why distort it? To alter its context is to doubt the Author. Who am I to think that I can make it SOUND better by reading it the way I think it should be read, rather than the way He intended for us to read it?

In the words of Ron Cambell, I am "Hope filled and forever changed" because I took Him at His Word when He took me at my worst! Who needs the live-in nanny? I've got HOPE - I have a live-in Savior! If you think about it, do you really need more than that?

"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."

Titus 3:3-7

This is Vine Life, people!