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hope

A Letter of Hope

by TerryLema

Jeremiah 29 contains a letter of hope. Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles; those King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem to Babylon. In the letter Jeremiah tells them to build houses and carry on their daily life in Babylon. He tells them to pray for the welfare of the city to which they had been deported.

Jeremiah also promises that their stay in Babylon would not be a permanent one, but when 70 years pass, their captivity will be completed, and they will be restored to their homeland.

Part of that promise reads: “For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” [vs 11-13 HCSB]

Israel was living in ancient Babylon, the most corrupt and idolatrous nation in the world at the time. I think we are living in a Babylon-style nation today also.

But God had a plan for Israel. He had a future and a hope for her. And the same God who had a plan for His children then, is the same God who has a plan for His children now.

Notice what He says to Israel and to us:  You WILL call, come, and pray to Me. I WILL listen to you. You WILL seek me … You WILL find me … when … you search for Me with all you heart.

God has a plan for us beloved. His plan is for our welfare (not for our disaster). His plan is to give us a future (eternity in His presence) and a hope (Christ Jesus, our Living Hope). Let us truly seek Him.

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The Season!

by TerryLema

Football season is upon us. Some of us have been looking forward to it since the end of the last one … others have been dreading it.  (As a friend said, “Not everyone can like football, someone has to serve the snacks!”)

We’ve been watching the pre-season games.  While football purists don’t care for pre-season, I rather like it.  It’s mostly the newly recruited players, the young men trying to make the teams, putting their all out there hoping to gather the attention of the coaches and survive the inevitable cuts that must happen as the teams are paired down to regulated size.

Watching these young men play hard for their future inspires me.  Sometimes it is glorious and you know they are going to succeed.  Other times it is sad as injuries are incurred which dictate the end of their season or career before it has even begun. (Thursday night we watched as two players were carted off the field with injuries. Thankfully, both are going to be okay.)

I think the characteristic that dominates in pre-season is hope.  Each one is hopeful that success will come their way.  Each is hopeful that they will have a bright future.

Hope.  For these young men hope springs out of their talents and opportunities.  For us, hope is from a different source.  Paul began his first letter to Timothy by identifying the source of his hope: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope.”  [1 Tim 1:1 NIV]

Christ Jesus, our hope.  It is not our own talents, nor the opportunities granted by others which secures our hope.  It is Christ Jesus.  He is the sure foundation for our hope.  All the blessings of God are not wishful thinking.  They are a sure hope, secured by our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us be thankful today that our hope does not rest on our own talents or capabilities. Let us be thankful today that our sure hope is secured by Christ Jesus our LORD.

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The Hope We Have

by TerryLema

“And who will harm you if you are deeply committed to what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear or be disturbed, but honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are accused, those who denounce your Christian life will be put to shame.” [1 Peter 3:13-16 HCSB]

I looked at the first part of this verse yesterday.  Today the second part is my focus.  This admonition has always made me think.  There are so many parts “… always be prepared … give an answer … the hope you have … do it with gentleness and respect … keep a clear conscience.”

I know so often we talk about being prepared to answer when people question us, but I think the toughest part … and what may get even tougher now … is that part about the hope that we have.  As the world gets darker leading into the return of Christ Jesus, having hope and making that hope noticeable to others is going to get a lot tougher.

We can’t be running around frightened by the changes we see. That is what many people want to see – Christians on the run!

We can’t be depressed, the world already knows all about that.

We must be hopeful amid all this hopelessness.  That is the only thing that will stand out enough for people to ask … “how can you be so hopeful?” Then Peter reminds us that our responses must be gentle and respectful.

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Almost Four Years

by TerryLema

In June or July 2019, I noticed changes in my body. I was walking three miles a day, no pain, lots of energy. I was 72 years old. But suddenly, in the space of a couple weeks, I could not walk even half a mile, I was stiff, fatigued, and pain was blooming in various parts of my torso. By September I had a diagnosis, Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR). Early the following year, they added a second auto-immune disease Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA). My life changed.

There was always the hope of remission. PMR can go into remission after two to five years. I am almost at four years and so far, PMR and GCA are daily companions. Doctors are hoping that the medications I take will keep them under control, but the medications also have side effects that can disturb daily life.

I realized at 76 years of age, I no longer have the hope that “I’ll get back to normal,” and that one day “I’ll get better,” and able to do what I once did. These diseases have taken a toll on my body and even if they go into remission, even if I no longer must do the infusions or take the medications, my body will never go back to what it once was.

That is disheartening. It means that every day will have some kind of struggle against pain or fatigue. It means that every day I will have to fight to do what I used to take for granted.

Still … I am grateful. I have an empathy for others with chronic pain or debilitation that I never had before.

Still … I am hopeful. I serve the God of Hope. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” [Romans 15:13 HCSB]

I believe and serve the God of Hope. He has filled my heart with joy and peace. Hope, joy, peace overflow in me because the power of the Holy Spirit remains in me! And one day I will stand strong again in the presence of my Father God because of all that Christ Jesus has done for and in me. That is what I will focus on today! Amen & Amen

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Grief & Mourning

by TerryLema

I have been a hospice chaplain and a pastor. As such, I have seen a lot of death and dying, as well as people who have experienced profound losses from other reasons.

While I understand that the emphasis of the church is to “make disciples,” I also know that part of pastoring is shepherding. It is walking with people through the difficulties of life and helping them make peace with those things that are often not understandable.

Mourning is part of being human. Mourning is actively dealing with the grief we experience over profound loss, such as the death of a loved one, or an accident or disease that changes our life. It is an experience we go through when something we value has been taken from us. We can also experience mourning (godly sorrow) when we are called to repent over our own sins.

Mourning is a familiar theme in the Scriptures. We see great men of God mourn over the loss of spouses, children, and friends. In the OT, their mourning was often accompanied by weeping, throwing dirt upon their heads, or tearing their clothing. Jesus, Himself, stood outside the tomb of His friend Lazarus and wept.

My heart is always touched by those who must go through a time of grief and mourning. And nothing gets my dander up faster than to hear someone rebuke a mourner by misquoting the Scriptures.

1Thessalonians 4:13-18 reminds us that as believers we too will experience grief and mourn. We, however, mourn differently from the world. We mourn with hope. “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.” [vs 13 HCSB]

While we mourn with hope, we still mourn. We still experience those emotions tied to grief that the world experiences. We still must actively mourn loss. And we still must allow others to express their grief in our presence without criticism or reproach.

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See Me Through

by TerryLema

I wrote yesterday about how I enjoy reading and contemplating Romans 5:1-5.  I hope you took the time to also read it and that it spoke to you.  Sometimes it is good to not just read through a paragraph in Scripture, but to look at the individual words and think about each word, or combination of words.

In that paragraph, you will find faith, hope, and love.  You will come across rejoicing and suffering.  Did you notice the Trinity?  God the father. Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit.

My focus kept coming back to verse 5: “This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”  [HCSB]

My thoughts centered on the hope that does not disappoint.  I’ve lived 75 years and I must acknowledge that there have been many disappointments in my life.  Many times my expectations have not come to pass.  Too many times people have disappointed me.  I’ve been disappointed in employers, church, friends, products, vacations, locations, you name it.  Disappointments abound in this world.

But Paul’s emphasis here is on “the hope” that does not disappoint.  That hope is born out of suffering; it is produced when suffering is approached correctly.  That hope does not disappoint, Paul says, “because God” … because God in the midst of our suffering poured out his love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

I can look back on these 75 years and admit there have been many disappointments.  I can look back and see the times when suffering seemed to be the norm rather than the exception.  But I can also look back and see the times that God simply picked me up and set me on His lap and held me close.  I can hear His whispers that He was with me, that this too shall pass.  

 Those were special times, and they produced a hope that whatever suffering might arise, God’s love will see me through.

 

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Not Like the Rest

by TerryLema

Our Journey Through Loss class finished last Thursday.  The class finished; unfortunately, the mourning did not.  A new class will most likely begin in the fall with the school year.  In the meantime, the pain in the hearts of those who attended will still be there.  Hopefully, this class helped by teaching us a few things about pain, grief, and mourning.

If someone were to ask me what my most precious ministry would be, it would be with the dying and grieving. There is a special place in my heart for those who experience loss.  I loved my hospice ministry with the dying. I love supporting those who are left behind and must make a journey no one wants to make.

I think as a culture we are not very good at understanding grief and mourning.  As a church, we haven’t been much better.  I remember how often I heard people quote 1 Thessalonians 4:13 as a reprimand at someone who showed signs of grief after loss.

“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.” [HCSB]

This verse has often been misquoted as “we do not grieve,” with the “like the rest who have no hope” part left out. Yes, we do not grieve like the rest, but we do grieve.  We grieve like those who have hope!  We have a hope that when we die, we will join those who have already gone into the presence of the LORD.  And if the LORD returns before that happens, well, that’s going to be an amazing in-the-clouds reunion.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord.  Therefore encourage one another with these words.”  [1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 HCSB]

 

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I Hope for a Lot of Things

by TerryLema

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17: May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and word. [HCSB]

I hope for a lot of things.  I hope to have enough money to pay my bills each month.  I hope my children and grandsons will be strong in the LORD. I hope retirement will be rewarding and I’ll have many good days to enjoy it.

Paul in the passage for today reminds us that God, our Father, loves us, and because of that love His grace comes to us so that we might have eternal encouragement and good hope.

The encouragement that God brings into our lives through His grace is strong enough to weather the greatest storms and take us into the eternal presence of God.  And the hope that grace brings is good hope.  It is not wishful thinking; it is not based on our efforts; it is totally of God and totally of His grace. It is secured, as Paul reminds us, by the sacrifice of God’s Son, Christ Jesus.

This grace, full of eternal encouragement and God’s good hope, strengthens us in our words and in our deeds.  It makes sure we are founded in truth in our daily lives.  It buries itself deep into our hearts where it can then blossom.  Our words take on its character, we speak grace.  And our deeds take on its strength, we live grace-filled lives.

Our God does not just save us … our God transforms us … and our God keeps us by His grace.  We will thrive when we depend on grace, and we will stand in the presence of God one day.  Eternal encouragement and good hope … flowing in God’s grace.

What a way to live!

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The Hope of Glory

by TerryLema

It is Christ.

“God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” [Colossians 1:27 HCSB]

“When [Christ], who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” [Colossians 3:4 HCSB]

“For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory.” [2 Corinthians 4:17 HCSB]

Since Christ is our eternal hope of glory … since our destiny is to be revealed with Christ in glory … then we must seek to make Christ our only hope in every part of our life here.  That means He is our only hope in every trial, every difficulty, every circumstance of this life.

We can know His comfort in our trials because we know that nothing we will experience in this life compares to that “incomparable eternal weight of glory” that is ours in Him.

He enables us to look at the struggles of this life as “light affliction.”

The things of life that nearly crush us, the deep losses we all will experience at some time, when put side by side with Christ (the hope of glory in us) will hardly make us pause in comparison. Once we bask in that light of glory, everything else will dim.

It is Christ. Completely. Gloriously. Everlastingly. Ours.

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Disappointments

by TerryLema

I wonder how many people were hoping that 2021 would end better than 2020. If they were, they may have been a bit disappointed.

I know I entered 2021 anticipating that the v- and fear-pandemic would decline around the country and the world. Instead, it developed variant after variant, people I knew died, the media and science and politicians each tried to assert their own view. We were fed truths and falsehood and had to try to determine which was which. That was not easy. (Still isn’t!)

I also experienced a few personal disappointments that I need to reconcile in my heart. Suddenly, as I am beginning the new year, the first part of Romans 5 has become more vital for my life. Promises such as “declared righteous by faith” and “peace with God through our LORD Jesus Christ” have become promises to cling to daily.

But it is those words in verses 3-6 that truly hit every day living “…we rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope.”

Paul reminds us that “This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ died for the ungodly.” [HCSB]

Our hope in God’s love does not disappoint us – unlike the events we experience in the world. God’s hope is a steady, secure, proven hope. It was proven at the cross … for while we were still helpless (and I don’t know about you, but I am still helpless apart from Christ Jesus) … Christ died for us (the ungodly).

Knowing that means that despite the disappointments found in this life, we can (and should) rejoice daily in the hope of God’s proven love! A great reminder for a new year!

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