Do you have that friend or family member in your life that God is always working things out for? You know the type. "I didn’t have money for the rent, and on the day it was due, money came in the mail" or "I was praying for a neighbor, and God worked such a miracle in his life." I have a friend like that. A friend who always has a God story to tell me.
My friend and I are very different. I'm organized and logical and my friend is, well, not. I used to think if she just planned better or made better decisions, God wouldn't need to intervene so often. And while sometimes better planning on her part would eliminate some of the situations she finds herself in, there is something else at work here that I learned from her.
My friend expects to see God work. She actually believes what the Bible says about trusting God to supply her needs, to listen to her concerns, to make things work out for God's plan, and then she finishes it off by giving God all the glory. She lives a life of hope.
It's very difficult for us to grasp what hope actually means because the biblical and theological understanding of "hope" is far different than how we use this word today. When we talk about "hope," we think about some sort of internal feeling, a wish that something we want to have happen will happen; or it won't happen whatever the case may be.
"I hope it doesn’t rain."
"I hope my sports team wins."
"I hope I can find a job."
But the hope of the Bible is very different than wishful thinking. The Greek word for hope is "elpis" which means to expect or anticipate with pleasure. This is an absolute, a guarantee without a doubt.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, India was an amazing example of hope. This nun who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India in 1950 ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying for 45 years.
We have heard the stories and seen the pictures of her selfless caring for the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta. After her death, the journals of Mother Teresa were published, and to the amazement of almost everyone, we learned that for fifty years – throughout her ministry in Calcutta – she wrote over and over again about experiencing a profound absence of God.
One might have imagined that this great saint would have had regular, intimate, mystical experiences of God. After all, how could she have been so selfless in her devoted care for others without a steady sense of God's comforting presence? How could she have possibly known what God wanted of her without a firm sense of divine guidance? But not so, she felt abandoned by God, dry, empty – a fifty year dark night of the soul.
And yet, through it all, she kept going on. Every day, patiently persevering, acting as if the God she couldn't see was actually in the midst of the darkness she felt. Every day going to Mass, saying her prayers, living in community with her nuns, feeding the hungry, comforting the dying – day in, day out patiently persevering. She wasn't relying on human hope. If so, how long would she have lasted in her work? She woke up every day relying on biblical hope. The hope promised in the Bible.
What a powerful example of what hope is all about: Living as if God is present even when He seems absent.
As Mother Teresa experienced and wrote about, most of the time we don't get answers. We don't walk about every day with an abiding sense of God's presence. In our difficult times, we may be led to believe that God is absent, unconcerned, or we just aren't tuned in to Him.
This is the message of the Gospel: in the midst of the chaos, when God seems nowhere to be found, God is actually there. As Julian of Norwich wrote – all is well, all will be well. So have patience, for the kingdom of God is breaking through.
Our choice comes down to cynicism and despair or hope. Hope is a decision we make; it is a choice; it is a lifestyle. It's not a feeling, a state of mind, or a personality trait. Hebrews 11:1 states "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."
Or to paraphrase it – hope is believing in spite of the evidence, and watching – expecting the evidence change.
Will hope change my circumstances? No. But it will definitely change my attitude and actions.
When we live a life of biblical hope, we proclaim that even when God seems distant or invisible, even when we don't see God or when we feel alone or abandoned, we will act as if God is present. We will get up every day and persevere. We will hope.
So what does this hope look like?
We meet with other believers.
We serve the needs of others.
We go out into our lives every day and live a life of compassion, treating others with dignity.
We keep praying.
Live this Christmas season and coming year with real, biblical hope and expectation. Be hope in action, doing your part in building up the kingdom day in and day out.
Choose to be hope-filled, with a hope rooted in faith. Hope that is patiently persevering – living life as if God is truly present and abiding even when it may seem otherwise.
One last thing. The friend I spoke of earlier, it's one of those interesting things in life.
Her name is Hope.
Written by Patty Craft
Grants Manager, The Salvation Army New Jersey Division
12:10 PM
1 corinthians, 2 peter, enemy, genesis, hebrews, james, john, lujke, major kevin stoops, matthew, psalm, temptation
All of us are tempted to do the wrong thing. If we desire to live like Christ, then we must follow His example and say 'no' to temptation. But how do we do that? Is there a secret formula? Well, I do not know if it is secret, but I believe that there are things that we can do if we truly want to be like Jesus.
First, know your enemy
If you want to win at sports, it is important that you know your opponent; strengths, weaknesses, tendencies, personnel etc. In the faith journey, it is crucial that we are aware that we have an enemy that is attempting to get us off of the narrow way. We learn from Jesus that He was able to say no to temptation because He knew his enemy.
a. Satan is a liar. John 8:44, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language for he is a liar and the father of lies." Look what he tried to do to Jesus; "if you are the Son of God..." then later, "if you are the Son of God..." He tried to create uncertainty in the truth. He did the exact same thing to Eve and it worked - "Did God really say that you must not eat from any tree in the garden?" - Genesis 3:1. See the lie and the attempt to deceive. This is his strategy, and when we know the enemy, then we can be on our guard.
b. He is out to steal, kill and destroy. John 10:10 - "the thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, I have come that you may have life and have it to the full." When you realize that what you are being invited to do is going to destroy you – it is the enemy. When you realize that what you are being invited to take is going to steal your joy, your reputation, your marriage etc. it is the enemy.
c. When you know your enemy, you can resist the devil, and he will run away. James 4:7 says, "Submit to God, resist the devil and he will run away." Jesus did that in Luke 4 – Satan lied and said that Jesus could use His power for selfish purposes. Jesus saw through the lie and said no. Satan lied and attempted to give to Jesus what was not his to give (authority and splendor of the world). Jesus saw through this and said no. Then, Satan lied and said that Jesus could get followers by doing the spectacular. Jesus saw through this lie and knew that He could only get true followers if he went to the cross, so he said no.
Secondly, Know the Word
Please note what Jesus used as his weapon to say no to temptation. He used the Word. Matthew verse 4, "it is written..." verse 7, "it is written...", verse 10, "it is written..." Because Jesus was well acquainted with the truth, He could spot any lie.
The way to expose a lie is to know the truth. And spiritually, the truth we have is the Word.
Psalm 119:11 says, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."
Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
When the temptation comes to gossip or lie, the word tells us, let no unwholesome words come out of your mouth. Or you shall not bear false witness (lie). Knowing the truth short-circuits the lie, and allows us to say no to the invitation to sin.
When the temptation comes to steal, we can use the word ‘you shall not steal’ and counteract the invitation to sin.
When the temptation comes to give in to the addiction, we can use the word, "your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit" or "do not become drunk," and remove the stinger, and make it powerless.
So, we see so far, we can say no to temptation like Jesus when we know the enemy and know the Word. But we also need to:
Know the way out
Cheriann and I recently attended a movie at a theatre. Part of the announcements on the screen before the film began was to take note of where the exits were located. Look behind you, in front of you etc. This way, you will be armed with knowledge that could save your life in the event the lights go out, a fire starts or worse. Knowledge of the way out allows you to be successful in case of an emergency.
Jesus succeeded against the tempter because he knew the way out. And so can you.
1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful: he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide you a way out so that you can stand up under it."
Did you catch it? When you are tempted, He will provide you a way out.
You can feel when temptation comes at you – to use, to view pornography, to steal, to gossip, to not put in a full-days work, that a great darkness has come over you. This is absolutely true. But we are provided with a way out.
What is the way out?
It is a light - Psalm 119:105 - "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path."
2 Peter 1:19 - "And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."
It is a presence - Because He himself suffered when he was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted. His very presence will guide us out of the temptation and into the safety of God's light.
You can say 'no' to temptation if you will know your enemy, know the Word and know the way out, and then, in the end, good things will happen. James 1:12 - "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life."
Written by Major Kevin Stoops
Montclair Citadel
