Living Hope

A very sad, sad, tragedy took place in Kansas City last night. A morning news weather man reportedly committed suicide. It is fascinating to me to read people's comments.. Everyone shocked that such a happy, sweet, kind, funny man was capable of doing such a thing. Many concluding that he must have had no hope, nothing to live for. Even though ironically everyone thought he had it all. This post is not about suicide or the ramifications thereof, this post is about HOPE. LIVING.HOPE.

I have been studying 1 Peter which uses the word hope repeatedly. 1 Peter 1:3 says,
"... who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ..."

I love that phrase, living hope.  Oh, this world has tried to conjure up every substitute it can find for living hope. We put our hope into all kinds of  things that on some level fail us, never satisfy our deepest longings, keep us discontented, searching for more, or in bondage to fear. Our culture has trained us oh so well about where we should place our hope, things like: good will, good luck, good works, good days, our 401ks, our careers, our health, our children, our family, our friends, our marriages, our education, our successes, our social status, our belongings, our homes, our cars, our businesses, our comforts, our talents, our tithe, our well managed time, our control, our positive thinking, and on and on. If these places were such good sources of hope and actually effective, than why are so many hopeless? Why are so many totally dissatisfied with their lives? Why are we a culture full of trillions of dollars of debt because we can't satisfy our appetite for more? Why are so many marriages and families splitting to a million pieces? Why such anger and depression when supposedly we have "hope"...

I think it's because we've invested in dead hope. Hope that is not living. None of those things mentioned above have the ability to satisfy an eternal longing in our souls. Maybe for a short time it can boost our spirits, but it will never begin to encompass the secret places in our soul that longs to be filled.

The Living Hope of Jesus Christ has the ability to satisfy. More than satisfy.  It is a hope that stirs up life in souls that are dead. It brings Light, into such paralyzing darkness.  Joy, while disease steals your mother away.  Laughter, while the pain of separation lingers in your heart. It offers healing to broken relationships that seemed forever lost.  Forgiveness, REAL forgiveness that breaks the bonds of bitterness. A peace that whispers in your ear in the cold of night, "Be still and KNOW that I AM GOD!" It is a living hope that no one thing, person, circumstance, crisis, or tradegy can take away from you. It is forever yours. You are never without it. You never need to ask for more, because all of it, in it's entirety is at your fingertips begging to be unleashed into your heart of hearts. Begging to be your forever source of life. Begging to conquer your fears and illuminate the delicious love that surrounds you. Begging to be your forever LIVING HOPE!

I weep knowing that this Living Hope gave up the glories of heaven and came to earth as a baby to rescue my soul and offer me something that this world can never offer.... Living Hope!

Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!
~s