Hope for Life Blog

I didn’t find any gold today. Haven’t found any all week. In fact, I’ve never found gold. Nor diamonds. Nor silver. Not once.

I’d be more than happy to stumble across any of those things. But it hasn’t happened.

I’m guessing that you’re not surprised. Neither am I, especially since I’ve never gone out looking for gold, nor diamonds, nor silver. I haven’t gone to the places where they tend to be found. I haven’t done the things people do to try and find them.

So it’s not all that surprising that I’ve never found any of these treasures.

Have you found God? If not, it’s possible that you’re not really looking for Him. It’s one thing to say, “I’d like to find God.” It’s quite another to actually look for Him.

There are some basic things you need to do:

1. Decide that you really want to find God. This has to be more than curiosity. Set out to know Him, not just know about Him. Your goal is to have a relationship with the Creator of the universe.
2. Spend time in prayer. Express your desire to know God. Be honest with Him, but humble. Pour out your thoughts and feelings. Be willing to patiently wait. Relationships take time.
3. Read the Bible. Spend time studying God’s revelation of Himself. Try to learn about Him. Look at His people and how they react to Him, both good and bad. Read through the poetry known as the psalms, looking at the range of emotions expressed in that book. Study the life of Jesus to see how God lived as a human being.
4. Be with others who are seeking God. While it’s true that God can be found anywhere, it’s easier to find Him in the presence of others who have already found Him. Find a church, a community of believers, and get them to help you in your search.

I probably won’t ever find gold or diamonds or silver. But I found God, a treasure worth far more than any of those things. And you can find Him too.

Those were the first words my father-in-law said when we walked in the door.   It had stopped working, and he wanted to know why.  That was all the proof he needed that cell phones were not everything they claimed to be.  He never really wanted one anyway, but we insisted.  We thought he needed it in the truck, up at the farm, out in the yard.  It was portable and a great thing to have if something happened and he needed help.  He didn’t think he needed it.  It was inconceivable to him that he would need it.

Besides, he did not understand how it worked.  He had a really hard time realizing that if he wanted to talk to me on my cell, he did not have to call from his cell.  He could use a land line.  Unlimited minutes through our shared plan must be too good to be true.  So he used his phone as little as possible and was as brief as possible.  He still cannot retrieve any messages he gets, nor does he want to. 

But now all of his suspicions and fears were proved correct.  The phone quit working.  And he made it clear that he had plugged it in so that was not the problem.  It was just dead.  It had quit working.  So my wife went over, got his phone, and … turned it on.  Somehow he had turned it off. 

I was giving my wife a hard time about all of this until she reminded me that up until a few months ago I had very similar feelings about texting.  I did not understand it, did not want to use it, and saw absolutely no benefit in it.  I didn’t even want to try it.  To be honest, I think my father-in-law and I both were scared of something we did not understand and did not think we needed – until we tried it.  Now I think texting is a wonderful way to communicate and he uses his cell phone all the time.  And that is why he was in crisis when it did not work. 

It made me think about how some people think about Christianity.  They do not think they need it, they do not understand how it works, and it seems too good to be true.   But when they try it out, they find out they had no idea what they were missing.  Their life makes sense.  They find peace, joy, purpose, and hope.  Until something goes wrong.  They see a spiritual leader struggle with sin, or they get their first taste of persecution, or the trials of life are still there.  And they suddenly think all of their previous fears and concerns are now validated.  What is needed at that time is a Christian to come alongside and show how to get connected again to Jesus.  Someone who understands and can help.

So if you are one of those that tried the Jesus way but gave up because you thought it would not work for you, I would love to help you connect to someone who would be honored to help you take another look.  Some of us have been where you are.  We remember and we can help.

Blessings,

steve

Elijah had gone to the mountain looking for God.

He’d been ready to give up. Ready to lie down and die. He saw no hope, no future, no point in going on.

Then an angel told him to go to the mountain. And Elijah was there, waiting for God. But he didn’t know what to expect.

A powerful wind came, ripping apart the very rocks that made up the mountain. Surely this was God! But no, God wasn’t in that wind.

Next there came an earthquake. As Elijah felt the very mountain tremble, he must have been certain that this was God revealing himself. But no, God wasn’t in the earthquake.

After the earthquake came a fire. Again Elijah looked for God. But God wasn’t in the fire.

Then came what the King James Version translates as “a still, small voice.” A whisper. A barely audible murmur with a question on its breath: “What are you doing here?” (1 Kings 19:12–13)

Elijah poured out his tale of woe, telling of his faithfulness to God compared with the unfaithfulness of the people around him. He told of the queen’s persecution of God’s prophets and her specific efforts to kill him. He explained to God that no else was faithful, not even one. Only Elijah was left.

That’s when God explained to Elijah that he couldn’t see the whole picture. That God was doing things that Elijah didn’t know about. That God had plans in motion, some of which included Elijah. And there were still six thousand people faithful to God that Elijah wasn’t aware of.

Have you ever reached that point where dying seemed to make more sense than living? The extreme of frustration and hopelessness that leaves you doubting whether God Himself can fix your problems?

Maybe you need to go to the mountain. Go looking for God. Don’t expect hurricanes or earthquakes. Don’t expect to be swept in a holy fire. Listen for the still, small voice. Listen for the question: “What are you doing here?”

And once you’ve poured out your heartaches and your fears, you may just find that God is doing things you don’t know about, both in your life and the lives of others.

But you’ll never see it, if you don’t look for Him.

Here we are, just a few days into the New Year, and many of us are already lamenting the fact that we have failed to keep our resolutions.  New Year’s resolutions consist of two truths:  most of us make them, and then we break them.  In fact, the people that fail to make resolutions have generally learned from experience that they are hard to keep, so why bother.

But shouldn’t resolutions be hard to keep?  If they involved behavior that was easy, we would not have to make a resolution in the first place.  Most resolutions require real work.  Yet every year we make them.  We do it at New Year’s.  We do it at birthdays, graduations, and anniversaries.  We make them because we want to be better.  We want to be healthier.  We long to be people who make a difference.  We desire to be better mates, parents, and friends.

So this year I have determined to keep my list of resolutions short.  I am making just one:  I am resolved to know Jesus Christ and him crucified.  That’s it.  That is the one and only thing I am resolved to do this year.  If you are a Christian, you may recognize this as something the apostle Paul said.  If you are not a Christian, let me share with you why it is the perfect resolution.

1.  Knowing Jesus will make me a better man, a better husband, a better father, and a better friend.  He left me an example of how to live in this world and how to treat people.  Jesus teaches me how to love people.
2. Knowing Jesus makes everything new.  Christians are a new creation. They have a new life.  The old life is gone, forgiven, and washed away.  Jesus allows you to have the perfect do-over.
3. Jesus restores the broken resolution.  As long as we stay focused on following Jesus, we do not have to be perfect.  In fact, we will not be.  We know it, and God knows it.  But the blood of Jesus continually cleanses us.  Just stay focused on Jesus, the light of the world.  Perpetual newness.

I believe the three things listed above.  They have proven true in my life.  I believe they can be proven true in yours.  As for me, I actually make this one resolution each and every day.  Just to know Jesus, and to remember that he died for my sins.

Blessings,

steve

It was horrific! They were ripped from their dwellings, forced to travel for months, held as slaves for 70 years, everything about “home” was remembered and some had never seen the places they were told about. Their names were changed, they were expected to eat different foods and told to assimilate into their new surroundings or else!

Then one day, they were allowed to go “home.” Just under 50,000 who made the four months’ journey wanted to reclaim what they had left.

The story of the Jews returning from Babylonian captivity is found in the first six chapters of Ezra. Those chapters talk about how those returning exiles went to great lengths to restore their place of worship, the Temple; to restore their religious practices, festivals and sacrifices, to restore their relationship to Jehovah God. Ezra, the writer, tells about the almost insurmountable obstacles that cluttered their way and how their determination conquered those barriers. They wanted restoration with God. Being separated from Him by distance, by culture, even by kingly command did not quench that need to be once again close to their God.

And God Almighty has always wanted restoration with his creation. From the time man introduced sin into the world and God asked “where are you?” (Genesis3:8-11) to the image of Jesus standing at a door knocking, waiting to be let in (Revelation 3:20), God has made it possible for man and woman to be “pure and Holy” again in His sight.

Like the Israelites of old, we too can find ourselves ripped from our homes, forced to go places we don’t want and become slaves to our emotions and desires. BUT we can go “home” anytime we choose restoration with our Father.

The question then is what keeps people from seeking restoration with God?

And more specifically what keeps you from having restoration with you heavenly Father?

Christmas has passed, and the New Year is right around the corner. Have you made any resolutions yet? Researchers from the University of Scranton found that 40 to 45% of American adults make resolutions each year. They also found that only 75% of those resolutions made it past the first week and only 46% past the first 6 months.

Someone said, “A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.” Oscar Wilde, known for being less than fond of moral reform, stated, “Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account.”

How have you fared with your resolutions in other years? Been able to overcome your bad habits from the past?

It wasn’t easy for the apostle Paul either. He wrote to Christians in Rome: “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:19) In the same letter, he said, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)

How well I know that cry! I have felt that struggle of wanting to do good, but doing evil instead. I think most of us, if we’re honest, can confess the same thing.

The Bible talks about our “flesh,” the very human part of us. Our biological self, with its drives and urges, is a powerful force that leads us to live according to the standards of this world, not God’s standard. For people like Paul, who want to do right, our flesh becomes a “body of death.” Paul also wrote, “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:17)

You can’t change. That is, you can’t really change yourself. You might be able to modify your behavior, but you can’t really change who you are.

However, God can change you. He can make you what you want to be, what you ought to be. In that letter to the Galatians, Paul also wrote, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) To the Romans, he said, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13)

Only through the power of God’s Holy Spirit can we be changed, can we be made into the people we want to be. We can’t do it on our own. We can’t do it through positive thinking nor force of will. Only with God’s help can we be what we want to be.

And that help is there for the asking. As Paul said, “Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24–25)

It is a strange question, but one that perplexes many people this time of year:  what do you do with Jesus at Christmas?  Is this a religious or a secular holiday?  Since this year Christmas falls on a Sunday, do you go to church or open presents around the tree?  Or both?  How do you treat friends who insist that Jesus is the reason for the season?  What about friends who do not believe in Jesus?  How do you combine Santa Claus, baby Jesus, reindeer, and wise men into one season?  What do people do with Jesus this time of year.

1.  Ignore him.  Xmas instead of Christmas.  Trees and stockings, but not nativity scenes.  “Deck the Halls”, but not “Away in a Manger”.  Read The Night Before Christmas, but not Matthew 1 and 2.
2. Be a little religious.  Be nicer to people.  Focus on giving, not getting.  Show up at church on Christmas day, or at least Christmas Eve.  Make a charitable donation or two.  Give some presents to the underprivileged.  Include going to church and being a better person with your New Year’s Resolutions.
3. Keep Jesus a baby.  Focus on the nativity.  Attend the wise men, shepherds, animals, Mary and Joseph pageants.  Be sure to go to the ones put on by the little kids.  They are cuter than and not as startling as the real event was.  This approach does not seem to recognize that the baby grew up and died on a cross.  So save that for Easter weekend.
4. Celebrate Jesus just like you do every day.  Realize that Jesus did not come to earth so we could celebrate a birthday.  He came to save us from our sins.  That is the good news.  He was born to die.  He was raised to live.  Jesus is not the reason for the season.  He is the reason for every season.

As for me, I am happy to celebrate Jesus at Christmas… and in January, and in spring, and summer… and well, every day.

Blessings,

steve

I have to confess: I like looking at extravagant Christmas gifts. Not out of any desire to give or receive them. I just like to marvel at what’s available.

Some of them are amazingly expensive. Like the Ferrari FF listed at Neiman Marcus; it can be yours for only $390,000. You may want to hurry. They only have 10 available.

For mom, Amazon lists a black pearl necklace for a mere $76,500 dollars. Don’t worry… the item ships for free.

Another option is a gift card from Halcyon jets. A $5 million gift card! Actually, it’s called a Dream Card, and it gives you full access to their complete fleet of jets, as well as a private aviation specialist and a personal concierge.

For the truly discriminating, might I suggest you consider purchasing an island? You can get a lovely 20-acre island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro for a mere $8 million. Sorry… only one per customer.

Most of us won’t be spending quite as much on Christmas gifts, though many will spend more than they should. There’s something about the Christmas season that makes us want to give gifts in a big way.

However, we know that the greatest gift has already been given. No one can match the extravagance of our Heavenly Father, who gave us what the apostle Paul calls an “indescribable gift.” (2 Corinthians 9:15) God gave us His own Son, not as a Christmas gift, but as the gift that never stops giving. God’s Son, Jesus, came and died, to give us all the right to claim the gift of eternal life.

The apostle John famously wrote, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16–17)

In this season of giving and receiving, let’s take time to remember the greatest gift of all: God’s Son. And let’s make sure that we’ve claimed the gift He offers each of us: the gift of eternal life.

I like people who take in strays.  I recently preached a funeral for a friend who loved stray dogs.  He was drawn to dogs that had been abandoned and hurt.  He liked to love them, heal them, and make them into functioning pets.  My children had that same heart for stray animals, especially my daughter.  She would bring home every stray dog and cat she came across.  She thought all they needed was a good home with lots of love.  Everything else could be fixed.

Of course, every stray dog cannot be healed.  Some were too far gone physically, while others never could function in a healthy environment.  It was as if they did not want anything better. But they got a chance at a new and different life … a life where they were valued and loved.  And some of them did make it.  They lived a long time as healthy pets.  Loved by a family, and loving their family. 

It makes me think about Jesus and people – you and me.  I think in many ways we are like stray dogs in this world.  Some of us feel unloved, beat down by life, unworthy to belong to a family.  Others of us function well in this world, but realize that we are not worthy enough – good enough – to be part of God’s world.  God is perfect and holy.  We are not.  Spiritually we are unlovable, hungry, mangy, and slinking through life with our tail between our legs. 

But God sent His Son into this world to bring strays like us into His family.  God loves us, offers us a home and a family, and gives us value.  Jesus, God’s own Son, died on the cross so we could become part of God’s family.  He makes the stray part of the family.  It seems too good to be true.  Maybe that is what some stray dogs think when they are rescued.  Why would someone love them, feed them, pet them, and give them a home?  It is because people like my friend and my daughter have a heart for strays.

Why would God send His Son into this dark world to find someone like me?  Why would He offer me a home and a family?  It is because He has a heart for stray people like I used to be.  And I love God and Jesus because they found me when I was not lovable.  They are looking for you.  It seemed too good to be true, but I believed it.  And it changed me forever.  You can make that choice too.

Blessings,

steve

It’s awkward isn’t it? “Happy Thanksgiving” no longer applies. “Survive Black Friday” doesn’t seem appropriate because you did. And since it’s the last day of November it’s a bit early to say “Merry Christmas”. So we’re stuck with “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays”.

Historically the busiest day for buying Christmas presents is the Saturday before Christmas and the second is Christmas Eve. This year both of those fall on Saturday, December 24.

So my suggestion is that we greet each other with “Survive Christmas Frenzy time”.

It seems easy to lose Jesus amid the hurry and scurry of finding that perfect present and the varied activities of celebrating the season. It’s easy to reduce Him to a catch phrase, “the reason for the season!!”

Yet, He IS the reason for the season. His birth was heralded as welcome to the Savior of the world. And through Him we have the promise of life forever with God Almighty.

For there’s born to you this day in the city of David a savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign to you: You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. Luke 2:11-14

So maybe we should say to each other, “Thank God for Jesus.”

So what do you think?