January 28, 2020

Hopeless

Brad Phillips
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I often have the opportunity to talk with kids, youth and adults and in these conversations I hear people say things like: I‘m tired! I’m depressed! I’m just really anxious! I’m struggling with suicidal thoughts! I feel so lonely! I don’t feel I am strong enough! I don’t know if I can make it!

It’s hard to exist in a broken world but to be hopeless in a broken world is unbearable. It seems there is a thread of hopelessness in many of these conversations. I think this type of conversation leads to a basic question: “Is it going to get any better?” Hopelessness is rooted in an uncertain future. Being stuck, being miserable in a situation, struggling with sin or wondering is this going to ever might end is a difficult, dark place for many believers? Uncertainty is a heavy burden to carry!

Hopelessness takes our strength, courage, energy, desire and even our faith and love and reduces it to something that resembles our own strength. Hopelessness doesn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopelessness doesn’t see something better is just ahead. Because of a lack vision of a good future we lose heart. We could be buried in hopelessness or at the very least attempt self-medicated escapes from reality. Crazy things happen when we are without hope!

Just a few days ago I overheard a little boy say through his tears and sobs “No one likes me, everyone picks on me!” Hopeless! NO ONE! He was unable to see the truth in that moment.

In a different encounter I gently corrected and comforted another little boy this week and told him “I love you”, with tears he replied “No one loves me”. Hopeless! NO ONE! He was unable to see the truth in that moment.

If we are focused on the wrong things or looking in the wrong places it’s easy to lose hope.Could I encourage you today with these words?

So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!

Luke 21:28

I know the context of this scripture but I think there is an application that you and I can take away from it. And that is simply this “look up!” Look fully into the face of Christ Jesus. He is our hope!

We don’t serve a God of hopelessness! We serve a God of ALL hope!

But these three remain faith, hope and love but the greatest of these is love.

I Corinthians 13:13

Hope is the glue in the middle of faith and love. Hope holds us together! Faith is the substance of things hoped for. Love is expressed when we believe in the hope of Christ. Jesus asked his disciples “Do you believe?”

Hope is the expectation that something good is going to happen. As Christ followers we are certain of the future because of our blessed hope.Christ is the hope, the hope of glory! When He, who is our Hope shall appear, we will be like him!

Don’t give up! Look up!

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