Hope in a Hopeless World

Proverbs 4:23 HCSB

Dare I say it?

I am angry.

Why, you ask?

How one human can mistreat--abuse--another with little to no remorse. And the more troubling thing I hear is that behavior is reasoned away by cultural norms, rather than morality or what is good and right. When we strip society of a moral compass, saying "live your truth," we in effect dispense with the definition of right and wrong. It's a slippery slope. 

We may not agree on which color is best for the kitchen walls, or what flower has a more soothing fragrance. Candles or diffusers? Electric cooktop or gas? Charcoal or propane grill?

We can disagree and still be friends.

However, cultural or societal norms should never be the plumb line of morality. Some cultures allow men to have multiple wives, while others don't. Some cultures teach their children it's okay to lie if it means you get what you want. Our nation is being ripped to confetti by the attempts to enforce tolerance while being intolerant of disagreement.

I see it all over social media ... and in my own backyard. And the symptoms of society tell me it's only going to get worse before we see any resolution.

So let's talk about the resolution. If we don't, I believe we could sink into the slimy pit of anxiety.

Let's begin with truth:

We ought to follow a plumb line.  But society is trying to nullify its significance in our lives.

SCRIPTURE! 

It's the one collection of books that tells us there is One who has defined right from wrong, evil from good.

So I will leave you with some text. It's a lot. But breathe in His word--digest it, trust Him and His goodness. 

Ephesians 4:26-27 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Mark 13:24-27 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.

John 16:31-33 Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

Deuteronomy 4:29-31 But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in tribulation, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God and obey His voice. For the LORD your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that He swore to them.

Revelation 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and god of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Acts 14:21-22 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

Matthew 24:9-14 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

1 Peter 1:6-7 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:5-12 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering--since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might, when He comes on that day to be glorified in His saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by His power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:36-39 As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

2 Corinthians 4:7-12 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Mark 13:24-27 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send out the angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

Romans 12:9-21 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Until next time, cling to the Lord Jesus Christ!

💜 Karlene J 💜

Seeking Wise Counsel

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. (Psalm 1 ESV)

"The Lord does all things well," the minister quoted his mother, who'd been burdened with Polio and spent over 2 years in an iron lung and isolation before seeing her family again. Yet the minister, still a boy, had to make a decision. Believe his mother's confession and trust the God who'd allowed this, or take matters into his own hands and hold that same God accountable for taking his mother's vitality away?

The question is raised daily: what is happening to our world? Hatred is on the rise. And along with it, the sanctity of human life is nearly on life support. So it seems. The days in which we find ourselves are not going to get better--yet. Not until Jesus returns.

But there is good news.

Jesus spent His time with the disciples, teaching and preparing them for the coming days. They had no idea what He was talking about until after He'd ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit came to fill them. One instance was John 16:33, when He said, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

He also taught in His famous Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.  Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you" (Matthew 5:11-12).

Later, Paul exhorted us to "rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4). When he wrote to the church at Corinth, he would call our difficult days light and momentary afflictions (2 Corinthians 4:17).

And then, Jesus' brother, James, tells us to "count it all joy when you fall into various trials" (James 1:2).

John's gospel shares with us another of Jesus' sayings before He was taken into heaven:

"Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy" (John 16:20-22).

This should give us such hope. To know that our Lord knew from the beginning we would face difficult days is not an indictment against anyone. He knew. He gave us words of encouragement to look to and cling to. 

Our Bible is the letter sent to us as a promise and the story of His love, His sacrifice, His return, and our future hope in His presence forever.

The Psalmist could see this. He sought to encourage us as well. Don't listen to the negativity or the doomsayers. Turn to the One who has never failed to keep His promises.

He is the One from whom we should seek counsel.

He is the One who defines our value.

There's so much more I want to say about this, but for now I will leave you with this:

Jesus saw it all, long before our story began. And He still paid the price for our redemption on that cross. He never wavered in His devotion to washing all that pain and suffering away. One day, we will see. Until then, we can trust He has our redemption sealed, and those things that waged war against our souls will be silenced. 

Until then ... go in peace.

💜 Karlene J 💜