Esperança=Hope

Maybe like me you read the news and become saddened by the headlines. Murder, abuse, scandal: evil. Lots of it. It seems that sometimes the only "good news" is that the Spurs won. That's depressing. I would guess that a lot of Christians just shake their heads at "this sinful place" and assure themselves that the rapture will happen soon and we won't have to endure this anymore. Maybe. I would concur that these world events along with this list of evil things fit the end times scenarios given in the Bible. But I don't believe that shaking our heads while looking at the sky for our escape is the right thing either. So I have been in Mozambique for several months with on and off internet availability. When I do have internet access, the news headlines are overwhelming. When you go from being in America, to being away and then looking back in, it's a while new and huge culture shock. This isn't life as it was supposed to be. It's the curse of sin. Satan loves chaos, pain and evil. But, guess what, he is not the winner. He has been defeated! If you read the letters from the apostle Paul, he had a lot to say about the situation we Christians find ourselves in today; How we should conduct ourselves. And it doesn't have anything to do with hiding out, ignoring what's going on or pretending that it's normal. "Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents...for it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake." Phil 1:27-30 Over and over he challenges the church to be strong. To persevere. To endure hardships as a good soldier, we get the picture. Let's keep reminding ourselves of that! We have Hope. The greatest Hope and His name is Jesus. A friend spent some time in Asia and said that whenever she met a Christian she knew it before they even said it. All she had to do was look at their faces and you could see the hope. That's beautiful. But if we know Jesus, we have that hope too! This madness is not the ultimate reality for us. God came as a baby. He lived among us to know us. So that we could relate and so that we could know that He understands! I am reminded of my favorite Christmas hymn: 1. Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free; from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee. Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth thou art; dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart. 2. Born thy people to deliver, born a child and yet a King, born to reign in us forever, now thy gracious kingdom bring. By thine own eternal spirit rule in all our hearts alone; by thine all sufficient merit, raise us to thy glorious throne. Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus By: Charles Wesley So what? Here is my challenge to me and anyone else willing to take it: Don't be afraid to do what is right or to stand out. But I didn't say it first, God did. Just read the book of Joshua. If something is wrong, say it. Don't get pushed into popular opinion. I also say this because it's a prayer of mine. I have not said things when I know I should have but I resolve to be a better ambassador for Christ when it comes to that. And we might suffer, we probably will. But I bet it's going to be worth it when we stand before God, in heaven, about to face eternity, and hear those glorious words, "well done good and faithful servant." That would be way better than receiving approval from mere humans in this temporary life on earth And maybe I don't fully understand all of these things . I'm sure that what I read in the headlines doesn't even scratch the surface of everything that is really going on. It's a bit overwhelming. What can I do? What can we as the church do? I know where I need to start and it's on my knees. I need Him to help me know what I am dealing with. I want Him to give me His heart for His people. The "bad" ones and the "good" ones. And then I want Him to give me a job. How do I combat this madness? Who are the people that I can show hope to? I could sit here and say, "man, I'm so glad that I got out of that place!" But I can't. That's home. Those are people who God loves. Some are throwing their lives away and some are having their lives thrown away. It's a mess. And if we wouldn't consider ourselves to be in one of those categories, it is ONLY by the grace of God! And we should be doing all we can to show God's love and to help bring redemption to those who are in those categories, it's our job! "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23