Hope: February 8, 2010

February 8. TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2010.

HOPE

DEFINITION:

Expect or look forward to with desire and confidence of fulfillment.

SCRIPTURE:

For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees. Romans 8: 24

KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING:

The devastating earthquake in Haiti has dominated the news these past days. The pictures of the injured and dead along with the total destruction of homes and buildings has been heart breaking and gut wrenching.

As the Haitian people recovered from the initial shock we can’t help but wonder what was their initial reaction? They must have felt utter despair and hopelessness. For most of these dear people they had lost all hope for the future. All of their belongings were buried under piles of rubble. They could do little for themselves so all that they could do was to hope.

What hope could they have? The roads were blocked, the airport was non-functional and the infrastructure of their cities were destroyed. In times of desperation hope is what gets us through the crisis that we are facing. And for Christians that hope is found in our Lord.

As we hear about the miraculous survival reports of those pulled from the rubble, many after days of being trapped, we cannot help but think how hope was the only thing they had to hang on. This was true for the teenager who was buried for two weeks and survived.

The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:24-25 of the hope that saves us that we have as Christians. Paul says “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

Paul describes hope for us by reminding us that hope is not based on what we can see and we do not hope for what we already have. The hope that Paul talks about is what we do not have and is the hope that a believer has of eternal life and spending an eternity with Christ.

We know that there are many Christians in Haiti that have their hope in the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We can only begin to imagine how they have prayed for the material help Haiti needs right now. We as Christians must now pray for these people and that their needs might be met. We must also do all we can to help.

There are many Christian churches, Christian orphanages, missionaries and ministries that were working there in Haiti before the earthquake. They are still there today and are committed to stay and help meet the needs of people long after most of the emergency help has left the country.

These are the dedicated partners that we are working with and we encourage you to share some of the blessings that God has given you to give these dear people the hope that they are searching for. They make sure that as they meet physical needs they also do all they can to meet their spiritual needs.

The reason these dedicated pastors and missionaries serve so diligently and faithfully is because they understand the true meaning of HOPE --- the hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

When one faces that time in life when they get concerned about issues that mean survival, who do they rely on? As Christians, those of us who have our complete faith and trust in the Lord, let us not forget the wonderful hope that we have of spending an eternity with our Lord.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 3:5-6:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

PRAYER:

I recognize You today as my only hope for today and the future. I stop now to praise Your name for the everlasting hope that You provide.