Dear Church,...(A Love Letter)

Dr. Mike Murphy
September 2, 2023

Dear Church,

I pray this letter reaches you.  Several times, myself and others have tried to contact you, but our attempts to reach you went unanswered.  We worry about you, and are fearful for you.  We know so well how trying these past years have been for you.  We miss you, and the world is not the same without you.

Despite all you have seen and gone through, you have not been forgotten.  Although you may feel as if you are lost, wandering aimlessly most days, you know in the depths of your mind the path that will lead you back Home. To a Home where several of us stand, waiting and longing each day for your return.  We find ourselves glancing at the path that leads to your Home, hoping and praying we will once again see your face.  To see your image returning from a distance, and to find ourselves running with joy to meet you.  We yearn for nothing more that to see you again, and to welcome you Home.

But each day, we read the reports, and hear the news about you.  News that takes you farther from us, and farther each day from your Home.  News that only feeds our worries, and heightens our concerns.  We see the pictures, the news clips, and we read the words of those you have chosen to spend your time with.  Those who do not truly desire to know you, and are only there to use you. There to build a name for themselves at your expense.  They do not love you as so many of us have.  They have not heard the words that once stirred you, the hopes that once drove you, and the lives that have been touched through you. They twist the words that once called you, using your name for their own greed and their own fame.  We plead with anyone who will hear that they will leave you alone, but our pleas fall on deaf ears.  We so helplessly watch as more of these beasts surround you.  Sharpening their fangs, ready at a minutes notice to feed off of you.

I pray that you will once again cling to your past.  That this letter will bring back the memories of your youth.  To a day when you were still young, but showed so much promise. To a series of letters that once defined you, and served to motivate you.  Letters written to you by One who will forever love you like no other ever has.  Letters so touching and so beautiful, guiding you through your toughest times, and bringing you back into focus during your greatest moments.  Love letters unlike others.  Love letters that were mercifully shared for all to see. Words so stirring they have moved the hearts of kings and queens, and have brought the hardest of men to their knees.  But letters I am so afraid that time has forgotten.

Remember again the words.  The words that once filled your heart, and led you to help Him forever change this world.  His first letter found you in a similar situation you find yourself in today, calling you back to Him, back to the embracing arms of your first love. Words of truth that showed you the lie behind the temptations of this world, but words that showed you the promise of what tomorrow could bring.  

He then wrote to you again and again, encouraging you to overcome all this world may throw your way.  He reminded you, that although this world might despise you, His open arms were waiting to protect you.  But for Him to protect you, He needed you to return to those arms. To escape from the evil that surrounded you, and return to the comfort of His embrace.  He knew how strong the hold of this world was over you, the temptations that confused you.  And He implored of you to remember that first love, and to hold fast to that love.  He knew that only through that love could you ever find the future your soul desired. An eternity of looking into the eyes of the One who loved you.

But He worried that His words would not awaken you from the sleep this world had promised you.  A sleep that would keep you from Him, not finding you waiting for His longing return for you. He shouted for you to awaken, promising that His return would keep you from the coming horrors this world had in mind for you.  Horrors that only He had foretold, that the world scoffed at and denied.  He told you of the home He was building for you, a glorious palace where you would reign forever with Him.  But this world would not let you go easily, leaving you torn between His love and their desires.  But His love prevailed as you found Him at your door, and He prepared a marvelous dinner for you.  That night, your love grew, and your love for Him became the desire that drove you.  

Despite all the hardship and trials that was thrown at you, all who tried to destroy the love He had for you, that love continued to grow.  You shared your story of His love with all who would hear, and watched as that story spread like wildfire. Soon the world would know His name, and many yearned to know and experience His love.  As the story of His love grew, your name also grew. Countless numbers flooded to you, so they could hear and know more of this story.  But the world continued to despise you, envious of the love He had for you. Despite the obstacles the world placed in your way, you continued to spread the story.  Spreading the message of His love for all to know.

But the world continued to loathe you, and decided if they could not stop you, they would change you.  They looked for ways to influence you, to confuse you, to dilute the message He had given you.  As days turned to years, we watched as the world sank its’ teeth in you, looking to control you.  We watched each day as it drew you farther and farther away, until one day you had completely lost sight of your Home.

As I stand today with the One who loves you, the only One who truly knows you, I cannot begin to tell you how much I miss you.  I long to see your face one last time, to hear you again speak of the truth and purity of the love He has for you.  As I look into His eyes, I still see the love He has for you.  In His voice, I hear the worries and concerns He has of you.  And in His touch, I feel the longing He has to see you again.  So many days, several of us have searched for you, looking this world over trying to again find you.  A few times we have thought we had a glimpse of you, but soon realized it was just another who was trying to look like you. Everywhere we go, we call out for you, but our voices have become echoes in the silence of this world.  We live in a day, that cries out for you.  A day that needs your voice more than ever, that needs nothing more than to hear the story He gave to you.  I pray each day for you, that you will distance yourself from the ones that hide you, the ones that use and manipulate you, and the ones who look to silence you.  I pray you will find yourself free from the shackles that now bind you, the shackles that you freely choose to place yourself in.  We all need you.  I beg of you, please come Home!

Praying the Church will once again find its’ way back Home!

More Than A Little GOOD NEWS!

Mike Murphy
August 27, 2023

 

“What does the future hold?”  I recently asked several  brothers and sisters in Christ that very question.  I heard about as many answers as we have questions.  Many told me they saw the soon return of Christ.  Several said that the world was becoming consumed with evil, and could not go on much longer. More than one told me they were seeing prophetic events that the Bible foretells coming together at a rapid rate.  One man said, “I watch the news with one eye and read the prophecies of the Bible with the other eye.  Most days I do not know which eye is seeing which.”
The common theme in most of the replies was one of disgust, concern and anxiety. Most felt they were watching as the world was spinning out of control, with Satan setting the groundwork for a tragedy of events that are to soon follow. They saw the days of Noah approaching, and this earth filled with despair.

It is hard to read a newspaper, turn on the computer, or flip through the channels of the television without seeing the warning signs.  But if we look at these signs through the Lord’s eyes, our anxiety soon turns to calmness, and our despair soon turns to hope.  In this tragedy, we see the Lord paint us a picture of Good News!

Let us take a minute and look at this picture, and see a couple of examples why our fears of doom and gloom should actually be full joy and encouragement.

God Is, And Will Always Be In Control.  

In 1867, a young Mark Twain visited the Holy Land.  He published his views of this trip in Innocents Abroad.  He describe the country as completely desolate, with hardly anything living in sight.  He penned these words about what he saw.  “ A desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds… a silent mournful expanse…. a desolation…. we never saw a human being on the whole route…. hardly a tree or shrub anywhere. Even the olive tree and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country.”  He described how small Jerusalem was by saying, “A fast walker could go outside the walls of Jerusalem and walk entirely around the city in an hour. I do not know how else to make one understand how small it is.”   

Almost one hundred and sixty years ago, before Ezekiel’s dry bones would come back to life(Ezekiel 37:1-14) and Isaiah’s desert would again bloom(Isaiah 35:1), man saw the land of Israel as pointless and barren.  Land that no one would want and could not possibly serve any function.  But what man saw as desolate and hopeless, the Lord looked on with a purpose.

“The Lord has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil.”, Proverbs 16:4.  This verse tells us that the Lord has made every thing for His own purpose, and for its’ own end.  God has made all things for His glory, for His goodness and wisdom, and so that all things might be revealed through Him.  We see in this verse that even the wicked are subjective to His purpose.  A perfect example of this would be Pharaoh. The Bible gives us verse after verse showing us the rebellion of Pharaoh to the promise of the deliverance to the Lord’s chosen people.  Time and time again, the Lord would send a warning, but ten times we watched as Pharaoh refused to heed to the will and promise of God.  Even when all was lost, Pharaoh would still not find himself repentant before the Lord. In the end, the wickedness of Pharaoh was easily overcome.  The Lord showed the world that His plan and purpose would always be fulfilled, and that no evil could ever stand in His way.  Even in the midst of Pharaoh’s evil, God’s name was declared for all to hear.  The Lord told Pharaoh these exact words in Exodus 9:16.  “But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth.”

When we see things go wrong in our lives or in the world around us, our first instinct is to ask God “why”.  We easily forget that the “why” is a self-serving and pointless question. We can only see things in a finite way, we only see the here and now.  But God, in His infinite wisdom, not only knows what we need today, but what is required for His purpose and plan for our lives tomorrow. Nothing in our life does the Lord do by chance, He has a purpose for every event and encounter.  We must understand, our limited human perspective often does not allow us to see God’s greater plan.

Our finite mind often confuses us when it comes to God’s plan.  We often do not want or wish to know where our free will ends, and the Lord’s sovereignty begins.  It is hard for us to realize that His sovereignty does not begin or end, it is all that matters.  To deny this does the unthinkable, it attempts to put us in control over God.  Our free will cannot and will not disrupt God’s purpose, just as evil will never prevent God’s plan.

We often see evil, or Satan, as a force that is standing in the way of what the Lord’s wants and desires for all of us.  The truth is, Satan will never have more influence in this world than the Lord wants him to have.  Look at Job for the perfect example.  When Satan came to the Lord, he told Him that Job only served Him because the Lord protected him.  So God told Satan he could do limited actions in the life of Job, but no more.  When Satan wanted to act, he knew he could do nothing unless God allowed it.  And look what came from this.  The world saw that Satan held no authority over our lives, and that God’s will triumphs above all.  The Lord turned Satan’s evil plan for Job into a moment of glory for all to see!.

God is in complete control of all things around us.  We have example after example in His Word that proves this to us.  The Lord’s power is unlimited, and evil can do nothing to limit it.  When we begin to understand this and trust this, the future is no longer a desolate place without hope.  It becomes a place of great purpose, filled with the plans and blessings the Lord has for each of us.  The Lord wants us to see, our future  is not a nightmare waiting to happen, but a place that dreams are made of!

We Know How The Story Ends!

I must confess.  I have flipped forward to the end of the Book, and now I cannot wait for this story to get there!  For those of us who believe, this Book will never end.  The Glory of the last pages will be heard in our voices forever.  The plot line of this story will last forever, and we have the promise that this fairy tale will be our eternal reality.  We will get to see and experience the real big bang theory!  This heaven and earth will pass away, but a glorious, new heaven and earth will take its’ place.  And in it we will live with Christ forever(Revelation 21:1-27)!  
Our future is not one of fear, but one of glorious hope.  When we place our trust in Christ, our future is forever bright, one we cannot wait and yearn for.  We realize, evil has no hold over our lives.  Evil no longer plays a part in our future. “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”, 1 John 4:4.   It is not us who should fear Satan, but Satan who should fear us. 
No one knows the words of Scripture better than Satan.  The Bible tells us that Christ was “delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God”(Acts 2:23).  No one knew this better than Satan.  He knew exactly what the birth, ministry, death, and Resurrection of Christ would bring, and knew nothing he did could prevent it.  Not one action by the Sanhedrin, Caiaphas, the Roman Government, Pilate, or Judas could do one thing to stop God’s plan.  The first chapter of Ephesians tells us that before the Lord even began to create this world, He had a plan for our lives in place.  God’s plan of Salvation through Christ was in place before the foundation of this world were laid.  God knew before this world was formed that neither Satan’s rebellion, the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, the Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, or the tower of Babel would slow down His plan for us one second.  He knew these evil and rebellious events would all fail, and in the end all these events would do nothing but bring greater glory to His name.  Just as these rebellious events had no effect on His plan, we can now have faith that the events the Bible tells us the future holds will also not slow down His plan a single minute either.  
We can trust what God tells us about the future, because He has proven to us exactly what He did in the past.  We are not called to fear this future, but to welcome it.  To cherish what the future offers, and to prepare for it in every way. Christ told us He did not come to be served, but to serve(Matthew 20:28).  That is the calling that should prepare us for that future.  We should answer every opportunity the Lord gives us to reach out to this world today, so as many as possible can share in the excitement that we will experience with Christ tomorrow.  We should walk into this world with a message of hope, not one of fear.  We know how this story ends, and we want as many as possible to read and experience the story of this Book with us!

So I ask again, “What does the future hold?”  One thing about the future is certain, it is surrounded with hope!  The future is filled with Good News!

Praying each of your lives is filled with GOOD NEWS!

Something Went Wrong In The Process!

Dr Mike Murphy
August 19, 2023

I am just not crazy about heights!  During my college days, a friend of mine convinced me to overcome this by going hang gliding with him. For several minutes of floating all I could think about was what all could go wrong on the way down.  I was never so glad as to see the ground again in my life.  Even a hard landing came with a sense of comfort!  On that day, I made up my mind that the next time I found myself in the sky, outside of a plane, it would be because the Lord was calling me up. Finding myself alone in the air relying on flimsy materials made by man, there was just too many things that could go wrong in the process that would have me plummeting swiftly in a downward motion!

During a recent discussion, I watched as many around me found themselves in the middle of my worst fear.  Their beliefs were in free fall.  Without even knowing it, their own logic and reason had caused them to jump from the plane without a parachute.  Their very souls were on a downward spiral, plummeting them to a certain death.

In the middle of the discussion. I found them arguing against the certainty of God.  They claimed that the only certainty we will ever know is change itself. That God is constantly evolving, thus changing His mind with a better understanding of the issues as time develops.  As history unfolds, God will adjust His teachings and views as He has greater understanding of man and our environment.

The above philosophy is called Process Theology.  Although many reading this may not be familiar with its’ teachings, in our universities and within the halls of several of our seminaries it is being taught as a basis of truth.  So just what is Process Theology?  Let us take a look at the tenants of this philosophy.

At the heart of this teaching we see an organic worldview, one that teaches that God is only a part of this whole creation, not its’ Creator.  Creation did not come from nothing, God and the universe are mutually interdependent.  They would tell you that you cannot have one without the other.  So where do you find this view put forth in the Bible?  The answer is simple, NOWHERE!  This teaching completely ignores the first ten words of the Bible itself.  Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”  God’s own word does not tell us that He just witnessed this, was simply a part of the creation, or was just around when it happened.  He tells us that His action created this world, and we are only here because He created it and placed us in it.

As many are first hearing of this teaching, please realize this is far from a new view of God and this world, but one that is as old as man himself.  Paul addressed this very issue while in Athens.  One of the prevailing views of Greek society was known as Stoicism.  At the heart of Stoics was a materialistic, pantheistic view that taught all things are connected, and that this interwoven connection linked everything shared is what we call ‘God’.  Paul addressed this matter(Acts 17:24-32), telling the Greeks that God created all things, sustains all things, and put forth a purpose and a plan for all things.  That anyone who ignored this was acting out illogically. The same argument that Paul used to bring many in Athens to the Word of God that day, is the same message many within Process Theology need to take to heart today.

Process Theology also teaches that God is not omnipotent, that God’s only power is one of influence or persuasion.  God’s role with man is reduced to His attempt to bring as much harmony as His persuasive abilities will allow.  As I mentioned before, God is learning as He goes under the teaching of this philosophy.  So God attempts to persuade man towards His position based on the knowledge He gains each day.  In simple terms, God’s wisdom is reduced to trial and error.  Because God is not inerrant, salvation is not something that can come from God under this philosophy.  Therefore, Jesus Christ was not who He said He was.  Jesus was just a man, not God incarnate, having come to offer a plan of salvation to all mankind.

From the first word of Genesis to the final amen in Revelation, God’s Word is consistent.  His message and teachings are unwavering and will never change(Psalm 119:89, Malachi 3:6). God had a purpose and a plan for mankind in the first verse, and it never differentiates(Isaiah 46:10). From the beginning God had a plan to bring man closer to Him, and offered that plan to the world through Jesus Christ(Psalm 33:11, John 1:1).  Christ has always been that plan, and because Christ is God, He has not and will not ever change(Hebrews 13:8). God’s Word is inerrant, ever word is given with purpose and truth(Proverbs 30:5, Psalm 12:6, 2 Timothy 3:16).

These are just a few examples of hundreds in the Bible that show the consistency of God and His plan for mankind.  For any philosophy to ignore this they would have to leave the Bible closed, as every page is filled with the same message.

So why would Process Theology take this approach, ignoring the very words God gave us?  Throughout history, man has looked to his own logic to excuse his behavior when it comes in conflict with God’s Word.  We are no different today than man has been throughout history, knowledge wise, but wisdom poor.  We see in this philosophy the attempt to justify much of the social behavior of the day that is in conflict with the Word of God.  If God is learning more as this world turns, then His view on many of the issues of the day may be changing also.  This philosophy would tell you that God’s view on homosexuality, abortion, immorality, and others may change as God has grown to understand the issues better.  Under the doctrines of Process Theology, right and wrong are ever changing.  What was wrong in God’s eyes a thousand years ago, my now be considered right as the Lord has evolved and His knowledge has increased.

Those who follow Process Theology face two questions they cannot, and will not, ever be able to answer.  If right and wrong are ever changing, how do we know the standard by which the Lord would want us to follow?  What one may say is the standard today, could be completely different in another’s eyes tomorrow.  The result of this is nothing short of complete chaos. Second, if God is eternally processing and changing, then one would presume that there is something greater that is influencing God.  What is this ‘something greater’? What is this supposed force that is bringing God greater knowledge and an increase in greatness?  You will never get an answer to these questions.  To summarize the words of Paul, there is no answer to the illogical!

It is important that we, as Christian, are aware of those things that are being taught in the name of God.  The Bible tells us that we should be able to defend our faith at all times(1 Peter 3:15), and we should show the world the truth in those teaching that do not stay true to God’s Word(2 Corinthians 10:5).  We live in a day and age where we are called on for this purpose more than ever. Although Process Theology is growing in popularity everyday, it is one the Church should be able to quickly overcome.  The ‘god’ of Process Theology is not even worthy of worship, not knowing right from wrong, and having no control over good and evil.  And to those that follow Process Theology, I would simply say, “You need to take a hard look at your logic.  Because something has gone wrong in the process!”

 

Dream A Little Dream For Me

Dr. Mike Murphy
August 12, 2023 

“If you can dream it, you can do it!”  Walt Disney

“Hope is a waking dream.”  Aristotle

“The very substance of the ambitious is merely the shadow of a dream.”  William Shakespeare

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”  Eleanor Roosevelt

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it.  If you can dream it, you can become it.” William Arthur Ward

“Nothing happens until we first dream.”  Carl Sundberg

“Every great dream begins with a dreamer.”  Harriet Tubman

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”  C.S. Lewis

It is often said, “This world was built on dreams.”  I would have to disagree with this popular quote,  This world is not built on dreams, but by the One who gives us those dreams. From the Patriarchs to the Apostles, we have read of the Lord speaking to us through dreams, Revealing His plan and purpose for this world and for our lives.  Often in dreams, He has shown us the hope of tomorrow, and He has declared to us the reality of today.  

Through a dream, the Lord reminded Abraham of his future.  His promise of a son, and His promise to those many descendants who would follow(Genesis 15:1).  He confirmed that covenant and blessing with Jacob also through a dream.(Genesis 28:10-17). Through a dream, God showed Samuel a young shepherd boy.  A boy who would be made king, and through whose lineage would come the King of Kings(1 Samuel 3).  Through a dream, God gave the son of that shepherd boy wisdom(1 King 3:5). In a dream, the Lord showed Daniel a vision.  A vision of the future history of this world, and the events that would define man. Zacharias was given a dream of a son, a son who would grow to be ‘one crying in the wilderness’(Luke 1:5-25).  At the time of Jesus’ trial, the wife of Pilate had a dream of a righteous Man, and warned her husband against persecuting Him(Matthew 27:19).  In a dream, a Roman centurion named Cornelius was ordered to send for Peter, and the Good News was brought to the Gentile world(Acts 10:1-48).

As the Holy Spirit fell on the people, Peter quoted the words of the prophet Joel. Words that hold the purpose of today, and the promises of tomorrow.  “In the last days,' God says, 'I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.’”(Acts 2:17).  We see in this verse the Lord’s great desire to never leave us blind, His desire to communicate with us by all means. His Words speak to us.  His Voice leads us.  And His Spirit guides us.  

As I see the cancer beginning to grow in me again, I realize that the spotlight of my time on this stage may soon begin to dim. But that does not mean my dreams for each of you have begun to fade.  I dream that many of you will find your way to that stage.  With a loud and clear voice, you will proclaim the Truth to the audience in front of you, and His love and His purpose will be known.  In the days ahead, the stage may not always be pleasant. The audience may not always cheer at the words you speak.  Others may, and will, try to take that stage from you, speaking words that do not hold true to the script.  But stand strong in the middle of that stage, and speak loud so that all may hear.

My dreams show me that the coming days may not be easy ones for the Church. Days of which the preparation to harvest the field will take place.  A time that the wheat and the tare will be separated, with each no longer mingled together, making it easy for all to identify each. A harvest that will not come easy. The tare, or the weeds, have rooted themselves deep into the soil of this world, and will not be plucked out easily.  A day in which all will be made clear, and each that make up this Church will once and for all have to decide, are they wheat or are they chaff.  Before that day when the wheat is lifted out, and the chaff is left behind, this Church may see some turbulent days.  Days that may challenge you, days that may seem often as nightmares instead of dreams.  But hold tightly to those dreams that the Lord has for you!

“For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).  Never give up on the dreams that the Lord has for you.  In those dreams you will find your hope, and in those dreams you will find your future.  In those dreams are plans beyond all you could begin to imagine.  Extraordinary things that the Lord is calling each of you to.  Plans that He can use to change the lives of those around you.  Plans that will open doors you did not even know were there.  Doors that will open your life to places you could not have imagined, to accomplishments for His glory you never thought you were capable of achieving.  In His plans you are not just capable, you are able!

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but where dreams come true, there is life and joy.” (Proverbs 13:12).  Dream to do great things for the Kingdom of God!  Dream to fulfill all the Lord desires for your life.  In those desires you will find His joy, you will find His love, and you will find His purpose.  The Lord desires so much for you, far more than you are capable of desiring for yourself.  But His desire does not begin in your dreams of tomorrow, they begin in His dreams of you today.  Pray the Lord will make obvious all the opportunities He gives you each day, and do not let those opportunities pass you by.  As I have often said, the opportunities you let pass today, is the blessing you will not know tomorrow.  I dream of a life for each of you that are filled with these blessings!

“It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools will not turn from evil to attain them.” (Proverbs 13:19).  Trust what the Lord has in mind for you, making the dreams He shows you a reality.  Do not let the words this world will tell you of tomorrow, stop you from seeing the dreams the Lord has for you today.  In those dreams the Lord has for you can be found wisdom, not the nightmare of a fool’s heart.  Let that wisdom lead you to boldly proclaim His Word, not to take the foolish path of cowering in corners.  His Word tells us, "Can a man hide himself in hiding places So I do not see him?" declares the Lord.   "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?" declares the Lord.”(Jeremiah 23:24).  I pray the Lord will never find you hiding, more afraid of what the world might say than proclaiming to all what our Lord can do.  The Lord desires for you courage, the courage to stand firmly in the middle of that room, facing this world with His Truth in one hand, and His Word in the other. Do not face this world with fear, but with confidence. Three hundred and sixty-six times we find in the Bible the Lord telling us “Fear Not”.  A constant reminder for every day, of every year.  I pray in these approaching days, each of you will be free of the fears that restrict you, and confident in His hand to guide you!

I pray the Lord will fill your life with the dreams He has for you.  That His desires will become your desires.  That His wants will become your wants.  That His needs will become your needs.  That His dreams for you, will become the reality that guide you each day.  That the dreams He gives you of tomorrow, will be found in all your words and actions today. Take pride in being a dreamer, when you dream each day for the Lord.  Embrace and remember yesterday, live for God today, and help fulfill His dream of tomorrow!  Dream big, dream extraordinarily, dream for the Lord!

Praying that each of your days and nights will be filled with visions of the Lord’s dream for each of you!

Hope!

Dr. Mike Murphy

March 2 2021

Hope.  A small word with the largest of meaning.  A word that incorporates so much, it would all but require every letter of the alphabet in order to best explain.  But a word that to listen to being spoken recently, you would think was nothing more than a four letter word.

With all that is going on in this nation and this world today, I recently paid close attention to how this word was being used by a few of our local and national leaders.  And with each, I could hear the uncertainty as each answered, “We hope so.” At the same time I was hearing them speak, I read as others were trying to tell me how all hope was lost for this nation.  And as fear could be heard directing the shouts of their answers, assurance could be heard in His voice as it softly spoke to me, reminding me that if my eyes were focused on Him, hope would be all I could see.

God’s Word tells me, “Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.”(Proverbs 23:18).  The hope that the Lord offers, the hope we read in each word of Scripture, is simply not the same hope this world knows.  God’s definition of hope, and this world’s definition of hope, is as different as faith is from fear. Hope, in this world’s eyes, leaves you with doubt, as one of the most common phrases we hear today is, “I sure hope so.”   

But when we look at how His Word defines hope for us, we see a confidence, a security, a certainty, that only His hand can offer.  To best see this, look closely at Proverbs 10:28, which tells us, “The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.”  With Him, or hope is based on more than just a simple expectation, our hope is based on the certainty that only joy from Him can bring. Hope leaves us, the Christian, not having to say, “I sure hope so”.  But with the confidence of saying, “I have no doubt!”

One of the most famous verses where we read about hope, is found in the very first verse of what we refer to as the “faith chapter”.  Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”  Our hope is not based on a feeling founded in doubt, but in a reality based on assurance.    On the certainty of knowing, if the Lord tells us something, it is going to happen. On the assurance of knowing, every promise the Lord has given us is going to be fulfilled.  A hope, grounded in faith, not confused and clouded by fear.

Our faith leaves us with the certainty that no matter what we might face, no matter what we might see, God is in control.  Not filled with a fear, that finds doubt taking the upper hand and driving our emotions. A hope that leaves us ready to face tomorrow, because we know He is right here with us today.

As David was captured by the Philistines, and being brought in front of the king of Gath, he wrote these words. "When I am afraid, I will trust in You."(Psalm 56:3).  And just like David, our fears cannot control us, if His hands are guiding us. Words that should be permanently found on the tip of our tongue today. We so easily forget, there is nothing more contagious than the hope that only He can offer us.  A hope that when spoken assuredly, truthfully, and lovingly, will draw people to it faster than we can count. A hope that will never lead us to speak foolish words of fear that the Lord has never once spoken, but man has so often been heard foolishly repeating.

Church, if that hope is guiding us, foolish words of fear will not be heard spoken by us.  Words that are absent of the one thing this world needs right now more than ever. And the one thing that His presence in us, gives each of us an abundance of what this world desperately needs most. Hope!

A reality found in our hope that does not blind us from the trouble we see staring us in the eyes today.  But one that calls us to lead all around us to act purposefully and wisely, planning and preparing best for tomorrow based on what we see coming from all that would look to trouble us and threaten us today.  A hope that is not only greater, but wiser, that the foolishness and panic that fear and trouble will always look to bring our way. A hope that leaves us grounded in the truth, as the world around us looks to attach itself to any false promise that might suddenly sound good.

We know that there is nothing we can face today that is greater than the hope we find confidently and assuredly in each promise He has given us for tomorrow.  A hope so deeply rooted in Him that it leaves our eyes focused on things that are greater than this world, not caught up in things that look to do nothing more than paralyze the world around us.  Leaving this world to hear us speaking words of wisdom, calmness, and truth, that draws everyone in this world to stop, and careful listen to the hope we have to offer. A hope for tomorrow, that He is offering to all who will just reach out to Him for it today.

I pray with each fearful word of doubt we hear this world speak, that the world will hear two words of hopeful certainty coming from us.  Words that allow us to calmly and wisely look at the fears of this world today, and show them the assurance of the hope He is giving us for tomorrow. Two words unlike any other, Jesus Christ.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”  Romans 15:13

"Like"able

July 22, 2023

Time probably never moves slower than when you are waiting in a doctor’s office.  After checking everything on my phone, and watching whatever generic channel the television is on, I often find myself looking around the waiting area at all the other people who are bored beyond belief also.  But as I sat through an unusually long wait the other day, I found that is was not what I saw around me that drew my interest, but what I heard.

         Sitting a couple of chairs from me were two young girls, both probably in their late teens or early twenties.  Both so caught up in conversation they did not realize how loud they were speaking. And as they spoke, it was the words they were saying that caught my attention.  Let me rephrase that, it was not words they were saying, it was one word they continued to repeat over and over. It seemed like every other word they spoke was “like”!  “Like, she said..”. “Like, I have one of those.”. “Like, anyone would care if...”. In a matter of moments, I had heard the word “like” more times than I had heard the word in total over the past year.  So me, being one of curious mind, looked at my watch and decided I would see how many times they used the word “like” in sixty seconds. And as I watched the time move that minute, the “likes” just keep adding up.  By the time the minute was up, the two girls had used the word “like” forty-two times! They were speaking the word so often it become hard for me to keep count, often both saying the word at the same time. I began to think to myself, if I could get just a quarter each time these two girls used the word in the course of a day, I would gladly pay off this country’s national debt before I immediately retired!

Later that day, as I thought again about the conversation I heard from these two young girls. I began to wonder what words people heard me speak in my conversations.  Were the intent of my words lost in the foolishness of my dialogue? Do my words leave others wondering more about me, than they do about the meaning of the words they hear from me?  And as I thought about what others heard from my words, an even greater question came to my mind. What does the Lord hear each time I open my mouth to speak?

My words, often stand as my witness, as the image I show others of His presence in me. Words, that often allow me to reflect the difference that only He has made in my life. But words, as I took a moment to think about, made we wonder how much of a reflection of Him others are left seeing and hearing.

Do my words serve as a reliable witness?  Do those words attest to the fact that He, alone, is my Lord and Savior, and all my hopes and dreams rest in His hands?  Do others hear in my words as I seek to share the Gospel, the sacrifice that Christ made for someone as undeserving as me?  Do others hear the strength of the Holy Spirit in my words, or do they just hear the weakness of my own voice? And do my words leave them hearing and seeking a hope that only through Him tomorrow can bring?  Or do my words leave them only focused on the failures they see in me today?

The Word of God tells me, what the perfect, witnessing sound on my words should sound like.  “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have”(1 Peter 3:15).  In each witnessing word I speak, must be heard the glory that can only be found in Christ.  A glory, that did not end on the Cross, but began as He gave all on that Cross. Witnessing words, that always leave others without a doubt of the power that He holds in His hands.  The power to reshape the heart of the most hardened sinner, as He one day, not so long ago, reshaped the hardest of hearts He found in me. Witnessing words, that are always heard being spoken boldly(Mark 8:35).  Words that always leave others realizing the saving power His Word holds, but never leave anyone thinking, a single one of my words hold even an ounce of power. Witnessing words, that always find me reaching out to others with open hands, never finding me reaching for others with a closed fist. Witnessing words, that find me making the most of all the opportunities He daily gives me. Opportunities, to take His Word to a needing world, as on a past day, that Word was taken to a needing man who carried my name. And witnessing words, that find their greatest joy in hearing others speak the words, “ Christ, I give my life to you”.  Knowing that those words serve as a greater witnessing statement than any words I might ever speak.

Each day, I need to make sure I am doing the job He called me to do, and seeking to perform that job not to the limitations and failures of my own abilities, but to the endless abilities that the Holy Spirit brings to my life.  Making sure that in each of my words, all are pointed toward His direction, not ever left staring in my direction. Words that do not leave others doubting and focused on the foolishness of my words, but leave all, without a doubt, immersed in the wisdom of His words.  Words that leave me standing as a credible witness, not as an “expert consultant” that Satan is happy to see taking the stand.

From the strangest of situations, in listening to two young girls butcher the English language in a doctor’s office waiting room, the Holy Spirit found a way to speak clearly to me.  Showing me that my words are not about how many ‘likes’ they might receive on social media, but by how “likely’ others are to hear His Word when I speak. Words that serve as a witness to His glory, and words that are only concerned with whether He records them as “like”able in His Book, not how others might view them on Facebook.

Praying each of my words are always heard by Him as “like”able.