Scripture
Abraham, building hope in spite of hopeless circumstances, had faith, and so became the father of many nations.
~Romans 4:18, Williams
Quote
It is worth a thousand pounds {$1,244.49} a year to have the habit of looking on the bright side.
~Samuel Johnson
On December 17, 1927, the Coast Guard destroyer USS Paulding rammed a USS S-4 submarine off the coast of Massachusetts. The submarine sang to the bottom of the ocean. Divers were deployed and they reached the submarine. They communicated by tapping the hull using Morris code. The weather on the surface was horrible and there was one delay after another. One of the last transmition from within the sub was these four words…“Is there any hope?” Unfortunately, forty-two men lost their lives as the rescue mission failed. There are times is our lives when we tap on the hull of our hearts, “Is there any hope?”
Trust me, I have asked this question more than once. The storm clouds gather and the horizon turns black while our future looks bleak, but as believers we always have hope. As Jesus said, “They can kill the body, but after that what can they do?” This world is not our home; if that were the case, we would be hopeless, but it is not. As Paul told the Colossians, “Set your heart on things above, not on things here on earth.” Let me ask you something: when you dream, do you dream about death, sickness, poverty, sin, rebellion, impotence or violent crime? Of course not: you think about things that are noble. You dream of being perfect. You may be longing for heaven and not know it. I have never had any confidence in Satan and I have progressively lost all confidence in the world. Personally, I know I do not measure up but the good news is there is hope for even jack and it is JESUS. He measured up in my behalf. He lived the perfect life that I could not live and one day He will, by His omnipotent power and grace, make me perfect also. This is my hope and I am clinging to it!
Extra
The LORD is good and that is for sure. We were down number wise yesterday but we were not down in spirit. Another wonderful celebration of Jesus. At least it was wonderful to me; the congregation that has to listen to me might have another adjective in mind. God’s grace is amazing. Christy Clark was there for the second or third week in a row. Christy will be going to New Orleans next weekend to meet with doctors and maybe a prospect for some test and treatment. Pray for Christy and Mark.
Pastors Conference this morning and Dr. appointment at 1:00. I hope you have a good day and a good week. Wrap up and stay warm, North Pole weather is coming in.