Always Hope

Then Shekaniah son of Jehiel,

one of the descendants of Elam,

said to Ezra,

'We have been unfaithful to our God

by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us.

But in spite of this,

there is still hope for Israel.'"

Ezra 10:2

They messed up royally.  They fell far.  They blew it.  In spite of their unfaithfulness to God and their disregard for His commands, the people of Israel still had hope.

Through Jesus, I also have hope.  No matter how low I sink, God's grace offered by means of the blood shed by Jesus Christ is even greater.  Or, in the words of Holocaust survivor Corrie Ten Boom, "There is no pit so deep, that God's love is not deeper still."  

Since I'm not a lost cause, what must I do?

Repent.  I'm in too deep.  I've fallen too far.  I've invested too much time to change.  After all, a leopard can't change her spots.  These are negative messages I can tell myself, discouraging repentance.  If I think there's no hope for me, I've got a pride problem.

When Jesus suffered on the cross, He concluded His life with three little words.  "It. . .is. . .finished (John 19:30)."  In so declaring, He confirmed the covering of all sin, the fulfillment of prophecy, and God's judgement satisfied.  When He proclaimed that truth, my sins and that of all mankind were declared forgiven.  It was a done deal, sealed and delivered.

Therefore, there is no sin so grievous that the blood of Jesus has not been offered as an atoning sacrifice.  God's perfect requirement was met.  Period.  There is no man whose transgressions are greater than the sacrifice of the Perfect Lamb of God!  So, there is hope.  For you.  For me.  For all mankind.  All it takes is a willingness to leave the old behind and step into the new that has been prepared for me (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Repentance is simply a matter of my will.  Do I want to be changed?

No matter how grievous my sin, the blood of Jesus delivers hope for me to turn away from my old identity.

New Attitude.  Before Christ, I didn't know any better.  I couldn't understand why my behavior mattered.  Holiness didn't make sense to me.  Now that I enjoy the benefit of God's indwelling Spirit, I know.  I realize when I dishonor God.  I understand what He wants from me, even if I don't always heed.  I don't feel comfortable letting my flesh rule (1 Peter 1:14-16).

Now that I'm living as a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, my mind is being transformed to see more from His perspective (Romans 12:2).  His ways are treasured instead of despised as foolish.  His law becomes more than a bunch of rules setting me up for guilt and failure, but a picture of God's holy nature and a reminder of my need for Jesus.  Instead of looking at my life as mine to live as I please, I can offer myself to Him so He can do as He pleases (Romans 6:13).

Through faith in Jesus I have the hope of purpose, so that I can treasure His ways more than my own.

Do it.  I get so aggravated with my dog.  When I take him for a walk, he often signals his need to relieve himself.  When I stop to let him squat, he sniffs around looking for just the right spot to dump his load.  It almost seems like the planets must align and the temperature perfect before he will do what should come so naturally.

Even though Strider, our canine friend, frustrates me to no end with his delay tactics, I'm not much different.  I often think everything must be just so before I can start living right.  I need to feel motivated, or my heart must be in it, or I have to reach a certain point in life before I can obey God.  

Instead, God is saying to me what Shekaniah said to Ezra, "Rise up; this matter is in your hands.  (I) will support you, so take courage and do it."  There's no time like the present to start living for God.  I will never feel more motivated than I do right now so why wait?  It's a matter of my willingness to trust God to empower me in this thing more than in my fitness to accomplish what He is calling me to do.  The ball is in my court, what will I do with it?

Through faith in Jesus I have the hope of salvation so that I can hit the ground running, competing in the race He marked out for me instead of standing on the sidelines (Hebrews 12:1).

I am a sinner.  As such, I fall far short of God's expectation for me (Romans 3:23).  Thankfully, Jesus took my punishment in dying on the cross, offering me hope where there seems to be none.  Through Christ, then, I can repent of my old ways, adopting a new attitude that loves God and His Word while realizing the urgency of His imperatives.  In spite of my sin, there is always hope!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust in Jesus as my Savior and even further, as my Lord, letting Him take the lead.

When do I insist on keeping old habits and behaviors even though I know they dishonor God?

How am I procrastinating when it comes to God's calling on my life?