I hope all goes well here.
I hope I am appreciated.
I hope there will be a break.
I hope this ends soon.
All hopes rooted in the earth.
What hope do I hold this is rooted in God.
The God Who raises people from the dead.
"And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today." Acts 26:6
Expose the roots rotten to the core of this world.
Raise the roots that boast hope in what You have promised.
" A world that lies in wickedness must be sanctified and reformed; it is not enough for them to have their eyes opened, they must have their hearts renewed; not enough to be turned from darkness to light, but they must be turned from the power of Satan unto God. " Matthew Henry.
"For I have appeared to you for this purpose ...
to open their eyes,
so that they may turn from darkness to light and
from the power of Satan to God."
Acts 26:18.
Paul makes a persuasive point: "none of these things have been done in a corner." How can we possibly not think about what Jesus did and let it impact us?
I am persuaded we do not wrestle well with this life of ours. How many times we hear in a day, "Everything is going to be just fine." This message Paul preaches is not a popular message. There are no steps to figure out life. Herod Agrippa II said it himself: "If Paul had not appealed to Caesar, he could have been released." Even Agrippa knew that Paul abandoned his life to the the will of God. Surrendered. Forever.
This persuasion of Paul is gripping. May we be willing to surrender even if it means things are not going to be okay in our day. This is no prosperity Gospel I read. Change my mindset. Renew my heart to care most about You and not what is happening to me.
PHOTO: Pondering what it means that everything may not be all right in this life. Cancer, rape, multiple miscarriages, loss. We are here for Him—-to become “little Christs” as C.S. Lewis says. My youngest looking out on his future at a ranch in Marble Falls. We don’t know what life holds for us but . . .
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