Hope Deferred to Hope Realized
You have been called by God for a great purpose. Thankfully, the realization of this principle has moved us into a world of purpose driven life where many now look to put aside their personal agendas and chase after the authentic will of God for their lives. Here, however, is the challenge: being driven, particularly “Purpose driven” can be frustrating and even clinically depressing if the destination you’re driving towards is delayed.
The greatest gift any man or woman can receive is not achieving their purpose or in fact reaching any goal, but by accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Yet, Jesus said that He came that they may have life and may have it more abundantly (John 10:10). In order to move from our primary gift - salvation and eternal life - to abundant life, you’ve got to obtain certain tools, develop effective habits, and learn how to put Biblical principles to work in your daily existence.
On the first day of January, millions of people make resolutions hoping to change their life in some way. Unfortunately, by January 4th, (Possibly the highest chocolate consumption day of the year) most of these resolutions have disappeared. Change is difficult. The next year, the holidays show up again and the same pattern is repeated. In the dictionary, the term resolution actually means “fixed purpose”. That definition makes the reality of resolutions either humorous or sad. We clearly need to change what we call these oaths or we need to amend the term “resolution”. Maybe we should call it something like this year’s “passing fancy” or “temporary whim.”
Sometime shortly after the fourth day of January, life goes on; but our dreams, goals, and plans don’t survive the rest of the journey. For many of us, it’s not so much what happens in January as it is what’s taken place over a lifetime. Our search for significance, for meaning and for buried treasure has met with so much struggle and failure that we’ve either given up altogether or we end up on the wrong track. At the beginning of the journey we were off just a few degrees but by the time we arrive at the destination, we are miles from our intended location. We left New York on the way to Florida but we ended up in New Mexico. Due to current circumstances, it can seem that the dream is gone. Your desire to fulfill your God-given purpose and reach your destination (nation of destiny, land of dreams) is authentic and important. In fact, the Bible says that “God gives us the desires in your heart” (Ps 37:4).
The dreams, goals and plans He gives us pull us toward our future and bring us closer to Him. Those desires that motivated our resolutions are often placed there by God. If we went after these deeper desires, we could have discovered a closer walk with Him.
It’s not uncommon for people to admire their own survival skills. When trial, tribulation, hardship, failure, and set backs have come into their lives, they’ve endured. But there is a big difference between enduring and abundant life. If ideals are sacrificed, purpose denied, important plans changed and dreams relinquished, are we left with anything but existing? We keep breathing but if we are no longer moving towards our real destiny. Something important has been forgotten.
For most of us us, it’s past time for resolutions. Resolutions come from a temporary motivation for change. They’re emotional and emotions change with the day and season. It’s not time for a resolution. It's time for a revolution – and for that you need inspiration, not motivation. This can only occur when we no longer rely on the latest motivational materials and fad programs. We need the transforming, inspiring power of God that turns simple emotional change into commitment.
The Bible gives us plenty of inspiration not to give up. There are many accounts of men and women who failed dramatically before and as they were working to get on track with God. This should give us comfort. Some of the Bible's greatest examples made big mistakes. This fact tells us that we can succeed despite enormous set-back. Yet to do so, we need the awe inspiring, life transforming power and word of God.
You might feel things are inexplicably and irreversibly messed up now. Yet, as we review the many mistakes and calamities of our patriarchs, we can be encouraged. David had a man killed to cover up his adultery. Saul dedicated his life to the persecution and death of the Christians. Along with many others, they discovered that God loves second chances (and 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc.). His mercies are renewed in you every day.
The Bible guides us to a joyful, healthy, peaceful life in the presence of God. With God's help, we can face trial, tribulation, and severe hardship with hope and our heads up. But too often our lives don't reflect this joyful existence. Even though we are believers, religion can become nothing more than ritual. We end up with obligations to attend church, tithing without cheerfulness, reading the Bible without personal inspiration, marriages that are relationships of fear and doubt, addictions, poor health, depression and anxiety. From the outside, Christians who don't live abundant lives start to look just like the rest of the world, or worse. Although we’re called by God to be light, we can slip into worldly darkness.
Jesus calls us to take up our cross daily and move towards the peace of spiritual aspiration and away from the war for material accumulation. If you are a follower of the man from Galilee, you should make a difference – and people who know you should see a difference. Christians are beacons of light in a world of darkness. That means they stand out, not because they accumulate more of what the world counts as treasure but because they seek to distribute the gifts from a God Who owns the world and everything in it. If your Christian life isn't radically different than the best non-believer you know, then we just need to make a shift.
Your hope may be deferred, but it’s far from gone. “Live life by the compass and not the clock. You’d rather be going the right way slow, then the wrong way fast!” I believe you are uniquely equipped to lead people in this crisis, lead through this crisis, and lead people as we re-build the wall after we’re back on more solid ground. You may not feel that way, but you won’t be doing it alone. You can do all things with Christ who gives you strength (Phil 4:13).
With God, all things are possible,
Dr. Ben Lerner