Celebrating Our Hope

You have been waiting for this for weeks. You have been planning what you will wear, thinking about who else will be there, and hoping –hoping it will live up to all your expectations. You wonder how your anticipation could be any more intense as you ride the last few miles in the car.

Now that you are parked you see all the other folks who have come to be a part of this great event. Even people you don’t know look familiar because they are wearing the same colors you are. It’s great to be part of a winning team.

You look up ahead toward the stadium and you see people coming from every direction. They are streaming into the stadium. There is a party atmosphere. People are greeting one another. Cheers break out spontaneously. The air is electric. You find yourself walking faster and faster. You want to be in place to watch the team take the field.

As exciting as it can be to go to a football game, I imagine it is just a pale shadow of the experience that awaits those who have lived as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. While Jesus assured his disciples they would be welcomed into his Father’s kingdom, there would be a place for them at the great banquet, and that they would receive a reward for their obedience to his commands; the vision that John shares of the great multitude standing before the throne stirs a sense of excitement within me that is nearly impossible to contain.

Read from the Book of Revelation 7:9-17. Can you picture this crowd gathering? Can you sense their joy? Can you hear their voices as they sing?

Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen.

It is an exhilarating scene!

As people gather for worship this Sunday, many will take time to remember those who have “fought the good fight . . . , finished the race . . . , kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). They will gather to give thanks for their lives and the hope that sustained them.

Let your worship renew your hope so that you may “run with endurance the race God has set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). Let it refresh your vision of the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. Let it strengthen your resolve to faithfully follow your Savior all your days.

The Great Recovery

Our economy is in bad shape. The problem is not just limited to the United States. Indeed, things look quite bleak in Europe; and the rest of the world is struggling with widespread poverty—in many places the result of widespread corruption and debt.

If you are discouraged every time you hear politicians arguing around the solutions, let me ask you to consider watching Dave Ramsey’s The Great Recovery Kickoff Event (www.TheGreatRecovery.com). This may be the biggest call for managing money according to Biblical principles our country has ever seen.

The Great Recovery is a movement to change our country and economy one person at a time. Dave says we can’t depend on the government to fix our problems, and as Christians our hope should be in God. God’s principles for managing money work. The Great Recovery movement starts with you—as you learn and apply God’s principles of stewardship to your life.

Dave raises the question, “What would happen if people started following God’s way for managing money?” What if people got out of debt, saved more, gave more? Their lives would change! What would happen if communities did the same? Communities and cities would change! What would happen if the movement spread throughout our country? Our economy would change! The change starts with you and me and the way we manage God’s money as faithful stewards.

Dave is asking people to join the movement by taking a pledge and then sharing it with others. Here is the pledge:

This great nation can recover. I believe it will happen from the bottom up, one family at a time. I commit to make sure my family is equipped to do our part by educating ourselves on God’s way of handling money, living responsibly, saving for the future and giving to others.

We have several families who are currently enrolled in Financial Peace University. They are learning more about God’s principles for managing their money. Many of them are already celebrating victories they are experiencing as they apply these principles to their households. Let me encourage you to find out where you can enroll in this powerful 13-week course so that you can begin applying God's principles to your household.

Jeremiah spoke to a people who were experiencing a total collapse of their society. This was the message he received from God: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (29:11).

May we continue to put our trust in God’s plans so that we will enjoy God’s future.

A Particular Type of Community

In spite of the persistent myth of the “self-made man,” no one accomplishes success without a lot of help. Even in areas where it seems that the endeavor is particularly dependent on the talent and determination of an individual—like writing, for instance; without someone to harvest the timber, manufacture the paper, stock and sell the necessary supplies, etc., an author’s work would go entirely unnoticed.

While growing in spiritual maturity does require a personal commitment, it is practically impossible to become a real spiritual champion without being connected to a vital community of believers. You may ask, “What makes a community of believers vital?”

People find it difficult, if not painful, to participate in a community where they do not feel accepted. It is important that those who are exploring what it means to be fully-devoted followers of Christ know that they are accepted—just the way they are.

At the same time, a community of believers who are growing spiritual champions will clearly communicate that there is much to learn. They will be organized to instruct whoever wants to become a skilled steward of the “mysteries of God.”

There is much to learn, and sometimes the lessons seem particularly difficult. That is the reason it is also important for a vital community of believers to be a community of encouragers. Whether folks are making slow progress or fast, they are much more likely to stick with the process, if others are cheering them on.

At times, encouragement is not enough. That is when members of a vital community know to come alongside someone who is struggling and offer support. People can accomplish great things when they know there is someone who will back them up—or hold them up—when they need it.

In a world that often settles for second best, a community that calls people to reach higher standards often sees remarkable results. Left to our own evaluation of our performance, we can fool ourselves into believing that we are better than we are. A community that holds its members accountable to God’s standards—with grace and love—helps its members experience true progress in their spiritual development.

In a world in which moral anarchy is increasingly the norm, let us renew our commitment to be a community that connects emotionally and spiritually with those who are growing in the faith.