Our Only Hope is Jesus

"Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." (Acts 2:26-27)

Twenty-one years ago, God said something to me that will mark my ministry forever. The only hope that any man has anywhere in the world is faith in Jesus Christ.

In light of what's happening around us today, the truth of the statement is more painfully obvious than ever before. We are a generation with diseases no man can heal, with problems no man can solve. What fleeting successes we have are quickly overshadowed by new and greater crises.

All too often, that's as true for believers as it is for unbelievers. It shouldn't be. But it is. Believers are being killed by the same diseases that are devastating the rest of the world. They're being plagued by the same problems. And many are walking around without hope--just like the rest of the world.

Why? Because the only hope that any man has is faith in Jesus Christ. And the majority of Christians don't know how to live by faith.

Instead of being filled with the Word and with faith, they've been stuffed full of religious tradition and superstition. And they're suffering. When the devil hits them with sickness and disease, with poverty or depression or divorce, they often stand by helplessly as it destroys them. They simply don't know what else to do. The Bible says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..." (Hos. 4:6).

But you know. Your hope is in Jesus. Trust Him. And tell the world--their hope is in Him too.

Scripture Reading: Mark 4:35-41

Recall God's Mercies

"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassion's fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:21-23)

God is faithful. He's full of compassion. His mercies are new every morning. As a believer, you know all that. But simply knowing it is not enough.

For it to do you any good, you have to recall it. You have to remember it again and again in order to rekindle your hope and stir your faith.

So, make it a point to remind yourself of God's faithfulness every morning. Remind yourself of the benefits that are yours in Jesus.

What are those benefits? Psalm 103 spells them out:

1. He forgives all your sins.
2. He heals all your diseases.
3. He redeems your life from destruction.
4. He crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies.
5. He satisfies your mouth with good things so that your youth is renewed
like the eagle's.
6. He executes righteousness and judgment for you against oppression. He
sets you free.
7. He makes known His ways to you.
8. He gives you His grace and mercy in times of need.

Make it a point every morning this year to say those things out loud to the Lord. Stand before Him in prayer and recall His mercies to you. Keep it up and by the end of this year you'll be stronger in faith and more confident of God's love than you've ever been before.

Don't just settle for knowing God's blessings. Remember them every day and watch them come alive in you.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 103:1-17