Hope Without Limits

Not what you may be thinking as I am not speaking of God’s love for us, but rather the antidote of us choosing to love God.  An antidote for what?  Pretty much everything you don’t want in your life – hopelessness, despair, depression, bitterness, fear, grief, self-pity as starters.

I’ve been in a class all weekend conducted by the writer of The Passion Translation  on the book of Philippians aka “unbounded joy from a prison cell”.

Maybe I’m slow, but I had not thought of it until this weekend – the power of choosing to love God regardless of circumstance.  In that choice you change your mind by refocusing it and you connect all of who you are — heart, intellect, will, spirit and body — to the Creator of All … which I’m thinking is a pretty darn good choice no matter what difficulty you are experiencing. 😉

I can’t guarantee you that your circumstances will change.  It’s no secret that Paul went from the jail in Philippi to being beheaded.  However, you and how you experience your circumstances, your life, will definitely change.  That is the gift Paul shares in his first-hand testimonial in his letter .

As I type this I hear the prophet Isaiah speaking out through time …

Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard?
    The Eternal, the Everlasting God,
The Creator of the whole world, never gets tired or weary.
    His wisdom is beyond understanding.
 God strengthens the weary
    and gives vitality to those worn down by age and care.
Young people will get tired;
    strapping young men will stumble and fall.
But those who trust in the Eternal One will regain their strength.
    They will soar on wings as eagles.
They will run—never winded, never weary.
    They will walk—never tired, never faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31 The Voice

Did you catch the “on switch” for the supply?  “Those who trust in the Eternal One”.  The Complete Jewish Bible translates it “those who hope in Adonai”.   The Amplified Bible translation is “those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him]”.  Hmmm doesn’t that sound quite a bit like the definition of love …

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes,
is ever ready to believe the best of every person,
its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances,
and it endures everything [without weakening].
1 Corinthians 13:7

That’s how God feels about you.  It’s how He is asking you to feel about Him.

How do I know that and why would He ask?

All Saints Chapel – Sewanee, TN – November 26, 2016

Yup — love is definitely the antidote to everything anything we encounter or must endure in this world with the great side effects being unbounded joy and unconditional hope.