Hardships Hope
Acts 20:18-24
And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews; how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
It Is a very hard thing to find hope in the hardships of life.
It is hard to see beyond what is in front of us. Trying to look around the corner when we are still trying to look over our shoulders.
Things in our lives can be very devastating. Numbing our senses. Changing our hearts. Testing our faith.
We are called to run our race.
We are told to stay on the narrow path.
To not follow the patterns of this world.
And they are all easier to do when there’s no distractions!
Only if that were the case.
John 16:33 NKJV
[33] These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Very well said. Encouraging Eternal Words from the heart of the only One that can truly save us from this world!
Peace has to start somewhere.
The calming of the heart and mind must start from a place we may have never looked before.
Hope.
The Apostle Paul is coming to the end of his Ministry. He is coming to the end of his life.
Paul is an amazing example to us on how to life out our faith in Christ! How to endure with peace.
I often wonder how the man was always filled with hope! How was he able to endure such hardships with joy!
Every personal ache,pain or sorrow he somehow kept moving forward.
I can only come to one conclusion.
Yes it was his faith. But it was what Paul did with that faith!
He served the Lord. He served to his fullest capacity. Not allowing anything to get in the way of serving the One that restored the sight of the Gospel to his lost life. To serve the One that gave him purpose to continue on.
We are a people that runs on faith.
We sometimes do not realize that faith is for today! It is for right now. It is what is going to determine our next step.
But what about tomorrow?
What about when the day doesn’t look so bright and there’s no peace. When we are tormented by sin and thoughts like. Distracted by the things of the world.
That’s when we must have hope!
Hope is for tomorrow. Hope is for the next day and the day after that! Hope is inly full when the Lord Jesus Christ either comes for us or takes us to be with Him!
Hope gives us purpose.
Hope gives us the will to continue.
Hope builds on the faith of today!
Hope guides us around the corners we can’t see,with no fear.
It gives us a reason to serve our Lord Jesus Christ!
For that reason fear starts to fade and the peace we covet settles into the depths of our hearts. Hardships aren’t so hard anymore. Hurt and pain start to dissipate.
I’m finding out this is the way to continue through the struggle. This is what it is to run the race as Paul so often refers to.
How is it that this man made of flesh and blood, just like us, could endure so much?
Beaten, arrested and imprisoned,shipwrecked,stoned.
He was hungry and thirsty. Rejected,had cold and sleepless nights. Everywhere he went there was some danger waiting for him. Then there was the thorn in his side.
He prayed to the Lord to remove it!
But the Lord did something even better.
He let Paul keep the thorn, but granted him HIS Grace!
Being covered with the Grace of God gave Paul the strength to take in anything understanding that there was the hope of Heaven. There was a renewed body waiting. He was filled with Hope! What is it that you can’t endure for the Kingdom of God when the Grace of God is upon you!
It gave him the strength to continue. It gave him fervor to let the world know about this saving Grace and eternal love!
Paul served in humility. Humble because of that same grace. Humble to serve the Savior that saved Paul for the purpose to continue forth with the Gospel.
He lived life with the Church. Even in His own difficulties and struggles Paul was there to show the Hope that only comes from Heaven!
Can we endure our own pain but help ease the pain of others?
Can we shed our own tears while wiping away the tear wet face?
Can we see the trouble ahead and steer the lost heart to the right path while staying on it ourselves?
I know that I don’t take all the opportunities given to proclaim Jesus. To let them know about this hope I have.
When we look at it like this I should change our perspective on how and who we speak to about Salvation found in Jesus!
Paul didn’t limit his message, he didn’t limit his audience either. He wanted to preach all the Word of God to all people despite his own difficulties. Why was Paul able to do it?
Hope!
We are a people of Faith, but we are a people that live by Hope!
Romans 8:35-39 NKJV
[35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? [36] As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” [37] Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. [38] For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, [39] nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Be persuaded, not just for your own soul.
Be so persuaded that the hope of Heaven seeps through your pores for the hopeless to see!
Be filled with faith, live with hope to serve with love!
Pastor Ed
