My only Hope

Uncertainties, possibilities and probabilities–these are what we have to deal with. Our life hangs in the balance unless we have something firm to latch on to.  Whenever things don’t seem to go as we have planned, there are still certainties we can lean upon with confidence:

1. The Certainty Of Eternal Life. “No one knows for sure where we’re going when we die”–this is a common human opinion of uninformed and misinformed origin. But for those who know the Truth, faith convictions are worth dying for. The disciples who were up close and personal with Jesus during His incarnation, His resurrected existence, until His ascension, stood up as witnesses for Christ despite heavy opposition.

Even God Himself testifies to this. “If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for the witness of God is this, that He has borne witness concerning His Son. The one who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness that God has borne concerning His Son. And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:9-13). God has given us the gift of eternal life in His Son. When we put our faith in Christ and receive Him, Christ comes into our lives. Because we have the Son, we have life. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). We can count on God’s Word. 

2. The Certainty Of Answered Prayer. “And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him” (1 John 5:14-15). The direct access we have to God the Father, the right and privilege we have received from Him as His children, gives us the confidence to approach Him any time without the aid of intermediaries. Although He is involved in universal affairs, no time is untimely and no care is too trivial for God not to incline His ears to each and every child of His. Do we have prayers that don’t seem to reach heaven? Perhaps, we need to ask ourselves whether we have any of the hindrances to prayer:

• Unrighteousness/sin. “You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7). As another Bible verse says, the prayers of a righteous man avails much.
• Wrong motive. “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:3). Anything self-serving or not honoring and glorifying to God won’t meet His approval.
• Not praying at all. “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full” (John 16:24). God is not reluctant to bless us.  It is us who are hesitant to ask.

Otherwise, we simply need to persevere until something happens. The fact remains that we are not in the position to do all that we need to do or get what we want–neither do we have the power to do so. Nevertheless, we should not doubt that God hears and answers prayer. We just need to understand that God acts upon our requests in 3 different ways: Yes, No, and Wait. Sir William Temple injects the right attitude toward prayer: “God is perfect love and perfect wisdom. We do not pray in order to change His will, but to bring our wills into harmony with His.” His will is at all times unequivocally the best for us. When we embrace God’s will, we allow His perfect plan to unfold before our eyes. Ruth Graham Bell concedes: “God has not always answered my prayers. If he had, I would have married the wrong man several times!”

3. The Certainty Of Victory. “We know that no one who is born of God sins; but He who was born of God keeps him and the evil one does not touch him. We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:18-19). The world is under the (limited) power of Satan, thus the spiritual blindness and presence of sin, but we don’t have to feel trapped, for we have been redeemed and liberated from his clutches to God’s dominion. From sons of disobedience, we have become sons of God, having a thirst for righteousness and a holy desire to follow Him in obedience. The struggle inside us, the tug-of-war between the flesh and the Spirit, proves the presence of Christ in us. So no matter how fierce and long-drawn-out the battle is, we can celebrate and appropriate Christ’s victory. “Little children, you are from GOD and have overcome them; Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Satan is like a roaring lion, but he is in a cage. Being born of God, we have a hedge of protection. However, we are seduced to get near the cage, and before we know it, we are bitten and enslaved by Satan. In the movie “Lord of the Rings,” the character Gollum was enchanted by the magical and evil One Ring, a symbol of what the world has to offer. When he wore the Ring on his finger, he eventually was destroyed by it, corrupted from the inside out. We have to be careful, therefore, to walk the straight and narrow path and stay away from sin. The greatest sin we can probably commit is to reject the offer of reconciliation from God through His Son, Jesus Christ. In humility, we need to come to God, acknowledging that we are weak and are in need of His help. “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy” (Jude 24).

“And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, in order that we might know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20). Just as a man jumps from an airplane and clings to a parachute to keep him from falling, we, too, must make that leap of faith and trust in Jesus alone to save us. Some of us may have made that decision, but we let problems and feelings get the better of us.  Through the rough and tumble of life’s journey, we just need to rest in God’s love, power and faithfulness, and enjoy the ride and the view. In Christ, we can be sure that everything’s going to be okay.

“He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ And Simon Peter answered and said, ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (Matthew 16:15-16). “He found first his own brother Simon, and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’” (which translated means Christ)  (John 1:41). “…but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). Are we absolutely convinced that we can stake our life believing that Jesus is the Christ and tell others about it like Andrew did? Based on the Scripture passage from 1 John 5:1-5, the evidence of faith are:

1. LOVE. “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments” (1 John 5:1-2). How can we love those who hit us where it hurts, trample upon our rights and pierce our hearts?  “…as He is, so also are we…” (1 John 4:17).  As Christ loves, so should we. “We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Just as children learn love by seeing their parents demonstrate it, God taught us how to love by loving us first. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). As sinners guilty of violating God’s laws, we deserve justice. But because of His mercy, He did not give us what we deserve, but fully forgave us and meted out the punishment–not on us, but on His Son. His unconditional love, given flesh through Jesus Christ, reconciled us to the Father. “Because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12). Because of His grace, He has given us what we don’t deserve – salvation and eternal life.

Love is at work when we choose to forgive those who have wronged us, not from a distance, but through personal, restorative moves. We are to love our brethren, not for what they say, do or give, but for who they are: children of God.

2. OBEDIENCE. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). Giving thanks and praise to God are pleasing to God, but nothing delights Him more than our obedience. "Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22). “Christ’s love compels us” (2 Cor. 5:14) toward obedience. There are two things we need to remember about obedience:

a. Our obedience is the best expression of our love for God. On account of what Jesus Christ has done by His death on the cross, and if we truly believe that He did it for you and me, we become children of God. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). Because God’s love freed us from guilt for our sins against Him and made us heirs of His kingdom, these should create in us a heart of love for Him. If there are five human languages of love (touch, time, task, talk, and treasure) God has one that He appreciates the most: obedience.

b. Our obedience is motivated by our love for God. For some, rewards serve as their incentive to obey. Others obey for fear of the Lord’s discipline. However, our real motivation for obedience should be love for God. As God loves a cheerful giver, so also God loves a cheerful follower. He wants us to follow His commands, not grudgingly, not reluctantly, but gladly. We struggle to be obedient to God even in ordinary times, but how much harder can it get when troubles come rushing in like a flood. Yet this psalmist declares: “I delight to do Thy will, O my God; Thy Law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8). “Trouble and anguish have come upon me; Yet Thy commandments are my delight” (Psalm 119:143). Can we do the same?

3. VICTORY. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world” (1 John 5:4). We Christians are soldiers in a spiritual battle. Satan and this world are viciously against us and we have our old sinful nature to contend with as well. These should keep us standing firm:

a. To overcome is expected of all believers. This is not something exclusive to the elite or the leaders of the church. Regardless of our age, status or spiritual level, we have two options: to be a victim or to be a victor.

Eric Henry Liddell, whose life was immortalized in the film “Chariots of Fire,” refused to compete in the Olympic Games on a Sunday, a day which he held sacred, despite pressure from the Prince of Wales. It was his chance to have a shot at the gold for the 100-meter race, his best event. A week later, he joined the 400-meter race, and amazingly broke the record to win his first gold medal in the 1924 Paris Olympics. He later served as a missionary to China.

Teri Tolosa, a CCF member who was active in several ministries, received complete healing and rest when she went home to the Lord a few days ago after battling with cancer. She underwent harrowing medical treatments and procedures, suffered so much pain, and was sustained financially only by the benevolence of kind donors. Yet as those close to her testify, she never once complained, but in her condition still managed to sing praises to God. She is a true overcomer. How about us, are we victims or victors? Have we learned to trust God, and are, therefore, able to rise above our circumstances? 

b. We overcome only by faith in Christ who is in us. No matter who we are or what our situation is, it is our faith in Jesus that makes us conquerors. “…and this is the victory that has overcome the world– our faith. And who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:4b-5)? Fiery darts get thrown our way. Temptations are sometimes too many to fend off. Pressures, trials and tests may close in on all sides. It is only natural to be battle-scarred and weary. To be wounded is normal, but we don’t have to be defeated. Christ Himself was wounded, but He overcame and won the victory. “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

The challenge for us is not to give up, and not to give in to the world and Satan’s wiles and schemes to discourage or depress us. God’s Word should encourage and comfort us: “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary” (Isaiah 40:31).    

Who is Jesus to you? Is He your personal Messiah? If He is what you say He is, is there proof of that faith in your life?

Every day, we are faced with matters and situations that require decisions. For sure we’ve made some really good ones and perhaps we’ve also made bad ones we wished we never made. Personal convictions are established by what we believe and are crucial in decision-making.

Sound doctrine should be the solid foundation on which our decisions are based. It is highly important, therefore, that we submit to the authority of the Bible. It’s so easy to be swayed by false doctrine taught by false teachers. 1John 4:1 urges us to be discerning: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” The following are some ways to help us determine whether what we hear or read is really from God:

1. See if the teachings match God’s truth in the Bible. An example to follow is what the Berean believers did. In Acts 17:11: “Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.” If the teachings are not in sync with the Bible, then do not believe them.

2. Check the following to determine wether they are true or false prophets:

• Their commitment to the body of believers. Do they belong to a church or a group to which they are spiritually accountable? 
• Their lifestyle. Are they leading godly lives? Are their families in order? Do they practice what they preach?
• The fruit of their ministry. Are lives blessed and transformed as they minister to others? Do people turn to God as a result? If people are pulled away from God, then they really are against God.

3. Verify what they believe about Jesus Christ. “…and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world” (1 John 4:3). This should unmask the wolves that come in sheep’s clothing peddling errors that throw many into confusion. Unless we’re grounded on the truth, we can step right into their snares. Jesus Christ is the Creator and not a created being as those who try to diminish His deity would say. During the time of creation, He was with God. He is 100% God and 100% man; not half-God, half-man. Though He became man, He was absolutely sinless.  Jesus is THE ONLY WAY to the Father, and therefore the only Mediator between God and man. Being so, He is the only Savior of man. As the Son of God, He was not merely adopted by God as His Son after His baptism. Being equal with God, He is not of any lesser rank or power and might than God. Jesus Christ - the Way, the Truth and the Life, is also Love. True believers of Christ will not only follow Him in truth, but also in love. 

Love is not something to be defined; it is a decision. The decision to love or not confronts us as we relate with people everyday. We can choose to love without the benefit of emotions. Our love is to be:

a. Agape. “Agape” may sound Greek, and it is, but it should not intimidate us. For it is this love, sacrificial and unconditional, that has drawn us, even in our unlovely, sinful state into God’s embrace. Christ, the sinless One, took upon Himself the punishment for our sins on the Cross. Dying to self, giving up our rights in favor of another is to love like Christ. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:7-11).

Pearls are gems of beauty, but how they are formed should make us appreciate them more. Irritants such as parasites intrude into the oyster’s shell and chafe the oyster. It is this irritation that causes the oyster to secrete enzymes to protect itself. The enzymes coat the irritant in a film, which in time, forms into a mass that we know as the pearl.

When people make life difficult for us, agape love should lead us to prayer to persevere to love. Are we willing to sacrifice our time, comfort, and feelings to love those who are irritating, annoying, infuriating, and aggravating, and accept their idiosyncrasies? 

b. Abiding. This is a picture of being connected and remaining connected to the Source of love. Wherever God takes us, we go. Whatever we do, we do with God. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). On our own, we cannot produce agape love, but with God, we can. When we receive Christ, He, the God of love, takes up residence in our hearts and comes to abide in our lives through His Spirit. “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Galatians 5:22).

While God does His abiding part, we have our abiding part to do. When we diligently get into the spiritual disciplines of prayer, quiet time, Bible study/reading, fellowship, accountability, discipleship, worship, and obeying His will, we are taking our part seriously. A graphic way to prove this point is through a magnet. God’s agape love draws us to Him, and when we stick close to Him, we gradually transform into His image, just as a piece of metal becomes magnetized when it comes into contact with a magnet. In due time, His agape love, as part of the fruit of the Spirit, begins to grow in us, and this gets absorbed by the people around us. Our love for others is the manifest presence of God in our lives. The love of God that draws us to Him is the same love that will draw others to us, which ultimately attracts others to Christ like a magnet. “No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4:12-16).

c. Active. Love is not love until it is given away. For us to love, it has to be in the active mode. What words can we say, and what act can we perform to express love outwardly? How can we show more importance to other people than ourselves, and look after the interests of others rather than our own? 

What could help to change our aversion towards an obnoxious individual is to see the person with the eyes of Christ. Could it be that a person is proud because he/she had been rejected in the past, and he/she has put up a protective barrier? Could it be that the irresponsible employee is simply longing for attention, which his/her family deprived him/her of? Could someone’s resistance to the Gospel be because he/she has suffered a great loss and is blaming God? Only love can break down defensive walls and melt hearts of stone.

If love were to be defined, it’s a decision to make sacrifices in order to seek the good of the other person, all because we know and have received the agape love of God in our lives. “We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also” (1 John 4:19-21). For love to prosper, we have to move from definition to decision. And from the point of decision, love has to be set into motion to make a difference in a person’s life until it creates the kinetic energy to make the world revolve in the spirit of love. The decision to love is an acknowledgment that life is not about us, but about living for God. Have we made the decision to love with an agape, abiding and active love?

Loving nice people is easy. But loving imperfect people? We all have a lot to learn in this department. As one quotation from Epictetus reads: “It is impossible for a man to learn when he thinks he knows already.”

The test of loving God is love for one another. “For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another” (1 John 3:11). Loving God is not an option. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). We love because God first loved us, and if we do not experience the love of God, we cannot love others. “We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:19-20). The need to love one another comes from the realization that love begins from God. “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:8).

Christianity doesn’t have to be complicated, as some of us make it. 1 John 3:23 makes it very simple for us: believe in the name of Jesus, and love one another. Faith, love and obedience are an inseparable trio. If we believe in Jesus, we will love God. Because of love for God, we will obey Him. And we will obey Him by loving others, because that is His command. “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:14-15). Salvation bears the fruit of love. Love gives us the security of salvation.

If we are able to love one another, then we won’t have to worry about the whole law. For this, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:9-10).

Love, therefore, is paramount. When we give love, we have a lot more to gain. The benefits derived out of loving are tremendous.

1. Love Protects. When we uphold the interests, the welfare and the good of others above our own, that is love. The brothers, Cain and Abel are examples of what love is not and what love is. Cain gave to the Lord only what was expedient, and only out of obligation. Abel’s love for the Lord caused him to give God due worship with all the best he could give. Abel’s offering became a fragrant aroma to God; he, thus, found favor in God’s sight. Cain, on the contrary, did not please God. If Cain truly loved God and his brother, Cain would have been happy for Abel. But Cain became so bitter with envy that he slew his brother (See 1 John 3:12; Genesis 4:3-8). 

When we do not love, we are vulnerable to the sin of envy, which is discontent or uneasiness at the sight of another’s excellence or good fortune, accompanied with some degree of hatred and a desire to possess equal advantage. We are not happy for others who succeed but wish we were in their place, that sometimes we go to the extent of stepping on the person’s toes to get to where he/she is, or doing some other irrational act. With love, however, we rejoice and celebrate with others when they succeed and prosper. When they go through bad times, we will commiserate with them instead of gloating over their misfortune.

Those who walk in an upright manner shouldn’t be surprised if the world hates them (See 1 John 3:13). The righteousness of others exposes our own moral bankruptcy. But when we invest in love, hatred goes bankrupt. Hatred poisons, but love heals, builds up, and protects. 

Love will keep singles from engaging in premarital sex because with love, they will want to protect each other’s purity.  Love will make a spouse stay away from adultery in order to protect the emotional well-being of his/her mate, and at the same time to protect the unity of the family, and to protect the name of God.      

2. Love Propels. A young boy selling newspapers in Chicago was caught in a blizzard one day. He would die in the freezing cold if he slept in his usual corner in the park. Knocking at the door of a house, a nice lady let him in and took care of him. The fireplace kept him warm. A wonderful dinner, the first real meal he ever had, was prepared for him and satisfied his hunger. A nice, warm shower, the first real bath he ever took, made him smell and feel clean. As he was tucked into bed, he felt comfortable and secure for the first time. Because someone cared enough, the boy came to know what John 3:16 is all about. The Gospel is likewise effectively preached when we witness to others in love. Words are cheap, so love should be expressed outwardly through action. “But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (1John 3:17-18). 

Love also means speaking the truth. People want to hear only what’s pleasing to the ears, but our love for a neighbor who has gone wayward will make us speak the truth even if it hurts, so the other person can learn and be set right. 

No greater power than God’s love will stimulate us to love Him, worship Him and serve Him. Great love for God will be stronger than any temptation and will make us victorious overcomers of sin. Love, not will power, will propel us to take the path of righteousness and obedience to God. 

3. Love Preserves. Albert Speer, a Nazi war criminal, admitted his guilt, and was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, but still did not have peace after serving his prison term. That’s because he never heard about the love of God in His Son, Jesus Christ, through whom there is forgiveness of sins. According to H.C. Trumbull: “Conscience tells us what we ought to do right, but it does not tell us what right is – that we are taught by God’s Word.” Our conscience may have been numbed, or it can be oversensitive, so we need enlightenment from the Word of God. Many of us have a problem forgiving ourselves because we have never understood the love of God. God’s love is unconditional, based on the finished work of Christ on the cross, not on who we are or what we have done. Receiving His love gives us confidence before God (See 1 John 3:21-22). 

Either we love or we hate. There is no middle ground. If we Christians have no love for one another, how can we impact the world? Our love for one another should be contagious that the whole world will catch it.

God showed His love by sending His only beloved Son into the world to redeem us from sin. Jesus’ act of love for us was His sacrifice on the Cross. In response, what will we give or do to demonstrate our love for God and others?