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An
Outreach Publication of the Church of Christ at
Creekwood |
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Hope Springs Eternal The English poet Alexander Pope wrote, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.” But where does man turn when the situation seems hopeless? The
director of a medical clinic told of a terminally ill
young man who came in for As the young man left, he stopped by the director’s desk and wept. “That man took away my hope,” he blurted out..... “I guess he did,” replied the director. “Maybe it’s time to find a NEW one.” Commenting on this incident, Lewis Smedes wrote, “Is there a hope when hope is taken away? Is there hope when the situation is hopeless? That question leads us to Christian hope, for in the Bible, hope is no longer a passion for the possible. It becomes a passion for the promise.” * About a month before he died, the famous atheist Jean-Paul Sartre declared that he so strongly resisted feelings of despair that he would say to himself, “I know I shall die in hope.” Then in profound sadness, he would add, “But hope needs a foundation.” ** Only
the Christian hope the TRUE, ETERNAL hope has a
rock-solid foundation.
That foundation is the Word of God.
God’s Word reveals that IN OUR SIN, there
is In Christ there is hope because Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins making our forgiveness available. We access that HOPE by believing in Him (Acts 16:30-31), repenting of our sins (Acts 17:30-31), confessing Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), being baptized (immersed) for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38), and then following Him faithfully (Revelation 2:10). The Apostle Peter reassured some suffering Christians when he wrote: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a "living hope" through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4). The
truth is, we are ALL "terminal
cases." Is
there ANY hope? Yes,
and it is found in Christ! David A. Sargent, Minister Church of Christ at Creekwood * Our Daily Bread, December 19, 1996; ** Our Daily Bread, April 17, 1995 To Subscribe to "Living Water" send a blank e-mail to:
HTML version: subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net Follow this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you: www.churchzip.com Archived issues of "Living Water" can be accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org
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