Get your hopes up!

I thought I’d catch up a little.  So many things are changing rapidly these days and all in the name of progress they say. The national railway company are now building a subterranean railway station as opposed to the supposedly outlived terminus station which has caused an ongoing protest in the city.  I guess as a result the old sign has now gone but I was very happy to see that it has been replaced with this one here:

It’s nice to see some things don’t outlive their purpose. So why is Jesus  your only hope?  I guess you could say the message is quite clear really.  If  you’ve managed to get through the last economic crisis without losing your job or your business then well done.   Its quite easy to feel complacent about most things though if you’re not on the receiving end.  The Lord teaches us not to put our hopes into perishable commodities or futile hopes like money, power or fame because they won’t save our souls.   So does that mean we can count ourselves ‘lucky’ if we’ve escaped relatively unscathed so far?  When Jesus lived he was  aware that our health was important to us but he always made it very clear that faith was the key and the only answer to your hopes.  After he had cured people of their ailments he always said it was only their faith that had helped them, nothing more.  What he meant was it wasn’t important if you were not physically healthy, more important was that you put your trust in God and were more  spiritually aware of your soul, and therefore healthier.

You can only have real hope in something that remains constant and lasting.  In the bible it states  “All flesh is as grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But the word of the Lord endures forever.” 1. Petr. 24-25.  So when everything perishes the only thing left is the Word and your Soul. That is why, in the long run, Jesus deine einzige Hoffnung ist, (Jesus is your only hope) and the only hope that will eventually end all the world’s suffering.

What really counts?

For many the end of the world came two days ago with the Tsunami in Japan. For me it was 32 years ago today when my Dad was killed in a plane crash.  A few things struck me then. For the first time I realized that I was totally alone in my sorrow as everyone else around me carried on as if nothing had happened. Could they not see? I think that it was that jolt of reality that made me realize that nothing is forever. We all want security, secure homes and secure lives and we work like fools to make it happen. We build and build as though we are going to live forever and totally miss the point of living.  If you are looking for the meaning of life then it could be that you won’t find it in bricks and mortar. Materialism will never replace Christian ideals. All wealth, glory and magnificence will sooner or later be made to surrender to nature. Sorry if the future sounds bleak. It doesn’t have to. So what is my point?  Well Imagine – This place is not here. Where will you be if tomorrow doesn’t come as planned?  If tomorrow doesn’t bring you all you had hoped and wished for and fails you totally.  Imagine what is beyond now and this exact point in time of your existence.  What will be left?  It’s only you and your soul.  Because I believe that is all that you really have.

So today I remember, honour and pray for my dad and all those who had no time to prepare for their tomorrows. Today I remember where I was 32 years ago, how I felt at that exact point in time, and realizing now that the only real thing that counts is putting your trust in God and being thankful for his grace. Spiritual knowledge is far more than worldly wisdom and skill.  This isn’t about gaining knowledge to serve our worldly well-being and self-absorbed ego. All that counts before God is learning how to become in tune with reality and the time you live in so you are able to cope with tomorrow.  So what counts for you?