Today you will be confronted with a number of decisions, a number of choices. Some big, others small. When you were getting dressed this morning you decided what to wear. For breakfast, is it cornflakes with low fat milk and fruit, or a less healthy option, a day-old donut and an energy drink on the way to school or work? Throughout the day you will need to decide which tasks to do today and which to postpone until another day. While those are often important decisions, they are also sometimes done without too much thought, many with little or no impact on your future. There is great power in your choices.

Other decisions though, are not quite as easy, and the choices we make quite possibly will have long-term consequences, sometimes being a choice between right and wrong, good and evil, justice and injustice. Not only does choosing right over wrong, good over evil, justice over injustice please God, it also almost always comes at a cost. It might cost you your job, it might cost you a friendship, it might cost you money, it might cost you in status, it might cost you that big new client, it might cost you that promotion you’ve been seeking,  or it might not be any of those things, but whatever it is, it will likely come at a cost. Let’s be honest though, in the long run, not doing the right thing ultimately ends up costing you more. You’ve heard the saying: the cover up is usually worse than the crime.

So, this might be good time to ask – regardless of the “importance” of the decisions you face, are you first seeking God’s wisdom and counsel before making those decisions? Read Proverbs 3:1-2, 5-6, 13-18; James 1:5.

But regardless the cost, we must always do what is right, not right in the eyes of the world, but rather, what is right in the eyes of God. We read this in Psalm 34:14 – “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” This next verse makes it even more clear how God views knowing what to do but failing to do it – “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17).

The apostle Paul, in speaking to his younger colleague Timothy about choosing good (things of God) over evil (things of the world), says this – “But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness” Notice this verse seems to imply that it is not enough to simply flee from evil, but that we must then follow after what is contrary to that from which we flee.

I recently saw this quote: “Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same thing.”

So often the greatest power we have in life are our choices. Today, I ask you, and I ask myself – How are you using that power? Are you pursuing God over culture, godliness over popularity, right over wrong, good over evil, justice over injustice? When you stand at the decision-making crossroads, which path will you choose?

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Have you watched any television lately? If so, you know that the commercials bombard us with the notion that our value in society, and level of happiness in life, comes from the amount of stuff we accumulate. It is not just how much we can accumulate; we are also told by advertisers that certain brand names (their brand of course!) of products imply success and happiness. If you don’t like the way you look, no problem, there is probably a pill, cream or surgery that will “restore your youthful beauty and vigor.” And no matter what it is that you are being seduced into buying, if you don’t have the money, no problem either, financing is available. 

Our culture puts an excessively high value on style over substance. Outwardly many of us “look good” in the eyes of the world, but inside we do not look or feel so good. We have accumulated many things but when we put our heads on our pillow at night, we still feel a sense of emptiness.

You likely at some point owned a pair of Chuck Taylor All-Stars, those high-topped canvas athletic shoes made by Converse. These shoes are named after Charles Hollis “Chuck” Taylor, a semi-professional basketball player, who in the early 1920s joined the Converse Corporation to promote the new “Converse All Star” basketball shoe that offered more flexibility and ankle support than other shoes on the market. And in 1932, his name was added to the ankle patch, and thus, the iconic shoe was born.

Unlike most other athletic footwear, “Chucks,” as they are called, have a thick rubber sole and ankle covering canvas, intended to provide comfort, flexibility, and support. These shoes gained popularity because of how they fit (substance) and not because of how they looked (style). You can still find “Chucks” at most shoe retailers, but most often these days they worn, in a wide variety of colors, as fashion statements, rather than for increased flexibility and support. Today, in so many things, we are more concerned about style than we are substance, perception rather than reality. 

God, on the other hand, chooses substance over style. While the world looks at the outside of people, He cares about what is inside: who we are becoming. A story in the Old Testament gives us this insight. When God was choosing the next king to replace Saul, He asked the prophet Samuel to assist in choosing one of Jesse’s sons to be the next king. God said that He would show Samuel which son to anoint. The story tells us that the oldest seven of Jesse’s sons paraded in front of Samuel; these were big strong and muscular young men, but God did not choose any of them. Finally, the youngest son, a scrawny little shepherd boy named David, came before Samuel and God said to Samuel, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one” (1 Samuel 16:12).

Now why would God choose the little kid over the big tall and muscular brothers? In 1 Samuel 16:7, God gives us the answer – “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” God looks at our character over our appearance. He looks at our substance over our style.  

What is on the inside matters more than what is on the outside. In God’s economy, opposite of the culture’s economy, it is substance over style. So, I ask you this – Are you committed to the things that God values or to things that the world values?

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Yesterday I wrote about hope springs eternal. Click here to read that blog post. Today, another dose of “hopeful” writing.

Have the last three years living under the strain of a pandemic deposited despair into your soul? Does the current humanitarian crisis in Ukraine bring despondency to your heart? Has a current health or financial issue gotten you feeling disheartened? Do the walls of the deep pit you find yourself in seem just too high to climb? Maybe you feel like a ship in the middle of the ocean, with no motor and no anchor, simply drifting at the mercy of the wind and waves?

Are you feeling hopeless today? You know, that feeling you have that makes it seem like tomorrow will be no better than today. Or maybe you If we are honest, we all feel some level of anxiousness, disquiet, and uneasiness. Let’s look at two verses in Scripture that I hope will bring a sense of calm, quietness, and peace to you and to me – “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” Hebrews 6:19-20

Those verses say two things – First, like an anchor holds a ship from drifting away, your hope found in Jesus keeps you safe, He is a steadying anchor in the whole of life. And second, the inner sanctuary language in these verses takes us back to the tabernacle in the Old Testament, where a curtain separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place; that very place where God resided, but the people were not allowed to enter it, only the high priest was allowed to enter on behalf of the people. When Jesus died on the cross that curtain was torn in two (see Matthew 27:51), and we now have personal access to God, no longer needing someone to enter on our behalf.

So, what is the takeaway from these two verses? – Your hope is in Jesus and that hope does not depend upon what you can see or feel (or not see or not feel), but rather, your hope reaches into the very presence of God! And with Jesus, there is ALWAYS hope, even when the situation around us looks hopeless! In Him, you have an anchor for your soul.      

I end with these words – “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth” (Psalm 145:18).

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In South Central Pennsylvania, this time of year is often cruel. For several days earlier this week, we had temperatures in the 70s. I sat outside in shorts and a t-shirt. Today we will only see a high in the mid-forties, and, tomorrow, the forecast is for 1-3 inches of snow. Spring like weather is beginning to replace the winter blues, but not quite. In Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Man, he writes this, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast.”

For high schools and colleges, spring sports have begun. College basketball’s annual championship tournament March Madness is right around the corner with every team dreaming of cutting down the nets. The perennial flowers are beginning to come up. Canadian geese have returned to the pond behind our house and the golf course we live on is open. The lawn and garden stores are fully stocked with mulch, compost, topsoil, garden tools, and everything needed for spring planting. We “spring forward” this weekend, giving us longer daylight. Pandemic restrictions continue to be eased up. Hope springs eternal.

While hope does spring eternal, it is impossible to avoid the challenges of life, many of which do really cause tremendous pain and suffering. We can strive to live wisely to try to avoid some of the pain, some of the suffering, but even doing so is no guarantee that beautiful spring weather will always be in your daily forecast. A warm sunny day is often quickly forgotten when  the ground is blanketed with snow. Life is not fair. Life can be cruel. Hopeful can turn to hopeless in the blink of an eye.

If we put our complete hope and trust in the people and world around us, we will be disappointed. We are called to have hope eternal in the promises of God. While the world that spins around us constantly changes, sometime for the better, other times for the worse, we have a God, the very One who created the universe, who never changes. He is always trustworthy, always reliable, always faithful. Psalm 119:89-90 tells us that “Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations: you have established the earth, and it stands fast.”

Scripture is full of “hope” verses. Here are just a few:

“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you” (Psalm 39:7).

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).  

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:29-31).  

And maybe, most hopeful of all, these words found in Revelation 21:4 about the return of Jesus, a new heaven and new earth – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

So, as your flowers begin to pop through the soil, bringing new beauty and hope with them, even if they get damaged by frost and never bloom, because of God, because of what Jesus did for you and me on the Cross, you can have hope – hope in the unchanging promises and unending love of God, hope for a better tomorrow, hope that one day all things will be made new. Is your trust, is your hope, in Jesus? Pray and ask Him for that kind of faith, for that kind of hope! Hope really does spring eternal.

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Have you ever been hiking and found yourself lost? Maybe you intentionally veered off the path, hoping to explore the deepest parts of the forest. And since you’ve been on this path many times before you are certain you can find your way back out without getting lost. Or it could be you thought you were following the intended path, only to realize you somehow got off that path and now you find yourself far from where you want to be. You are in very unfamiliar territory.

In either situation, being lost, all alone, and off the marked path leads to worry, confusion and panic, maybe even hopelessness. Foolishly, you left your compass in the car. What’s that noise rustling in the leaves? Is that a bear I hear off in the distance? Oh no, this deep in the woods, no cell service! You begin trying to retrace your steps but soon realize that you’ve passed the same rock more than once. You seem to be getting nowhere fast and begin to wonder if you will get out safely.

As an experienced hiker you know it is ill-advised to hike alone and without your trusty compass, but since you’ve hiked these woods hundreds of times, you had confidence in your own instincts rather than rely on the navigational tools available to you. You are angry with yourself for being so foolish, however in this moment your only thoughts are on getting back out of the woods.

In life we sometimes find ourselves lost and off the chosen path. I’ve been there and so have you. That is just the reality of our sinful nature. Simply put, we strayed from God. It could be we willingly chose a different path, our own path, or it could be we somehow drifted there, little by little, almost unnoticed, until we find ourselves some place we don’t want to be.

The prophet Jeremiah gave instructions to the nation of Judah, who had strayed from the Lord to make their own way. These same instructions apply to you and to me today. Here is what we read in Jeremiah 6:16 – “Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.’”

So, right now, if you are lost or uncertain, rather than keep wandering, hoping to find daylight, stop right where you are, admit that you are lost. Repent (turn towards God), and trust Him, your good and trusty compass, to show you His way. It might not be the easiest way, but it will be the best way!

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Have you ever been so sure of something that you “bet your life on it,” only to soon thereafter find it not to be true? Has there ever been a time that you went from absolutely knowing something is true to only hoping it is so, even after being so sure? Do you struggle with doubts about Jesus amid difficult circumstances? Do you ever find yourself wondering if Jesus really is who He claims to be? If you said yes, you are not alone. We all do at one point or another.

John the Baptist, as he sat in prison, possibly for as long as a year, found himself doubting that very thing. John, the very one who told the crowd of the coming Messiah (Matthew 3:11), found himself questioning in that dark moment. John, the very one who after baptizing Jesus saw the heavens open and the Spirit of God descend and rest on Him, even after hearing a voice say, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17), found himself afflicted with doubt. John, the very one who said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29), as he sat in Herod’s prison, questioned whether Jesus was really who He claimed to be. Maybe he was wondering where Jesus was at this critical time of need? Had he possibly misunderstood the ministry of Jesus?

When the heat is on, when life gets tough, real tough, we often find ourselves experiencing deep darkness. Accusing thoughts flood our minds. Here is what we read in Matthew 11 – “When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’” (vv.2-3).

Maybe what John was really asking is, “Why, Jesus, aren’t you doing more?” That seems like a surprising question. John had been so sure that Jesus was the Christ, but now, sitting in that filthy prison, he seemed to be wondering, “What if I had been wrong?” Have you ever found yourself asking that same question?

In vv.4-6 we read how Jesus responded to that question, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me (shall not fall away in me, tripped up, doubt).”

In those three verses I believe Jesus was assuring John that He was in fact the Messiah and his ministry was being fulfilled, just as it had been prophesied in Isaiah 61, while also reminding John that blessed (literally, “happy”) is he who, despite irrefutable proof in the current circumstances, can cast all doubt aside and still have faith.

Yes, it is true that Jesus does not always answer when, or even how we desire, but He always answers our genuine and sincere questions. We are told in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that His grace is all we need; it is sufficient to overcome every obstacle, no matter how big, no matter how long, no matter how difficult.

In the midst of John’s doubt, Jesus sent a promise, a word of hope, a reminder that He is who is claims to be. Do you trust that He will do the same for you? Can you cast aside all doubt?

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