Hope

Hope – To expect, Confide, Trust, One that gives promise for the future.

What would life be like without hope? What if we had no one to whom we could trust, or confide in? How does it feel when you expect some one to do something for you and they don’t do it? I know finding a person that could become that kind of friend is very, very difficult. We all have friends to whom we say, "That’s my best friend", but in reality, are they really your best friend. If they are, then you should be able to tell them anything without it coming back to haunt you, you should be able to confide in them completely, which would allow you to totally trust them. And if you are expecting them to do something or come through in some way then you should be able to rely on them 100%.

Before coming to Jesus, when I was living in the flesh, I really can’t say that I ever had a friend that I could say that I could trust, 100%, without any doubt. I had several friends, and some I even referred to as best friends, but the truth of the matter was, whenever I was in trouble my so-called friends were all the sudden gone. I never had a real friend back in those days. As a matter of fact it felt pretty lonely for the most part. I did have my wife but, living in the drug world like we did really brought about a lot of insecurities, which brought about trust issues. Life can be very hopeless when you don’t have any one in which you can trust. A person needs to have someone they can talk with, that they can confide in. For me this wasn’t possible. The drugs kept me at a distance from everyone in my life.

I’m sure there are those, who have had people in their life that they have been able to trust, and that’s great. I feel that everyone needs to have someone. I know that when I was little I used to be afraid of death. I was afraid of a lot of things. I just didn’t feel real secure in life. My parents were awesome and provided a very good life for me, but I just didn’t feel safe. Something was missing and I had no idea what it was. There are many reasons that I could use as to the reasons that I started using drugs, but this probably has a lot to do with it. My life was without hope, and it became even more hopeless the more drugs I did.

I went to prison back in 85 and that’s where for the first time in my life I had found hope. It was in Jesus. And I walked the Christian life for a couple of years, but I didn’t put my complete focus on the Lord. Being a baby Christian I put my focus on man, and to keep a long story short, man let me down and it wasn’t long and I went back to what I thought would at least hide the pain. I went for several years doing drugs and in Sept. 02, I gave my life back to the Lord. But this time I was going to keep my focus on the Lord and not on man.

Jesus gave me hope. I now know that I have a best friend. I now have someone I can tell anything, someone I can totally confide in, someone I can trust; someone that I expect will come through with His promises, someone who has given me hope for the future. I am not afraid of death, because I know that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved, (Romans 10:13). I have become a born-again Christian, by repenting of my sins and confessing myself as a sinner and asking Jesus to come into my life and teach me to walk a life worthy of repentance. A person has to be sincere when they come before the Lord. The Lord knows our heart and knows whether or not we’re serious.

1 Peter 1:3, 4 – 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, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. When it’s all done and said and I stand before the Lord I know that I have eternal life in me, because when Jesus died on the cross He paid the price for my sins. It is His gift of mercy toward mankind. So, because of my faith in Jesus death and resurrection, I know that I will receive an inheritance of incorruptible and undefiled life which will last forever in His heavenly kingdom. What is faith – Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen, (Hebrews 11:1). Of course, with the hope that Jesus offers each and everyone of us comes responsibility. We have to be responsible with the gift of grace and mercy that He gave to all of us. The blood of Jesus Christ set us free from sin and we shouldn't cheapen it by continuing to live a life full of sin. We should repent from our sins and praise the Lord for the hope of eternal life in Him.

God bless, Kevin