Hope In the Lord
Psalm 146:5 “Happy are the youth whose hope is in the Lord.”
Hope is faith is action. Hope is what gets you through the night when darkness closes in on you. Hope is the belief that you are not permanently in the dark and boxed in with no way out.
As you graduate and go to the next chapter in your life, I encourage you to hope in the Lord. God has a plan for your life. His plan is to give you hope. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” ‘declares the Lord,’ “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Surrendering to God’s will gives you hope.
You might ask, “How can I know God’s will?” “I have to know His will before I can surrender to it.” God reveals His will to you as you walk with Him in obedience day by day. God does not reveal His will for most people with a giant rainbow flash in the sky with letters in rainbow letters. For most people God reveals His will step by step.
The key to finding God’s will is to surrender your life to serve the Lord. Your tomorrows are wrapped up in complete surrender to the Lord. James 4:13-15, “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”
Sometimes God guides us in ways that at first we’re not too happy about. During my High School years and first two years of college I had a great interest in Chemistry. My goal was to become a Chemistry teacher or research chemist. During the summer between my first and second year of college I began to sense God’s call to full time Christian Service as a minister or missionary. But all during that second year of college I kept putting the call to the back of my mind. I thought of all kinds of reasons why I shouldn’t become a minister of the Gospel.
Finally during that following summer I surrendered to God’s will. I was driving a “Gleaner” Combine cutting wheat. As we traveled cutting wheat in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Wyoming and Montana God kept reminding me of His call in a Scripture passage where Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Luke 10:2
I came to the decision that I would rather be in the center of God’s will than to risk doing anything else and being out of God’s will.
I encourage you to surrender to God’s will. Give your future to God. Live one day at a time and daily surrender your life to the Lord. Your have this promise: Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.”
If you are in the will of God, then nothing else matters. If you are in the will of God, then whatever else happens to you does matter to God. And God is your refuge and strength.
God will never direct you into any kind of work that is contrary to the Word of God. Determine to be a student of God’s Word the rest of your life. 2 Timothy 2:15, “Work hard so God can approve you. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”
A few years ago a survey was made of Americans and their beliefs about the Bible.
82% of the Americans surveyed believe that the Bible teaches: “God helps those who help themselves.” That saying does not appear any place in the Bible.
38% believe that it doesn’t matter what religious faith you follow because they all teach the same lessons. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
44% believe that al people will experience the same outcome after death, regardless of their religious belief and lifestyle. The Apostle John wrote: “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” I John 5:11-13
58% believe that the Bible is not totally accurate I all that it teaches. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Peter 1:20-21, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s won interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
60% believe that Satan is not a living being but just a symbol of evil. Jesus told of being tempted by Satan in the desert. The Bible speaks of Satan being Lucifer a fallen Archangel that was cast out of heaven. Satan’s one mission is to keep people from turning to the one True God Creator of the Universe.
55% believe that if a person is generally good or does enough good things for others during their life, they will earn a place in heaven. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God—Not by works, so that no one can boast.”
44% believe that when Jesus lived on earth he committed sins. The Apostle Peter who served Jesus for over three years and observed his life and ministry wrote: “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” I Peter 2:22
Following God’s will is an adventure. Serving the Lord does not mean a pain free life. Following God’s will does mean a life filled with joy and hope.
My prayer for each of your young people is that you will make choices to honor the Lord in your life. If you make choices to honor the Lord you will live a life of no regrets. The best time to start doing God’s will is now.
Living a Life of Integrity Gives Your Hope.
If you choose to live a life of honesty and integrity you make decisions to say “No” to anything that dishonors the Lord. Let Titus 2:11-12 be a guide for your life: “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.”
Determine to live a life of integrity and purity. Save yourself for the person you marry and build a life-long trust in your relationships. Remember that character counts with the Lord.
When you live a life of integrity you live a life without compromise. As a Christ follower you choose to not conform to the standards of this world. You may not be popular, but you will have the peace of God in your heart. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2
Daniel as a teenager lived a life of integrity without compromise. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded Jerusalem and occupied the territory of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar took captives from Jerusalem and among the hostages were Daniel and his three friends. Daniel and his three friends were forced to travel 1,500 miles to Babylon.
Daniel and his three friends were forced to learn the language and culture of the Babylonians, but they never turned from their Lord God Creator of the Universe. They refused to worship the gods of the Babylonians. Daniel 1:8, “But Daniel along with his three friends, resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine and Daniel asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.” Regardless of the cost Daniel and his three Hebrew friends were not going to defile themselves by eating any food dedicated to false gods.
It takes courage to live for Jesus. Cowards don’t last long on the walk of faith following Jesus. It takes courage to live a clean moral life when surrounded by immorality. It takes courage to take a stand for Jesus when friends accuse you of being old fashioned, strange, and a religious fanatic.
Remember when you stand before Jesus you will not be judged by what others think or say. You will be judged according to the choices you have made to either receive Jesus as Lord or reject Him and live for others gods.
Remember the choices you make have long-term consequences. God created every person with the gift of making choices. You have the ability to put your will above God’s will.
Remember the promise of Psalm 146:5, “Happy are the youth whose Hope is in the Lord.”
God’s plan is to give you hope. Jeremiah 29:11
As you go to the next chapter of your life you have the promise that Jesus will go with you, He will never leave you or forsake you. Put your hope is in the Lord.
