Along the trail we recall living events, stories, people and staged/filmed drama often impact us in powerful ways beyond normal. I know I have had more than my share along the way. Seeing that I am and have been a Baptist preacher for my entire adult life, some of the people or their stories that have impacted me personally seem to surprise at least some of my friends. However, whatever the particular understanding a person may have, they often come off with an event or events that boggle my rather small mind.
Once such incident is the scene between Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan at the well. If you have not read it, or seen it on film or in a play, you have missed one of the most electrifying moments in history. So, with such a scene, I move to a statement by Helen Keller:
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope.”
Hope Incarnate, Jesus Christ, plainly stated, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5.
Hope is clearly defined from the biblical perspective as trusting that God is for us, therefore who or what can be against us. Paul made this clear in Romans 8:31.
Often a dream or project begins with only the kernel of a shaped idea, but we go into action and as we do the kernel takes on more form and we are encouraged, (filled with hope concerning the ultimate outcome) and proceed. Often the belief in what we are attempting, demands that we press on against all human hope and trust the outcome to the Lord.
Luke wrote in Acts 27:20-21 in part, concerning the storm and ultimately the ship wreck, “all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. 21 but…
In spite of an apparently hopeless situation Paul encouraged the shipmates and against all hope trusted the Lord and the rest is history. Captain Sullenberger did the same thing when all reasonable hope was lost, he safely landed Flight 1549 into the ice cold Hudson River.
In the early days of my walk as a Christian I was assured by many that I could never become a preacher of the Gospel. To make this even stronger, more than one influential preacher assured me they “would see to it!” Well fifty-four years have flown by and God has been good to this poor specimen of a pastor. God is good! Most of my life span has been marked by things that were at first impossible, but became reality. Doctors, bless their well-meaning hearts, assured Joyce and me that we could never have children. Well, our kids are grown to middle age and more and serve Jesus Christ as well as having produced a basket full of deplorable grand/great grandchildren!
Like I said, God is Gooood. Nothing can be done without hope. With God all things are possible.
Copyright © 2016 Larry Lilly
Award Winning IT by Oral Deckard
Comments appreciated and likes to facebook also help out a lot.
larrylilly@larrylilly.net
Once such incident is the scene between Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan at the well. If you have not read it, or seen it on film or in a play, you have missed one of the most electrifying moments in history. So, with such a scene, I move to a statement by Helen Keller:
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope.”
Hope Incarnate, Jesus Christ, plainly stated, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5.
Hope is clearly defined from the biblical perspective as trusting that God is for us, therefore who or what can be against us. Paul made this clear in Romans 8:31.
Often a dream or project begins with only the kernel of a shaped idea, but we go into action and as we do the kernel takes on more form and we are encouraged, (filled with hope concerning the ultimate outcome) and proceed. Often the belief in what we are attempting, demands that we press on against all human hope and trust the outcome to the Lord.
Luke wrote in Acts 27:20-21 in part, concerning the storm and ultimately the ship wreck, “all hope that we should be saved was then taken away. 21 but…
In spite of an apparently hopeless situation Paul encouraged the shipmates and against all hope trusted the Lord and the rest is history. Captain Sullenberger did the same thing when all reasonable hope was lost, he safely landed Flight 1549 into the ice cold Hudson River.
In the early days of my walk as a Christian I was assured by many that I could never become a preacher of the Gospel. To make this even stronger, more than one influential preacher assured me they “would see to it!” Well fifty-four years have flown by and God has been good to this poor specimen of a pastor. God is good! Most of my life span has been marked by things that were at first impossible, but became reality. Doctors, bless their well-meaning hearts, assured Joyce and me that we could never have children. Well, our kids are grown to middle age and more and serve Jesus Christ as well as having produced a basket full of deplorable grand/great grandchildren!
Like I said, God is Gooood. Nothing can be done without hope. With God all things are possible.
Copyright © 2016 Larry Lilly
Award Winning IT by Oral Deckard
Comments appreciated and likes to facebook also help out a lot.
larrylilly@larrylilly.net
RSS Feed