Hope: It’s in you to give.

Hope

2021 is the year of hope. 

That’s what I’m calling it. That’s what I feel personally that it needs the most. 

It’s the year that is in need of hope, great hope. 

Jeremiah 29:11 say “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”

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The only way I’ve ever found to have hope, real hope, is to draw it from the source like water is drawn from a well. 

Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and earth. 

Have it, give it

I remember an old commercial about milk the tag line was “got milk” I still remember it so it was cleaver but not meaningful because I don’t recall what the message was. 

The message thousands of years old was clear and is remembered. “I have come to give you life in its fullness.” That was Jesus message, his message of hope and following the worst most hopeless year of a generation the message of hope has never been needed more then it is in 2021. 

But hope needs to be had to be given?

Got hope?

If I have hope I am responsible to give hope to those with less or none. 

It’s what Jesus did and if I say I follow him I must follow him in this. 

Need it, take it. 

Remember when we had pennies? 

Stores had these trays if you had an extra penny you leave it and if you needed one you could have one. 

Well if you need hope, take it. It’s available and it’s free. 

Jesus message continues with this promise. 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

We all need hope, we just don’t all know where to get it. 

Well I’ve got a bucket and I know where the well is so I’m just going around sharing so if you need some Hope stick around cuz 2021 is the year of hope and I’ve got a bucket full for whoever needs it. 

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H. Heaven 

Just having come out of the Christmas season the celebration of hope come down. 

Hope is heaven come. It’s from heaven and having it and giving it is like having and giving a piece of heaven.

The funny thing about it is that the story didn’t end there. 

Hope stayed and heaven is here to stay 

O. Orchestrating 

I can’t say that I fully comprehend the job of a conductor, you know the one with the stick that they wave at the band. 

But I get that they are directing or orchestrating the musicians so that the right group plays the right part at the right time. 

Jesus is the maestro when it comes to hope. 

And we are the orchestra. We each play a part and if we play our part when we are signaled then things go off with out a hitch. 

Hope holders need to play their part when signaled. There is no time to grand stand. 

In the words of pastor Rick Warren 

“It’s not about you”

But you get to be in the orchestra.  

P. Promise

Jesus is the ultimate promise keeper. 

There are a couple of promises that I love that give me hope. 

Seek me and you will find me. 

I will never abandon you or leave you. 

Jesus was a promise at one point and the hope he would bring now has come and we are promise keepers when we share the hope we have. 

My favorite promise is where I’m told there is a plan for my life a plan to give me a prosperous future with hope. 

What promises am I making and keeping? 

Are they giving hope to people? 

E. Encounters

Hope is like glue in a bottle till it encounters a hopeless situation. It’s great but it’s not doing anything. I don’t think you can really hold onto hope it’s to fluid it’s a gap filler. Gaps left by all sorts of things that are painful leading to hopelessness. 

Jesus said “I’m here inviting outsiders, not insiders...”

It’s not people who are healthy who need a doctor but those with an illness. 

The only thing needed to make hope real for it to encounter hopelessness. 

Back to the beginning of this week if you have it you gotta give it. If you need it it’s free for the taking. 

Hope it’s in you to give.