Tag: Jesus

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Leaving a Legacy of Hope

  I have been thinking a lot about legacy lately. My wife and I have been married for 20 years and have two amazing daughters. Our oldest just turned 15 and the reality of her impending adulthood hit me hard a few months ago. I remember when she was born, people would tell me over and over again, “It will go by fast!” At first, I though they were delusional. All those sleepless nights as an infant and then those restless days of chasing a toddler certainly seemed to drag on. But somewhere between losing her first tooth and getting her driver’s permit the world skipped a decade!

            Over the summer I had a chance to take her to Germany with our church. It dawned on me as we walked the streets of Heidelberg that my ancestors walked those very same steps along the Reine River over 200 years ago. My ancestors experienced religious and political oppression as they pastored the villages up and down the river. The persecution was so harsh that it forced my ancestors to immigrate to the United States where they settled in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and the Cumberland Gap in Kentucky. Generation after generation, the men in our family would pastor churches and farm. Even my great grandparents were founding supporters of Grace College in Winona Lake, IN in 1948.

            All of this reminiscing reminded me of the words found in Deuteronomy 6.5-7, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your should, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart. Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

            I cannot help but be grateful for the faithfulness of my family over the centuries as they have loved the LORD with all their hearts. As we returned home from Germany, it was impressed on mine that as a father, a husband, and as a Christian, I am also responsible to leave a legacy for the next generation. God has called all believers to be people of faith and hope. To live in way that brings glory to Him, in all things. To let our words proclaim life and our actions to align with the truth we profess.

            As you consider your own family and community, what are the ways you can instill a legacy of hope for the next generation? Does that look like being committed to your local church on a weekly basis? Does that sound like joyful and hope-filled conversations with your kids, grandkids, nieces, and nephews? How can you Love the LORD with all your heart?  How can you live for Jesus in such a way that impacts your family generations from now?

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Living Hope

Photo by Tim Gouw on Pexels.com

Hope is an interesting thing isn’t it. The Oxford dictionary defines hope as a feeling or expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Recently, my family and I were visiting my sister and brother-in-law in Minneapolis, MN and we attended a Major League Baseball game. This was the first professional sporting event my daughters (13 & 9) had ever attended. Our family plays soccer and golf, so trying to teach our girls about baseball on the fly was a sight to behold.

The game was close the entire time – neither team leading by more than one run. It was the bottom of the ninth inning and the home team, the Minnesota Twins, were down by one. The ballpark was a place filled with hope as the fans desperately wanted to see their team win.

There was one out and one runner on base. As the next batter walked up to the plate, I looked at my daughter and said, “If he hits a homerun right now, they will win, and the crowd will go wild!” 

First pitch. Hit! It went long to the left field and just out of bounds as it passed the yellow pole and over the fence. Foul ball. One strike.

Second pitch. Strike two!

I leaned over again and reminded her that a home run will win it all!

Third pitch. Bam! The ball came off the bat with a fiery fury that led no doubt that this game was over. The crowd began to cheer! Fans hugging and high fiving each other. Just for a moment, a band of strangers were united in the realization of their hope!

After the game was over, we stayed around for the fireworks and walked back to where we were staying. That moment has passed now and the hope we shared is over. It just a memory.

It was the Apostle Peter who coined the phrase “Living Hope.” He understood that Jesus not only brought the promise of eternal life for all who believe, Jesus also promises to be our Living Hope right now!

The great thing about Living Hope is that, unlike what we experienced at that baseball game, the hope we have in Jesus will never stop. 

To the Christian, I want to encourage you, don’t give up hope. Whatever you’re going through right now, know that God’s plans are always greater than your own. Jesus is alive and God has promised to never leave you or abandoned you. The world we live in is difficult on all accounts. But Jesus said, “Take heart! I have overcome the world!” – John 16.33c

To the seeker and the skeptic, God’s love for you is beyond description. He desires for you to know Him and to know His love. In a world where all hope seems lost, know that the greatest hope of all time has a name, and His name is Jesus. He is not lost. He is alive. He is not temporary. He is forever.