HOPE 5 - Hope for Here and Now

Devotional Thoughts about Acts Chapter 27

Hope 5 - English file

Hoffnung 5 - German file

Being on a ship in a storm at sea was nothing new for Paul, who up to this point had already been shipwrecked three times! (See 2 Corinthians 11:25.) At a time when travel was much more dangerous than it is now, he was willing to ac­cept the risk so he could preach the gospel in new places. Although he was trave­ling as a prisoner this time, Paul planned to preach the gospel while in Rome, too.

Public transportation often brings unlikely people together. Besides the captain and crew, the sailors and the soldiers accompanying Paul, Luke and Aristarchus, the remaining 200-some people aboard may have been other prisoners, passengers or tradesmen concerned with the ship’s cargo. Maybe some of them had heard that Paul, a Jewish scholar known for preaching about Christ, was on board as a prisoner.

Once the violent storm had their attention, people threw things overboard on the slim chance that a lighter ship might ride it out intact (27:19). The day came, however, when all hope was gone.

Then Paul spoke up to give them courage, telling of a message he’d received in the night through an angel from God: Paul would live to be tried by Caesar, and all the others on the ship would survive, too. As their nightmare continued to play out, even the details of the wrecked ship and the island (27:22,26) proved true.

Knowing that he belonged to God gave Paul hope in this extreme situa­tion. As he would later write to the Philippians,  either living to be there for others or dying to be with Christ was OK with him if it would bring God glory (Philippians 1:20-25). Maybe some of the other survivors asked him about his hope as they waited on Malta.

Lord, let your hope shine in me and help me tell those around me of its source (1 Peter 3:15).

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HOPE 4 - Heaven will blow our minds!

Hope 4 - English file

Hoffnung 4 - German file

Devotional Thoughts about Hebrews 12:22-24 and Revelation 21:1-22:5

“The world is too much with us”, as William Wordsworth put it. The growing indus­trialization of England in 1807 was the context of this statement which begins his poem of the same name, but the observation also applies in other times and places. The convoluted experiences of life in this world, tainted by sin as they are, have an enormous power to distract from what’s really important.

Unfortunately, we Christians, who have hope and a goal beyond this world, are easily distracted and discouraged by our surroundings, too. Caught up in the rhythm and demands of our daily routines, we can easily let our hope fade through neglect of the Bible—and specifically of the passages meant to encourage us by pointing ahead to the incredible joy awaiting us.

Of course it’s hard to imagine living among many angels in a place without night and experiencing no more sin or sadness, but reading and thinking about these things can help stretch our faith and rekindle our hope. Through the mediation of Jesus, who shed His blood to make it possible, we’re privileged to have our names written in heaven. For the first time since Eden, God will finally dwell directly with us.

Lord, please help me keep fueling my hope with Your Word.

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HOPE 3 - Because Jesus is risen, there's life after death!

Hope 3 - English files

Hoffnung 3 - German files

Devotional Thoughts about Luke 24:13-43

What a surreal experience Resurrection Day in Jerusalem must have been!  Amid all the horror, cover-up, hope and speculation rampant upon discovery of the empty tomb, two followers of Jesus set out for what was presumably their home in Emmaus, still trying to process the crucifixion and now also the incredible reports from the gravesite that morning.

At some point along the way, Jesus joined them, somehow masking His identity for the time being (which He seems to have done several times after the resurrection— see John 20:14; 21:4). When asked what they were talking about, they were incredulous that anyone just coming from Jerusalem could have missed such big news. As they filled Him in, their baffled pain bled out of the wistful admission that they’d hoped Jesus was the promised deliverer (24:21).

Instead of addressing recent happenings, Jesus scolded them for not believing the Scriptures they’d been taught all their lives. Wasn’t His suffering and death consistent with the prophecies about the Christ? As He ticked off the specific points of congruence, their hearts “burned” within them, as they later described it (24:32).

Having arrived at their destination, they invited Him in. After He’d blessed the bread, broken it and given it to them, they were finally able to recognize Him, but He vanished before they had time to react. Despite the late hour, they returned to Jerusalem to tell the remaining 11 disciples. There Jesus appeared to them all, convincing them He was truly alive.

Lord, when the times are confusing and discouraging, help me to cling to what I know from Your Word and to place my hope in You.

Downloading lesson files

If you're interested in the lesson files, simply click on the appropriate link above to download them in the desired language. See the Informational Pages in the right column for more about the lesson series. The next two blogposts feature further lessons on the topic Hope. 

HOPE 2 - A Christian is never really at home in this world because he's a citizen of Heaven.

Hope 2 - English file

Hoffnung 2  - German file

Devotional Thoughts about Hebrews 11:8-16

When I decided to memorize Hebrews Chapter 11, I knew it was about the faith of Old Testament heroes, but I wasn’t really aware that the red thread linking them all is that they embraced their faith-induced identity as strangers and foreigners in this world.

This identity caused them to lead lives that set them apart from those around them and resulted in such opposite consequences as escaping death from a sword (11:34) and being killed by a sword (11:37).

From our vantage point on this side of the cross and with the completed Scriptures in our hands, we know much more about God’s plan of redemption than any of them ever did. Yet they have an important message to teach us: Putting our trust in God and His promises is well worth it, even if we don’t see those promises fulfilled in our lifetimes.

Reminding ourselves that God has everything in hand and that we’re not yet home helps us to put the scary developments in this world into perspective and to rest in the hope of His fulfilled promises.

Lord, help me look forward to being in heaven with You, where I’ll finally be home.

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If you're interested in the lesson files, simply click on the appropriate link above to download them in the desired language. See the Informational Pages in the right column for more about the lesson series. The next three blogposts feature further lessons on the topic Hope. 

HOPE 1 - We can have hope because God is faithful.

 

Hope 1 - English files

Hoffnung 1 - German files

Devotional Thoughts about Genesis 6:5-9:17

I’ve got to admire Noah, who was told of God’s plan to destroy the people and was then given a big role to play in preserving living things to repopulate the earth. I’m sure “moved with fear” (Hebrews 11:7) describes his response very aptly, both in the sense of reverence for God and of plain survival fear. At every step he just did what God told him, and there’s no record of objections or even questions.

2 Peter 2:5 tells us he was a preacher of righteousness, so his condemnation of the world consisted of his message plus his practical response to God’s warning long before any rain was in the forecast. Then came the long trial of cabin fever in a pitching ship under nonstop rain.

But God was faithful and turned off the rain when promised, made the water recede and even parked the ark for eventual “deplaning”. After being cooped-up in the ship for more than a year, they were finally able get out and make a new start on the earth.

The rainbow is actually a biblical symbol of God’s covenant with Noah (Genesis 9:8-17). Whenever we see one, we can remember His promise that a flood on that scale was a one-time-occurrence. And sure enough, it hasn’t been repeated over thousands of years. The recurring seasons also testify of God’s faithfulness (Genesis 8:22).

Lord, thank you for the hope that I can always count on You, no matter what’s going on around me. 

Downloading lesson files

If you're interested in the lesson files, simply click on the appropriate link above to download them in the desired language. See the Informational Pages in the right column for more about the lesson series. The next four blogs feature further lessons on the topic Hope.