Father, I give up… I attempted to go one way with this and, well…it’s just not going to suffice. So, at it we go. Help me to communicate what You would have me communicate.
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Why am I here? What am I doing, really, with the minutes I have been allotted? Haven’t we all asked ourselves those questions? There are so many uncertainties in life. Does what we do truly have any genuine long-lasting impact on the world?
Our culture tells us that life just is. It tells us that death just is. We have no control and – poof! – when our number is up that’s it. We die… and many in the world believe that is literally it. We live, we die, we may make a small dent in our world but that quickly fades and in a matter of years, we are forgotten.
The last portion of James 4:14 tells us that we,
“…are merely a vapor [like a puff of smoke or a wisp of steam from a cooking pot] that is visible for a little while and then vanishes [into thin air].” AMP
Hmmm…a wisp of steam from a cooking pot. Hopelessness fits, doesn’t it?
That is what the world spews out…hopelessness. Why bother? No wonder suicide rates are so high. No wonder drug and alcohol abuse is so rampant. Many cannot deal with the realities of life. They cannot deal with all the expectations, so they run…they hide. They avoid. We live…we die. What’s the use?
In John 10:1-10 Jesus shares an illustration about sheep and a shepherd…specifically the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and each of us is sheep. For thousands of years, many have tried and still try to be shepherds. Some do so deceptively. They were (and are) after their own gain, caring little for the sheep. But not Jesus, he gave, he sacrificed…he died…so that we could be reunited with Him.
Jesus is the Shepherd, but He is also the Door by which we enter into His eternal blessing. He proclaims in verses 9-10,
I am the Door; anyone who enters through Me will be saved [and will live forever], and will go in and out [freely], and find pasture (spiritual security) …I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]. NIV
As we enter this last week of 2020, may we not be downtrodden. May we shake off the shackles of hopelessness. Jesus gives us reason to live. James didn’t say we were a wisp of steam to bring us despair but point out the importance of humility.
My sermon today spoke of Jesus’ words that though we may be in the heart of our world’s deep darkness. We may despair, we may ask where is the light for us? But He clearly announces,
“I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12 NLT
He alone gives us the hope that the world cannot give.
The Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:4, 6,
“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God…The God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’ made his light to shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” NIV
Cling to that hope. See that Light. May we let our light shine out of the darkness! There is hope to be had!
Dec 27th, 2020, Sun, 11:31 pm
