We Have Hope

Romans 15:4 (NIV84)

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Good morning Zebras,

I am getting ready for the "We Have Hope" retreat in Simi Valley this weekend and I just wanted to share a little bit of what God has been teaching me.

As I began researching the idea of hope I found that hope comes from reading and understanding Scripture (today’s verse) from knowing and trusting God (Psalm 62:5), from believing in and accepting the sacrifice of Christ (1 Cor 15:19), and from walking in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13). And when you think about it, it makes perfect sense.

Reading the Bible is where we have to start. It is in Scripture that God reveals Himself to His people. It is there we learn who He is and what He has done for us. Just like the lame man who was healed by Jesus in John 5, if we want to get well, we need to “Get up! Pick up our mat and walk.” And walking, for me, began with opening the Word and getting to know God.

Look at the men and women of the Old Testament who knew their God, especially David, who was promised the kingdom of Israel at fifteen but did not get it all until he was thirty-seven. Yet read David’s Psalms. David knew who God was and knowing that allowed him to wait, to stand up to the ridicule and attacks of others and obey God even when it was difficult, because his God was bigger than the problems around him. And when he failed, he threw himself on the mercy of God because he knew his God would forgive him.

Plus, people who have hope know Jesus Christ as savior and they understand that this world is not their home. They understand that we are passing through and our real home is in heaven. They know that they will be rewarded for the good deeds that they have done in the body and are willing to make any sacrifice for Christ. They know that there is something better to come and they live with their eyes focused on that goal. They know what Paul knew-that everything is rubbish compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus.

Finally, those people who have hope understand the Holy Spirit that lives inside them. They know that they have the power to overcome because of that spirit. They know they can do all the things that God has given them to do because of His power. They know they are not alone in this world because God sent the counselor, the Spirit of Christ, to live in us and to be with us at all times. And they know the truth of who God is because His spirit has revealed it to them

I think what God is teaching me, and what I felt prompted to share, is that all of us can have hope if we know our God personally, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Love,

Jill

Well Done...

Psalm 37:4 (ESV)

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Good morning Zebras,

I want to thank you for all the prayers. The Reno conference went really well and I even had a fun God story to share. Since Reno was the last conference for the year, my prayer was that I would finish strong.  I wanted to know I had done well and not have nagging doubts I should’ve said something differently. 

The way conference works is the missionary assigns each of us a room that he thinks will accommodate the people who want to come and hear the workshop.  He also provides what he believes to be adequate seating.  Sometimes they underestimate people’s interest in the topic, and sometimes they overestimate so chairs have to be moved around from room to room.

In the past Mike has overestimated people’s interest in hearing what God has given me to say, and underestimated the interest of the topic that is being presented in the room next door.  More than once people have come into my room and borrowed chairs for other workshops.

So Friday night, as I was setting up the room, I thought, “I’m just going to leave some of these chairs folded up so it’s easier for people to borrow them.” But when I showed Mike what I’d done, he told me to set them all up.  So even though I didn’t think we would use them all I did what I was told.

Saturday morning, as I was walking down the hall, I glanced into the room next door and surveyed their chair situation.  In my mind I was already planning on giving some of my chairs away and I wanted to make sure they had room.  I mean I have been doing conference for six years now and I know how this goes-at least how it has gone before.

To be honest it used to bother me, it’s hard to speak when you think people aren’t interested in what you’re saying, but through a very long and painful process God has really grown me in that area.  Now pleasing Him is what is foremost in my mind.   

The first workshop had twenty-plus people, for planning purposes Mike makes us count attendance, which is pretty normal for a conference of three hundred, the second workshop had more, which again is normal, but what wasn’t normal was that in last workshop all the chairs were filled and for the first time ever people had to go get chairs from other rooms.  And today’s verse came to mind.

Now I know chairs are not a big deal, and numbers don’t really mean anything, but in this case God knew I wanted to know that I had finished well, and I really felt like this was His way of telling me that I had.

Love,

Jill

Scorched Earth

2 Timothy 1:7a (NKJ)


For God has not given us a spirit of fear

Good morning Zebras,

Last month while I was preparing for the Walking in the Spirit retreat, waiting to see if the fires in Mt. Lassen would be put out in time for the event, a zebra sister sent me the following information she found on the internet about zebras and fires. She said she felt God was prompting her to send it to me as a way of encouragement.

"Would you believe," she said, "that the animals in Africa mostly likely to survive a fire are not the ones who run from it - they're the ones who run through it? Those who run away get tired, collapse, and are engulfed by the flames. Zebras, on the other hand, are especially great survivors because, rather than running away from the fire, they run through the fire."

"What a powerful analogy for the healing process," she continued. "The fire is fear. If we run away from fear, we die. However, if we simply turn around, face it, and run through it, we survive. And discover that on the other side is simply scorched earth, fresh for rebirth. And the fire is no longer moving towards us but away from us, no longer a threat to our survival."

This morning, I feel like I have run through the fire of fear and come out the other side. God tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7 that He did not give a us a spirit of fear-and because of that I am beginning to understand that decisions made out of fear are not from God.

For example two years ago as I left the Redding area Awana conference I was so discouraged I vowed never to return. I cried most of the ways home that day and I never wanted to feel that bad again.

So last year I didn’t go. Instead I managed to get myself invited to another Awana conference so I would have an excuse not to go. This year I tried to do the same thing, but God wouldn’t let me. And I knew I needed to return to Redding and face my fears.

And just like the story, running through the fire ended up being the right thing to do.

I made it all the way home yesterday without a single tear and even more surprisingly I had a wonderful time at the conference. The people who attended the workshops were great and I had a truly blessed day talking about the Lord, encouraging God’s people and being encouraged in return.

So thank you little Zebras, for praying me. It made all the difference and I hope my story encourages you to trust God and run through your fears so that you too can experience the blessings on the other side.

Love,
Jill