EVERYTHING is POSSIBLE through GOD!
Her words jumped out at me from my screen. Above the words, she inserted an image, a screenshot of her flight details, and below this, these words:
“Voor als iemand me nog wil volgen
For several months now, since that one conversation we shared, the one that landed on my heart, since then, I have studied the language of Dutch. Daily. Faithfully. Purposefully. Speaking, Writing, Reading Dutch words every night before bed is now what I do. Yet, I had no clue what she wrote, try as I might, attempting to “read between the lines” or between the foreign words in this instance, I could not make sense of the words staring at me on the screen.
Voor—in front of
Als—as for
Iemand—for if anyone
Me—in case someone
Nog—in case someone remembers me
Wil—in case anyone still wants me
Volgen—in case anyone wants to follow me
“In case anyone wants to follow me”
“Voor als iemand me nog wil volgen”
Learning a foreign language can be—well FOREIGN. Placing new words into our brain seems quite daunting, especially when our brains seem so full of information: words to our favorite songs, names we desperately attempt to remember, birthdays, anniversary dates, student names, cell numbers, and my how the list goes on and on and on. Surely our brains can be too full to learn anything new!
Right?!!!!
That’s what I thought too—Until I thought it no more!
Learning to walk close beside Jesus can be—well FOREIGN. Placing His will before our own seems quite odd, quite difficult, especially when the world screams, “I’ll do it my way.” Surely our earthly bodies cannot be used as instruments of praise to the King of Kings.
Right?!!!!
That’s what I thought too—Until I thought it no more!
Let’s see what God’s Holy Word says about us, His creation. Please read with me.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
(Ephesians 2: 4-10 NASB)
even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).
and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not a result of words, so that no one may boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
All we bring to God is sin and debt. Everyone comes to God as a beggar, empty-handed, and needed. We have heard it said: The ground is absolutely LEVEL at the foot of the cross of Calvary.
- Swimming from Portugal to Brazil seems impossible.
- Running a mile in less than four minutes seems impossible.
- Seeing someone we love come to know Christ as Savior seems impossible.
- Watching someone we have prayed over be healed of cancer, of disease, or of their addiction seems impossible.
- Praying over a wayward child, seeking God’s patience, His Hope, as we wait, as we pray, as we walk with Him—Yes, the ability to wait seems impossible.
EVERYTHING SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE—Except Through JESUS!
EVERYTHING APPEARS HOPELESS—Except Through JESUS!
What are we striving for on this day?
What are we longing for today?
Who are we living for as we go through the days of our life?
In what do we value most?
Whom do we love most of all?
Jesus came to seek and save the lost—truly, each one of us.
Jesus came to save us, to teach us how to trust Him.
Jesus came to earth to remind us to wait upon Him & to lead us as we walk with Him.
Truly, Jesus came to reveal how we can lay down our will as we take up our cross & FOLLOW HIM!
“In case anyone wants to follow me”
“Voor als iemand me nog wil volgen”
HOPE—Not something we would ever expect & not something we could ever dream.
HOPE—Totally improbable; HOPE is dependence on God!
May we “get up our hopes.”—YES!
HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT—EVER!
Christ Jesus came to earth to bring HOPE to the world.
Christ Jesus will come again—HIS PROMISE IS HOPE ASSURED!
The believers living in Rome were reminded about the HOPE that fills them, sustains them, and keeps them.
“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13 NASB)
- What do we desire?
- What do we seek to know, to learn, to purchase, to receive?
- Do we seek to be alone with God, to know Him more today than yesterday?
- Do we desire intimacy with God more than knowledge of God?
To quote John Piper: “God is the most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
We can wait with HOPE—because of who God is & because of what God has done through JESUS!
When we remember how God rescued us, how God cared for us and for His people throughout the ages, then we remember how—through GOD—HOPE IS POSSIBLE!
“And looking at them, [at His disciples] Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
(Matthew 19: 26 NASB)