Something to think about…
I recently received a really interesting email. I’m not typically in the habit of sharing my personal emails publicly, but I thought it was too good to keep to myself. Abul Are writes:
"Dear Sir,
Having consulted with my colleagues and based on the information gathered from the Nigerian Chambers Of Commerce And Indusyour try, I have the privilege to request assistance to transfer the sum of $47,500,000.00 USD into your accounts. We are now ready to transfer the fund overseas and that is where you come in…”
What do you think? Sounds like a good offer, right? Like my mom always told me, “Rich, If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Don’t get your hopes up." Yet, there are so many, especially the most vulnerable among us, who are sucked into these scams. They are desperate for help and put their trust in the promdreams ise, only to have their hopes and dashed against the hard rocks of reality.
One of the plagues of our time - maybe of all time - is false hope. So many in our world end up placing their trust and hope in things that ultimately can’t deliver. Misplaced trust ends in bitterness, brokenness, and a sense of hopelessness. In this season, we’re reminded that there is only One who can and will keep all of His promises. Again and again, He has proven that He is faithful. Faith is fully trusting His Word and that authentic faith brings genuine hope. We see that in the life of Abraham, as Paul tells us:
“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised”. ~ Romans 4:16-21 NIV
Against all hope Abraham in hope believed! Not only did he witness some of the promise fulfilled, but he became a direct participant in the fulfillment of God’s promise by faith. One of the key issues in dealing with promises is to know the person making the promise. Are they trustworthy? Are they able to keep the promise?
Abraham was fully persuaded that God had the power to do what He promised and that He can be trusted. That is the key to an eternal, undying, unwavering hope. If we place our trust anywhere else we will end up disappointed, disillusioned, and hopeless. If your trust is in human beings or human leaders they will all fail you on some level. If your trust is in your money or possessions it will pass away. If your trust is in your position or power it won’t last. If your trust is in the government then there’s something wrong with you. The only One who has the power and ability to fulfill all of His promises is the Lord. And if our ultimate trust is in Him and we stand on His promises then we have hope, no matter what we face. Our world needs this kind of genuine hope!
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” ~ Romans 15:13 NIV