Is There Any Hope for Me?

It can be very overwhelming to see the standard that God sets for us... perfection. The Bible says that the wages of sin are death. Sin is disobeying God in any way... a bad thought, a “white” lie, and even the tiniest slip up. What hope can there possible be? It is an impossible standard. Who could possibly stand under those conditions? We might see the Bible as painting a picture that gives us no chance. There are a few examples that seem to validate this out-of-reach standard. Job, even though he faced a lot of suffering continued to be faithful, even though he lost everything. Even more intimidating is Enoch, who walked faithfully with God and was taken to heaven before he experienced death. Now, let's start looking inside the Bible at all the people that God tells us about. Adam and Eve, though they were born without sin, brought sin into the world. God still had a purpose for them. Abraham, two separate times, allowed his wife to be taken as a potential wife by foreign rulers, and then didn’t trust God to give Him the son that was promised. Jacob, who later was known as Israel, cheated his brother out of his inheritance, but God still blessed him and fulfilled his covenant through his descendants. King David, a man after God’s own heart, committed adultery and had her husband killed, and because of that, his son died as an infant, yet Jesus was descended from David. Then there is Samson, who foolishly told his girlfriend the source of his great strength and was captured. At a great feast of these pagans, Samson prayed for his strength one last time and caused the whole roof and pillars to fall on all the guests. Moses was called to lead the people out of Egypt, even after he had killed a man. On top of that, because of his disobedience against God, he was not permitted to lead the people into the promised land. The Apostle Paul, who became one of the greatest missionaries, had originally been persecuting the Christian church that he now defended. Then there is Peter that denied Jesus, Elijah, who won a competition against the false prophets of Baal, and after being victorious, told God he wanted to die. The list goes on. The Bible is full of imperfect people that were used in powerful ways by God. The question is, are you willing to let God use you today? Father, when we are feeling hopeless, You remind us that we are not alone. Use us for Your name’s sake. Amen