Thoreau said that the mass of men lead lives of quiet
desperation. As Christians we would say that if that is true then we have something
like hope to offer. Our writer says that
there are men, famous men, who are to be praised for their renown, the things
they have done to lead the people in one way or another. He also says there are those who will not be
remembered by name by the nation who, nonetheless, have been extraordinary in
their lives and have led their families and have kept faith with the Lord and
whose families will do the same because the Lord will keep covenant
faithfulness with them throughout generations based on His own
self-disclosure. Desperation is to live
without hope. Where we have set our
hopes, in earthly things or in heavenly things, can change us from desperate
people to hopeful people, no matter our circumstances. What would your co-workers, other soccer
dads, people who see you regularly, say about you, are you a person who is
desperate or hopeful?
The kingdom of God is inhabited by those who have heeded
Jesus' teaching to seek it first, who have not only prayed it first in the Lord's
prayer but whose lives have shown that they are indeed seeking it with not only
their lips but in their lives. Jesus tells
some who have hung about that they are not in the kingdom of God. They didn't get in simply by being part of
the crowd. How do we move from being
part of the crowd to being those in the kingdom? Changing our priorities and our values is the
first step, dying to self and taking up the cross to follow, just like all the
disciples. Leaving behind everything
else is a necessary step, obedience to the call.
The Euphrates is dried up and the kings of the east, all the
kings of the region and perhaps the world, come forth for battle through the
dry river bed, bringing with them three more plagues to the place of Armageddon. Finally, the voice comes from the throne,
"It is done!" At the cross,
Jesus cried out, "It is finished!" and there was an earthquake. Here, the words bring forth not only the
greatest earthquake the world has ever experienced, mountains tumbled down,
islands disappearing, the great city split into three parts, but also other
physical signs in the heavens including hailstones of one hundred pounds for
which the people cursed God. Are we
listening and are we giving testimony to the hope in our lives by our reaction
to disaster and difficulty?
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