(continued from A hope transplant: Part 1)
A HOPE TRANSPLANT
One of the greatest benefits to be gleaned from the Bible is perspective. When we get discouraged, we temporarily lose our perspective. Little things become mammoth. A slight irritation, such as a pebble in a shoe, seems huge. Motivation is drained away and, worst of all, hope departs.
God’s Word is tailor-made for gray-slush days. It sends a beam of light through the fog. It signals safety when we fear we’ll never make it through. Such big-picture perspective gives us a hope transplant, and within a brief period of time, we have escaped the bleak and boring and we’re back at soaring.
There is a magnificent thought nestled in the fifteenth chapter of Romans that promises all this. To the surprise of some folks, the promise is connected to a major reason God has preserved the Old Testament:
For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Rom. 15:4)
Go back and read that again – this time much more slowly. Linger over each phrase and then we’ll analyze them.
When the writer refers to that which was “written in earlier times” he had us in mind, too. All those things “were written for our instruction.” Instruction is a broad, general word that means “teaching”. Whatever passage you choose from the Old Testament – from Genesis to Malachi – those writings were preserved to teach us things today, right now! God has an ultimate goal in mind: that “we might have hope”. And what is it that leads to such a goal? Two things: “perseverance” and “encouragement” from the Scriptures. Again, the goal is hope. God has not designed a life of despondency for us. He wants His people to have hope. And He says such hope comes from the teaching of the Old Testament. Through endurance and through encouragement from the Scriptures, we can gain hope.
As you sit there you may say, “I don’t have much endurance. Furthermore, I feel terribly discouraged.” Read the next verse. It is written for everyone who feels that way.
Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus (Rom 15:5).
God wants to give us both perseverance and encouragement. He says, in effect, “If you will submit yourself to the teaching of the Old Testament truth, I will give you perseverance (the word literally means, ‘endurance’ – that ability to hang in there) and ‘encouragement’ – a lifting up of your spirits.” He will replace discouragement with fresh hope. And, ultimately, what?
That with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 15:6).
What a priceless nugget of truth there is in these three verses! What I find here is the scriptural basis for encouragement. God offers instruction, but then it’s our move. We must accept His instruction and apply it to our lives. Then, and only then, can we expect to cash in on the benefits of His instruction. So you see, application is the essential link between instruction and change.
Imagine, if you will, that you work for a company whose president found it necessary to travel out of the country and spend an extended period of time abroad. So he says to you and the other trusted employees, “Look, I’m going to leave. And while I’m gone, I want you to pay close attention to the business. You manage things while I’m away. I will write you regularly. When I do, I will instruct you in what you should do from now until I return from this trip.” Everyone agrees. He leaves and stays gone for a couple of years. During that time he writes often, communicating his desires and concerns. Finally he returns. He walks up to the front door of the company and immediately discovers everything is in a mess – weeds flourishing in the flower beds, windows broken across the front of the building, the gal at the front desk dozing, loud music roaring from several offices, two or three people engaged in horseplay in the back room. Instead of making a profit, the business has suffered a great loss. Without hesitation he calls everyone together and with a frown asks, “What happened? Didn’t you get my letters?” You say, “Oh, yeah, sure. We got all your letters. We’ve even bound them in a book. And some of us have memorized them. In fact, we have ‘letter study’ every Sunday. You know, those were really great letters.” I think the president would then ask, “But what did you do about my instructions?” And, no doubt, the employees would respond, “Do? Well, nothing. But we read every one!”
In the very same way, God has sent us His instruction. He has preserved every word of it in Book, the Bible. It’s all there, just as He communicated it to us. When He returns for His own, He is not going to ask us how much we memorized or how often we met for study. No, He will want to know, “What did you do about my instructions?” He promises us hope – relief from discouragement. Yes, it’s available. And we can actually stand firm through discouraging times but only if we apply His instructions.
Hard as it may be for you to believe, you will be able to walk right through those “gray slush” days with confidence. The One who gives perseverance and encouragement will escort you through the down days, never leaving you in the lurch. Discouragement may be awful, but it’s not terminal. You will soar again.
Extract from Living Above the Level of Mediocrity by Charles R. Swindoll
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