To View the Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nN2fY5LilVo
SHOW NOTES
Welcome to Hope Rescue’s last episode of 2020. This year has been a roller coaster and most of us are happy to see the end of it. If you are looking for a goal to make for 2021 that will change your life for the better, you have come to the right place. Join us in episode 99 as we discuss how we can put our hope in Jesus in the coming year. Keep reading or listening to find out how.
First Corinthians 13:13 says, "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Why is love greater than the other two? Today, we have faith in Jesus Christ. We also have a hope that God will work in that which is coming. But at the end, love remains. When we get to heaven, we won't need faith because we will see with our eyes. We won't need hope for the future because we will have arrived in the full blessing of eternity.
The year 2020 has been a very tough year, if not the worst year yet for many people. Many have lost their jobs, possibly their family members, and lost connection with others. Twenty-twenty has taken a toll on almost all of us in some manner. Tim starts the conversation by discussing the weight of our burdens. If you were to hold a four-pound weight in your hand you probably wouldn’t have any issue holding it. If you were asked to extend your arm and hold it there, though, you would likely only be able to bear the weight for a couple of minutes. The point is that it’s not always about the weight of a burden, but more about the amount of time you have to hold it. If you were to hold the same weight in your hand but place your hand on the shoulder of another person, you would be able to hold it there all day. With the support of others around us, our burdens don’t feel as heavy.
Matthew 11:28-30 says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” When we continue to add more burdens to our lives over time, the weight becomes unbearable. A yoke is a wooden bar by which two oxen are joined at the heads or necks for working together.To be yoked to Jesus is to serve and obey Him. Every person is yoked to someone or something. With who or what are you yoked?
Benefits of Being Yoked with Jesus
When we are yoked with Jesus, our purpose becomes clear.
When we are yoked with Jesus, He paces our work.
When we are yoked with Jesus, we have clear direction in our lives.
When we are yoked with Jesus, we have support for the loads we are carrying.
When we are yoked with Jesus, we are encouraged while we work.
Hope always has a direction. We can choose to put our hope in something fragile, like the stock market, our health, or our friendships, or we can choose to put our hope in Christ, the solid rock. Psalm 62:1-2 says, "For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.” It goes on in verses five and six to say, “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.” When our hope is from Him, we will not be shaken at all. No matter what you've been through in 2020, if you have been tethered to God and your hope is in Him, you will have peace and assurance. Faith comes from being tethered to God, and if you seek to make any changes in 2021, the best way is to start the year bound securely to Him.
QUOTES
“We can either choose to put our hope in something fragile or in Christ, the solid rock.” -Tim
“Faith comes from being tethered to God, and if you seek to make any changes in 2021, the best way is to start the year bound securely to Him.” -Tim
REFERENCED SCRIPTURE
1 Corinthians 13:13 "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Psalm 62:1-6 “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.”
