Issue 133 1st Qtr., 2021

reMEMber!!!
You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.
Our Blessed Hope
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It has been said that if you can convince a man that there is no HOPE, 
he will curse the day he was born. 

Without a doubt, HOPE is an indespensable quality of life!  (1) (emphasis mine)

I read the story that, “Years ago the S-4 submarine was rammed by another ship and quickly sank. The entire crew was trapped in the prison house of death. Ships rushed to the scene of [the] disaster off the coast of Massachusetts. We don’t know what took place down in the sunken submarine, but we can be sure that the men clung bravely to life as the oxygen slowly gave out.
A diver placed his helmeted ear to the side of the vessel and listened. He heard a tapping noise. Someone, he learned, was tapping out a question in the dots and dashes of the Morse Code. The question came slowly: ‘Is… there… any… hope?’” (2)

2020 was a very hard year for most people! There was the pandemic, lockdowns, closures, social unrest, wildfires, and hurricanes. And all 
of it was during a very contentious election year. So, I’ve often heard people say, “I HOPE that 2021 is better than 2020!”

Mostly, when people say this, it’s just an expression of their wishful thinking. But according to the Merriam-Webster dicionary, there’s more to the meaning of the word “hope” than just wishful thinking. It says, to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment; to expect with confidence : TRUST” (3) Likewise, the biblical word for “hope” carries with it an expectancy of fulfillment, even an assurance of fulfillment if one’s hope is based upon the right thing.

Just as the word “love” (as a verb) requires an object (a recipient) to make sense (“I love my house”, or “I love my job”, etc.), the word “hope” must have a source… something that causes that “desire with expectancy”. And, we might add that that source determines the CHANCE that that hope will come to fruition!

Unfortunately, as I said, for most people, their hope is built upon wishful thinking (random chance) or perhaps their confidence in men, the government, or their own abilities. So, there’s not much chance that what they’re hoping for will come to pass. All these things are totally unreliable and unable to produce the results hoped for.

So, what happens when what we’re hoping for DOESN’T happen? What happens to those who HOPE that 2021 is better than 2020 and it DOESN’T happen? The answer is that the person LOSES HOPE. They sink into HOPELESSNESS and depression.

reMEMber! Hope is an indespensable quality of life!

I’m reminded of King Solomon who had all the wealth, fame, and power that any man could want. And yet, he felt empty and unsatisfied. So, he decided he would make a diligent search throughout the world to find that one thing that would produce true happiness and satisfaction. And what was his conclusion after making such a worldwide search? He said, “…all is vanity [emptiness]… I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.(Eccl. 1:2b, 14)

What a sad state of mind! A hopeless state of depression and emptiness. But that’s what happens to a person whose HOPE for a better tomorrow is based on their wishful thinking and it doesn’t happen!

The problem lies in the fact that their hope (trust) is built upon something totally unreliable. Inevitably, they end up saying like Solomon… “all is vanity and vexation of spirit”.

In 2020, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times that reported the results of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey taken from 5,065 people… when asked questions related to their MENTAL HEALTH DURING THE PANDEMIC of 2020….

39% of U.S. adults ages 18 to 39 had at least one symptom of depression, up from 9% in the earlier years. 
* That increase was mirrored among Americans in their 40s and 50s (jumping from 8% to 27%).
And, those 60 and above (rising from 8% to 15%). (4)

It should come as no surprise that more people suffer from depression during hard times like we experienced in 2020. BUT, there is a particular SOURCE… a BASIS… a FOUNDATION for one’s hope that is absolutely reliable and won’t leave him feeling defeated and depressed!

In fact, it is so reliable, that when our hope is built upon that particular source, NOTHING in this world can rob you of your JOY, and PEACE, and OPTIMISM about the future.

God’s Word has GOOD NEWS for those who feel that the weight of the world is more than they can bear…

• For those who have lost their job because of COVID shutdowns,
• Or, for those who suffered devastating destruction from wild fires or hurricanes,
• Or, for those who have suffered extreme sickness from this pandemic.
• Or, for those who have even lost someone they love to this horrible disease…

DON’T GET DEPRESSED! JUST PUT YOUR HOPE IN SOMETHING (Someone) WHO DELIVERS! SOMEONE WHO WON’T LET YOU DOWN!

Psalm 31:24 - Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

So, the Bible says we can be ENCOURAGED… strengthened in our spirit (our outlook) IF our hope is in the Lord. 

When our hope is more than just wishful thinking and it’s built upon our unmovable FAITH in Jesus Christ and His love for His people and it aligns with the TRUTH of His Word… WE CAN BE GREATLY ENCOURAGED!

Here’s another scripture. In this one, the Psalmist is talking to his own soul like it’s another person. It’s like someone who says, “The other day, I was talking to myself. And I said ‘Self, why are you discouraged?”

Psalm 42:5a - Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted [discouraged] in me? hope thou in God

Now, if those two scriptures are not enough to convince you to put your Hope in Jesus Christ, then listen to this one:

Psalm 146:5 - Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God:

Here, we see that OUR HAPPINESS is based upon having hope in the Lord. Who doesn’t want to be happy? Everybody wants to be happy!

In fact, our blessings and happiness come from trusting in and putting our faith in the Lord.

Jer. 17:7 - Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

So, when you say, “I HOPE that 2021 is better than 2020.” What are you basing that hope on? Is it just wishful thinking? Or, are you expressing that positive outlook… that EXPECTANCY that comes from a life of trusting the Lord, that says in essence, NO MATTER WHAT 2021 BRINGS US, I EXPECT (KNOW) IT’S GOING TO BE BETTER BECAUSE MY LIFE IS BUILT UPON MY TRUST IN THE LORD.

I look forward with great expectancy to the Rapture of the Church… realizing that 2021 COULD BE the year that it happens. And the Bible tells us that this is our BLESSED HOPE!  We are told that we are to be…

Titus 2:13 -  Looking for that blessed HOPE, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.

There’s a great old hymn that goes…

1. My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.

When our HOPE is built upon the solid Rock, Who is Jesus Christ, we have the absolute ASSURANCE of eternal life with Him. And, no one can take that away from us!

BUT ALSO, it gives us a mindset… an attitude… that BECAUSE my hope is based upon Jesus Christ and His infinite power… and His unfailing love for me… and the truthfulness of His Word… NO MATTER WHAT 2021 BRINGS… NO MATTER IF THE ECONOMY FAILS, OR THE GOVERNMENT DOES SOME HORRIBLE THINGS… OR IF NATURE THROWS EVEN MORE DESTRUCTION UPON US…

I’M GOING TO BE OK BECAUSE I HAVE JESUS! And HE’S going to make it a better year for me!

(1)  Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7,700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times, (Rockville, Maryland: Assurance Publishers, 1979) page 564
(2) Ibid.
(3) https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hope?src=search-dict-box
(4) https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-09-03/signs-of-depression-have-tripled-since-start-of-covidpandemic#:~:text=•%20In%202020%2C%2038.8%25%20of%20U.S%20adults%20ages60%20and%20above%20%28rising%20from%207.9%25%20to%2014.9%25%29.  

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Laughter Does a Body Well!
   After just a few years of marriage filled with constant arguments, a young man and his wife decided the only way to save their marriage was to try counseling. 

   When they arrived at the counselor's office, the counselor asks,”What seems to be the problem?" The husband held his long face down without anything to say. In contrast, the wife began talking 90 miles an hour, describing all the wrongs within their marriage.

   After 15 minutes of listening to the wife, the counselor went over to her, picked her up by her shoulders, kissed her passionately and sat her back down. The wife sat speechless.

   The marriage counselor looked over at the husband, who stared in disbelief. The counselor said to the husband, "Your wife NEEDS that at least twice a week!"

   The husband scratched his head and replied, "I can have her here on Tuesdays and Thursdays."


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Please Note!
We have gone totally cellular! The old land line to our offices has been discontinued. We can be reached on the cell phone number, 337-249-8303.


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Would You Pray About Joining Our Ministry?
People often ask us how they can be a part of Maranatha Evangelistic Ministries… to help proclaim the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ. For those who want to help, we have our "Maranatha Partners" program. For a monthly contribution of at least $20 and a promise to pray for us, we enlist these special people to help us spread the Word. Each month, we send our partners an update letter and from time to time, to show our appreciation, we provide them CDs, books, and other small gifts. Will you pray and ask the Lord if you should be a part of this work of preaching about the soon return of our Lord Jesus?

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"reMEMber" is a quarterly newsletter of 
Maranatha Evangelistic Ministries,
 a Bible-based, pastor-oriented, Christ-centered ministry of faith, proclaiming the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ .

224 Al Gist Road, Longville, LA 706512
 337-249-8303 (cell)
Email: al_gist@hotmail.com
Website: maranathaevangelisticministries.com