{"id":924,"date":"2021-03-18T00:49:06","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T04:49:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nyhanmaum.org\/EM\/?p=924"},"modified":"2021-03-18T02:52:40","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T06:52:40","slug":"no-hope-but-the-living-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nyhanmaum.org\/EM\/no-hope-but-the-living-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"No Hope, But the Living Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThere are six things the LORD hates\u2014<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

no, seven things he detests:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

haughty eyes,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

a lying tongue,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

hands that kill the innocent,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

a heart that plots evil,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

feet that race to do wrong,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

a false witness who pours out lies,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

a person who sows discord in a family.\u201d \u2013 Proverbs 6:16-19 (NLT)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever I see news of rape, murder, and hate crimes, one can\u2019t help but think: is this who we really are?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, it is. The Bible\u2019s assessment of humanity is accurate and bleak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeremiah observed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?\u201d (Jeremiah 17:9 NLT)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, in God we have our hope despite the depravity of all humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut I, the LORD, search all hearts
and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards,
according to what their actions deserve.\u201d (Jeremiah 17:10 NLT)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, Jeremiah goes on to say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cO LORD, if you heal me, I will be truly healed;
if you save me, I will be truly saved.
My praises are for you alone!\u201d (Jeremiah 17:14 NLT)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this world, when we deal with the actions of others and the trauma resulting from abuse and neglect, we do not feel safe. But I want you to know and experience the peace God gives. His peace is not the same as what we would think it would be. The peace of God is not dependent on any circumstances or the losses we suffered (John 14:27).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The peace of God has been paid for by Christ and given to all who believe \u2013 no matter where they are, what they do, and no matter how great our suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God\u2019s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.\u201d (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you wonder: what can I do? Is the problem too great for anyone to solve? How can I even start?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will leave with you the truth He has reassured me with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u201cI tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you love me, obey\u00a0my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,\u00a0who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn\u2019t looking for him and doesn\u2019t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans\u2014I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.\u201d (John 14:12-21 NLT)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My hope and prayer is that as we grow to understand and exemplify God\u2019s love, we will never lose hope (1 Timothy 4:10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also strongly advise people to begin training in martial arts and learn how to handle weapons (Krav Maga, BJJ, Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai, just to name a few \u2013 this list is not exhaustive). Marital art schools are a great resource for learning how to defend yourself and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also recommend people to search for local community resources. Some places have organized volunteer walks, where volunteers walk with people to help them feel safe in the street. You may request to volunteer or to ask for volunteers to walk with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be alert, be aware, and may you be prepared but not live in fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen Jesus asked them, \u201cWhen I sent you out to preach the Good News and you did not have money, a traveler\u2019s bag, or an extra pair of sandals, did you need anything?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d they replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cBut now,\u201d he said, \u201ctake your money and a traveler\u2019s bag. And if you don\u2019t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one! For the time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled: \u2018He was counted among the rebels.\u2019 Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true.\u201d (Luke 22:35-37 NLT)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This surge in violence against a particular ethnic group is not new. People of various ethnicities and backgrounds have faced violence and threats of violence, some being more persecuted than others. We live in a world that\u2019s full of every kind of greed and evil. Evil people prosper when godly people do nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s be prepared for hardships, be ready to help others in need, but don\u2019t give up hope, and do not give up in doing good. It will be worth it in the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.\u201d (Galatians 6:9 NIV)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThere are six things the LORD hates\u2014 no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.\u201d \u2013 Proverbs 6:16-19 (NLT) Whenever I see news … Continue reading No Hope, But the Living Hope<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1,4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/nyhanmaum.org\/EM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/nyhanmaum.org\/EM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/nyhanmaum.org\/EM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nyhanmaum.org\/EM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nyhanmaum.org\/EM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=924"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/nyhanmaum.org\/EM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":932,"href":"http:\/\/nyhanmaum.org\/EM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924\/revisions\/932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/nyhanmaum.org\/EM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nyhanmaum.org\/EM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/nyhanmaum.org\/EM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}