Even though I enjoyed attending Sunday school as a young child, I remember not wanting to have much to do with the church when I was in high school. I distanced myself from any peers who I believed to be too “churchy.” The truth is I didn’t want anyone telling me what to do; but mostly I didn’t want anyone telling me what NOT to do. I didn’t care if what I did was hurtful or unpleasing to God as long as it gave me some sort of pleasure or satisfaction. Unfortunately, this attitude continued into adulthood, so it was easy to recognize when I saw it manifest in my own teenagers.
At first, I struggled to understand how my Jesus-loving little boys could turn into such church-phobic naysayers challenging God’s existence and denouncing His intention of good in their lives. That’s when I saw the direct correlation between their actions and their relationship with God. Just like my younger years, the more my sons indulged in self-destructive behaviors, the more distance they placed between themselves and God…and the more hopeless they felt. Have you ever watched someone you care about get involved in such a dismal situation that he/she wants to give up because there doesn’t seem to be a way out?
We can find hope in 2 Corinthians 1:10 ~
“He delivered us from such a deadly peril…on him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.”
Life Application~
The above verse was taken from a letter Paul, the apostle, wrote to the church in Corinth. In his letter, Paul explained that during his travels to spread the message of Jesus, he had a near death experience. He described the situation as so hopeless that ONLY God could be credited with saving him. Not only did Paul give God the glory for rescuing him from an impossible situation, but he put ALL his hope in God to do it again! Why? Because that’s who God is and how he works in our lives. He takes a dire situation and turns it around for good, so everyone who witnesses it knows- without a doubt- that ONLY God could be responsible for such a change. He delivered me and my loved ones and He will do the same for you.
Prayer~
Heavenly Father, our hope is in you to deliver us from temptation and other evils. Remove anything unpleasing that stands in the way of our relationship with you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
By: Angel Slawinski
