The Gooch Lane church of Christ is a group of people in Madison, Alabama seeking to study the Bible and put God’s teachings into practice. We’d love to have you join us for Bible study and worship.
All in Hope
What seems impossible to man can be accomplished by God. No one else could have restored the people of Israel back to Zion other than God.
God does not expect the impossible of us, but rather teaches us to allow Him to shape our lives so that we can be like Him.
From the title of this article, it might be surprising that I do not necessarily view optimism as a positive characteristic. Dictionary.com defines optimism in this way: “A disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.” Realistically, some events or conditions do not work out to the most favorable outcome and to expect otherwise can interfere with the appropriate way of dealing with situations. With that said, I am a strong supporter of joy, which the Bible wholeheartedly endorses as a redeeming quality that faces any situation with a trust in God. This is illustrated in the apostle Paul’s hope for the Roman Christians: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13). Still, there is something about youthful optimism. As a young person looks upon his or her life to come, there is a feeling of invincibility; there is the belief that everything is going to work out for the best. While life events will alter this attitude, the feeling of optimism will typically catapult a young life in a high-energy desire to conquer the world. Every church is blessed when they have young members who have displayed such an attitude in their work for the Lord.
As I write these words, I am preparing to teach a course at Gooch Lane on Heaven. The sheer amount of material on the subject in God’s word is almost overwhelming! It is not difficult to relate every part of the Bible to that place where we plan to spend eternity.
This coming September 11 will mark the 20th anniversary of the bombings of the Twin Towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, and the heroic downing of United Airlines Flight 93 to prevent terrorists from using the plane as a weapon against the United States. Those of age likely remember exactly where they were upon learning of this harrowing event and have difficulty accepting that enough time has passed that an entire generation knows these things only as historical events. As commemorations take place and multitudes of words are spoken about these tragedies, it provides good opportunity to be reminded of the spiritual lessons that can still be gained two decades later.
We are immensely blessed, but blessings are not guaranteed. It’s a fearful thing to realize the stability of our time could end.
