Pastor's Perspective Articles:

April 2008: Elder Phil Steckmann
March 2008: Elder Ed Gann
February 2008: Elder Rob Wiggins
January 2008: Elder Dr. Steve Stephens
December 2007: Elder's Perspective
November 2007: Thankful for Broken Things
October 2007: God Rubs Off
September 2007: Have you ever gotten it wrong?
August 2007: Belize Journal, July '07
July 2007: What's the picture of the church?
June 2007: Making the Complex Simple
May 2007: Majesty

February 2008: Elder Rob Wiggins

David had been looking for work for the past three months. Alyssa was weary from caring for her two boys as well as working part-time four days a week. Joe was watching his blood pressure climb steadily, even with medication. All three of these dear people were wrestling with the trials of daily living - just as we are - and are looking for something to sustain them every day. What are they looking for? The same thing we need every day - encouragement and hope.

Encouragement is an old French word meaning to "put courage" in another. It means to sustain someone in the face of difficulty or trial. Literally, it means to put "heart" in another. Hope is like that – it transforms our doubts into confidence that God will prevail.
Do we need encouragement - God's "heart" - to face our trials? Certainly. I often listen to students talk about their day-to-day problems. The way they describe their problems often reveals the condition of their hearts. They usually use the four "D" words when they talk:

(1) "I'm disappointed" – This may come when we are hoping for good news and instead hear bad ones. We accept the news as a temporary setback. If we have sufficient courage, we hope tomorrow will be better.

(2) "I'm discouraged" - This happens when the bad news deflates our courage. Hope fades. I'm no longer sure about tomorrow. My heart struggles to retain hope. I may turn to others for hope and help.

3) "I'm depressed" - Bad news sinks into my soul. Good news is far off. I fear there won’t be any good news for a long time. I turn away from others, doubting there will be any hope or help.

(4) "I'm in despair"- My hopes are crushed. Whatever dreams I had are gone. There is no better tomorrow.

Have you felt your heart give way ( from repeated disappointments into discouragement? Have you struggled as prolonged iscouragement begins to feel like depression? Have you known what it is like to loose your hope and dreams completely? We have a sure and absolute reason for hope – it is grounded in our wonderful and sovereign God. The Psalmist wrote, "You have been my hope, my sovereign God, my confidence since my youth." (Ps. 71:5)

Our hope is rooted in the very nature of God - strong, good, and caring. His Holy Spirit resides in us, to encourage and strengthen our hearts for every trial. "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Rom 15:13)

The Holy Spirit often uses God’s Word (the Scriptures) to encourage us. "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus." (Rom 15:4)

Daily, God wants to strengthen our hearts so that we live for Him and accomplish great work for His glory.
"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word." (2 Thess 2:16-17)

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