hope where?

1 Peter 1:3b-4 say "Now we live with great expectation*, and we have a priceless inheritance - an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay."
*hope
I was truly saddened earlier this week when I spoke to a close friend.  'Friend' is going through a pretty rough time right now, with the economy, job-loss, mounting bills;  'friend' sounded completely hopeless when we spoke.  Completely.  I don't think I have ever heard anyone sound so without any hope.  Ever.

After talking to 'friend' , I wondered about my own hope. Where's my hope?  Where do I put my great expectations? Where do I find it?  What is it set in?  I learned that if I discovered what I feared losing, I would also find what I put my hope in?   Since the resurrection of Christ, the mercy & grace it provides, the salvation received & the inheritance that awaits cannot be lost, if my hope is there, my hope also cannot be lost.  Oh, I may be saddened, grieve, weep over things or people or dreams that may be lost along the way of life.  But ultimately my hope will not be lost if my hope lies in Jesus Christ alone and not in those things.
*
 I think this might be a good time to memorize a verse (to remind myself of later, when I'm forgetting where my hope lies)...
Psalm 33:20-22 "We put our hope in the LORD.  He is our help & our shield.  In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.  Let your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in you alone."

a nail tale

My fingernails.  I love when they are grown out, neat, perfectly polished.  However, I live in the world of dishes, laundry, cleaning agents, children's baths...you get the idea.  About the time my nails are looking long and beautiful - breakage.  Usually too far back and very painfully.  But, when they are long, I am constantly saying how much I should go and get a manicure.  it's one of those "little things" that I like oh, so much.
Couple weeks ago, my nails were looking long and I kept thinking about how nice it would be to go and have them neatly filed and painted professionally (rather than by my 4 year old daughter).  But, never made an appointment, just thought about it...and mentioned aloud at least once in the presence of my fabulous husband.
Friday, fabulous husband comes home from work with an appointment card for me.  A manicure!  I smiled and said that I was so thankful.  So thoughtful that he went out of his way to make an appointment for me in person (because it's nearly impossible to make appointments over the phone, in French-speaking world).  I was so thankful, but...
Since the day I mentioned a manicure and the time the appointment was procured, my nails had taken a turn for the worse.  In fact, I only had one that could be considered even remotely long.  All short, all mismatchied, all snarly and ick.  I really, really, really wanted to cancel the appointment.  R.e.a.l.l.y!  However, number 1 - my husband was so thoughtful and I didn't want to crush his spirit (i mean, i wouldn't want him not to do such a thoughtful thing again) and number 2 - like I said before, it's so hard to make/cancel/reschedule anything over the phone and my appointment was for Monday morning, so there was no time to go in in person beforehand.
So yesterday I went to the salon, all ragged nailed.  I sat down and placed my ridiculously looking nails on the pillow on the table in front of the lovely gal (who had beauuuutiful nails btw).  She looked at them and smiled.  I am certain that if she could have communicated in English or if I could have communicated in French, she would have asked many questions about how my nails could be in such horrific condition.  But she couldn't and I couldn't, so off she went with her work (& a big job it would be)
I was there about an hour, not long.  And I left with amazing looking, very neat, crazy cute nails.  They're beautiful.  I love them.  She did such a great job in making my hands feel soft and my nails look great!
And because you're reading a post at 58°, you can nearly be certain this nail story is so much more than just a tale of my nails.
Question:
How often do I let the condition of my life as it currently is, determine whether I serve, give, do, be who God wants me to be?  Are there times when I say, "As soon as I get our families finances together, then we'll give generously"?  Or do I say, "let me just straighten out my bad habit or get rid of this nasty sin, then I'll gladly help that friend of mine who's struggling"?  And sometimes I have even been known to say, "I can't serve others because my life is in disaster mode too & what good would I be to them?"  Have I not opened the Word, spoken to the Lord, praised Him because I want to be "perfect" and "in order" first?  Do I try to fix myself up first, make it all pretty, work out all the "stuff" and then give to God?
But God wants us to come as we are.  All our flaws, all our weaknesses, all our struggles, all of us.  just the way we are.  It is impossible to "fix it all up" with out Him.   Come to Him and give it to Him.  He can work it out for His will, for His purpose.  It doesn't have to be perfect, it can't be perfect, for Him to use it. It is only through Him that we have the power to fix it all up.

 Just like my nails, bring yourself to Him in disarray, and He will make beauty from it.

not in my power

"For God is working in you, giving you the desire & the power to do what pleases him."  Philippians 2:13

I just absolutely love this!  Do you see what it's saying?  It's not of our own power or strength that we do what pleases God.  He is working in us and He is providing us the desire and the power.  It's not about what I can do, how powerful or strong I am...it's all Him.  He provides exactly what we need to do what He requires.  

Philippians 2:14 continues by saying "do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you.  Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people."  

Tough instructions.  But the best part is the promise that precedes this instruction - He will provide us with everything we need to live without complaining & arguing.  He will give us the desire to live innocent, clean lives.  It's not about us sucking it up and trying our hardest to "be good".  It's about knowing Him, relying solely on Him and believing that He will provide the desire and power to live a right life in His sight.

Thursday thought - what am I wearing?

The choices are virtually endless.  Jeans, khakis, dress pants, shorts, capris, skirts...in bottoms alone, the possibilities are plentiful.  I, myself, prefer a comfortable pair of nicely worn-in jeans and a comfortable shirt, sweater or sweatshirt.  Comfort nearly always trumps fashion, for me.  However, there are exceptions to my comfort "rule".  On occasion I have a reason to get all dressed up in a fancy dress that squeezes me in with sleeves that require my arms to stay in the down and straight position and a skirt that requires me to "sit like a lady".  If I have to...
Of course, I clothe myself every day in more than just clothes.  I also put on attitudes, opinions, thoughts, characteristics, activities.  And just like choosing between putting on my old, comfy pair of jeans & a broken-in sweatshirt or a fancy formal, I also choose whether to put on anger, jealousy, hatred, immoral living or put on love, peace, joy, moral behavior.  And it's not always as easy as picking out my favorite sweatshirt.

"Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh."  Romans 13:14 (NIV)

The "rather" in this verse refers to the following verse where we're instructed not to participate in the darkness of wild parties & drunkenness, sexual promiscuity & immoral living, or in quarreling & jealousy.  So instead of putting on those things, we are to put on Jesus.
The hebrew word used in this verse for "clothe" can be translated "to sink into clothing"  I have an old-college sweatshirt that I love to wear. When I put it on, I literally sink into it.  It surrounds me, it "hugs" me.  I can wrap my arms around myself and just exhale with comfort.  I imagine being clothed in Jesus to be this way.
So why do I sometime cloth myself in the "rathers" than in Jesus?  Sometimes, like my old, tattered, comfortable college sweatshirt, do I think wearing Jesus is just not "fashionable"?  I mean, I wear my sweatshirt around the house, but I would never wear it out on a date with my husband.  Do I sometimes do this with Jesus?  I wear him to church on Sunday or Bible study or to a Christian bookstore, but I choose to put on something else when I am elsewhere?  Do I find that I can't "wear" him to certain places, with certain people?  Do I put him in the closet and only take him out occasionally, to look more "Christian"?

Clothing myself with Christ is a matter of the mind.  This verse also says we are not to think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.  Flesh here is referring to our human nature, which is prone to sin.  Focusing on our flesh and thinking about those things which might become tripping spots is not where our minds should be sitting in order to clothe ourselves in Christ.  As Philippians 4:8 tells us, we are to "fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.  Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise".  We cannot "dress ourselves" in Jesus and have our minds in the things of the world.  To be clothed in Christ is to have my mind on the things of Christ.

So clothe yourself today in the Lord Jesus Christ, put on his attitudes, his ways, his thoughts and think upon those things.