Selective Hopelessness?

Our guest speaker for yesterday’s English-language services was Ronald Benjamin, a former member of Bronx Bethany’s pastoral staff who is now the senior pastor of Metro West Church of the Nazarene. He shared with us from the book of First Timothy. The passage he focused on is reprinted here as our reflection for today.

As I have been thinking about the passage and the sermon, the phrase “selective hopelessness” has come to my mind. It is a state I, and perhaps you, fall into from time to time. It is a state in which I have no problem praying in faith and assuredness for the needs and concerns of my friends (and even my enemies), yet when it comes to myself my prayers do not carry the same depth of assuredness. Could it be that I don’t believe God will help me as He has helped others? Could it be that I am so overwhelmed by my problems that my spiritual vision gets lost in a fog?

Yesterday’s sermon was a timely encouragement for me. Christ Jesus is the hope of the world… and Christ Jesus is my hope. Therefore, I can choose to be hopeful. My hope is that you, too, are a person of hope!

God bless you as you cling to Christ Jesus, the hope of the world.

First Timothy 1:1-17 (NET Bible)

From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, to Timothy, my genuine child in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord!

As I urged you when I was leaving for Macedonia, stay on in Ephesus to instruct certain people not to spread false teachings, nor to occupy themselves with myths and interminable genealogies. Such things promote useless speculations rather than God’s redemptive plan that operates by faith. But the aim of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Some have strayed from these and turned away to empty discussion. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they are saying or the things they insist on so confidently.

But we know that the law is good if someone uses it legitimately, realizing that law is not intended for a righteous person, but for lawless and rebellious people, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, sexually immoral people, practicing homosexuals, kidnappers, liars, perjurers – in fact, for any who live contrary to sound teaching. This accords with the glorious gospel of the blessed God that was entrusted to me.

I am grateful to the one who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me faithful in putting me into ministry, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I was treated with mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief, and our Lord’s grace was abundant, bringing faith and love in Christ Jesus. This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” – and I am the worst of them! But here is why I was treated with mercy: so that in me as the worst, Christ Jesus could demonstrate his utmost patience, as an example for those who are going to believe in him for eternal life. Now to the eternal king, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen.