Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope

Guest (Male): Welcome to Johnny Erickson Tada, sharing hope. These days, Johnny is trying to catch up. Listen in as she explains.

Joni Eareckson Tada: It's what I've been saying lately when friends ask how I'm doing, like, hey Johnny, what's going on? How you doing? And my frequent reply is these days, I'm doing great. I'm catching up. And I just bet I'm describing you as of late, could there be deadlines screaming at you? Deadlines like change this diaper, finish that paper, make that sale, rush to your next appointment. Got to hurry, get it done, get it out now. Deadlines are like little tyrants, aren't they? Leaving us exhausted by the end of the day. And you know how it is when all the deadlines you missed just roll over to the next morning.

That makes for a great night's sleep. But there are other tyrants. Maybe an overbearing boss, rebellious child, an angry spouse, or a nitpicking neighbor. People like that get on your nerves in your face, and sometimes they show up at your door. They ambush, they kill the joy before your morning is barely started. But there are also other tyrants that insist hey, pay attention to me now. Tyrannies like the money is gone, the marriage has failed, the cancer is back, the business has closed, the loan was denied and there's no hope, no way out. It's over, it's done.

And these things can choke the hope out of living. But but in those tyrannical, loveless, hopeless moments, God sings. The God of all hope lands a knockout blow to discouragement when he happily says in 1 Corinthians 15, where oh death is your victory? Where oh death is your sting? Yep, that verse has bolstered my spirits like nothing else when it comes to the tyranny of the urgent. Because sometimes you feel like you're dying in a pile when discouraging problems and people seem to overwhelm. But thankfully, Jesus is not immune to our daily deaths. He just sings, death you have no victory.

You cannot harm or hurt. You have no sting. And Jesus sings because he knows that his promise of victory is not a you know, wait till you're really dead and 6 ft under sort of promise. No, no, the promise of victory is now. He rescued David from the pit of despair more than once. He delivered Elijah when he wondered, what's the point of living? Elijah was so down he felt like ending it all. And then look at Paul, haunted by the many Christ followers that he murdered. He called himself the chief of all sinners. So you can tell Paul never quite got over it.

Well, God stepped in guaranteeing him no condemnation. Nothing would ever separate Paul from God's love. And then after Peter blatantly denied Christ to his face after he plummeted into despair, the Lord assured him of a new birth into a living hope that would never ever fade. And he sealed our claim to abundant life in his son Jesus. Oh friend, my light and momentary afflictions, whether deadlines or dead ends and yes, even dead beats, my problems will amount to nothing in heaven. I will look in my rearview mirror and the tyrannies of earth will seem like a couple of restless nights in a bad motel.

Death will have no victory over me, nor will it sting.

Guest (Male): So friend, no deadly foe can never harm the life to which God has called you. You are on the victory side. And to that we can all say amen. Go to johnnyradio.org and and let us know how we can pray for you. Remember, that's johnnyradio.org.