What can I say…I like the Portland Trailblazers.  I have been a fan since I watched them win the NBA Championship back in 1977.  They are currently in the playoffs as I write this playing the Houston Rockets in the first round.  Do I have hope they win?  Of course I do!  I even have a hope they will return an NBA Championship to Portland again someday.  Who hasn’t rooted and hoped for their favorite team to win?  Hope really is an amazing thing.  We all know what it’s like to hope for your team to win only to see that hope not be realized.   Now we have to deal with the disappointment of unfulfilled hope.  The Bible says that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick”.  In other words, hope that is lost; hope that is unfulfilled; hope that is not realized will make your heart ache.

Because of this, it is so important for us to have our hope fixed in the right place.  The hope of my life is not placed in whether or not Portland will win in the playoffs.  That would be a false hope.  I hope they do, but if they don’t, my heart will not ache…at least not too long.  My hope is fixed and rooted in my relationship with my unchanging God and His unchanging word.  This is what I base my life, my decisions, and my future on.  The Bible says that “those who trust in the Lord will never be disappointed.”  I love this promise.  Everything else in life will disappoint us.  EVERYTHING!  If I am placing my hope anywhere else but God and His word I am set up for heartache and great disappointment.

Where is your hope fixed?  Be honest!  Is it in your job?  Is it in your money, bank account, or your portfolio?  Is your hope placed in relationships with imperfect people?  Maybe it’s in a President who you hope can get us out of the mess we’re in?  Maybe your hope is in yourself?  If you are placing your hope in any of these things you are going to experience some heartache.  Why?  Because they will ALL eventually let you down.  Now, you are left without hope.  May I suggest a change in your hope strategy?  Put your hope completely in your relationship with God and in your obedience to His word.  What you will discover is that the Lord will NEVER disappoint you.

Portland may lose tonight and that will be disappointing.  BUT, it is impossible for God to lose.  I think it best to align my life with His.  That is hope fixed in the right place.

May God’s hope be yours in abundance!

Pastor Dale