Nothing is Impossible with God

12/20- I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me Phil. 4:13

“I am the vine, you are the branches.  If a aman abides in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  (John 15:5)

“Nothing is Impossible with God”  (Luke 1:37)

Thoughts: The scripture teaches us two important and paradoxical truths: 1) Apart from Him I can do nothing (John 15:5) 2) Nothing is impossible with God.  This allows us to dream big. 
    Jurgen Moltmann is a German theologian writing about post-Christian Europe.  He writes that Europe seems like the dark side of the moon with empty crater after empty crater- barren, dry, just there.  We can let the terror of war (like WW1 and WW2) devastate us so that we think there is no hope or that our hope is not important.  In America many are giving up faith, hope, and love for alcohol and drugs.  If you look at places devastated by drugs- some parts of Chicago, or LA or even sections of Richland and Lexington counties- you find the same kind of hopelessness, barrenness.  The people of the church need to hold forth the banner of hope. 
     There are those who have given up on heaven as a place of hope.  It is not a far step for these same people to give up on earth as well.  The doomsday drums of nuclear, ecological and political apocalypse beat louder every day.  This is the bad news that apart from Christ we can do nothing. There are those who say that hope is meaningless, and does nothing.  But there is true power in putting our hope and trust in God.  It is not just wishing- it is trusting.  It is not giving up but persevering until we are back up again. 
     There is hope.  Nothing is impossible with God.  We can work to make the world a better place.  We can ignore the power of the bad news and fight it with the spread of the good news of Christ.  The hope we have is not found in ourselves- but in the One who tells us that with Him- nothing is impossible.  It is this hope that strengthens us.  It enables us to say and believe, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” 

Prayer: Lord, help me to believe and concentrate and have hope. 

“Opitmism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”  Helen Keller.

Song: #128: Infant holy, infant lowly, for his bed a cattle stall; oxen lowing, little knowing Christ the babe is Lord of all.  Swift are winging, angels singing noel’s ringing, tidings bringing, Christ the babe is Lord of all!  Christ the babe is Lord of al!