When did love become unmoving?  When did love become unconsuming?

Love is one of the most powerful human emotions.  The band, Sidewalk Prophets, pose the two questions above to make us think.  Intentionally, the musicians ask the wrong questions.  They want us to reply, "Wait a minute!  Love is supposed to be moving.  Love is to be consuming!"

Today I am thinking of the word, Hope.  Hope is a powerful force.  It enables us to overcome great obstacles.  It's absolutely essential to the life God wants us to live.  It's the fuel our hearts run on.  It's the single biggest difference between those who persevere and those who give up.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, I would like to share a little bit with you of what God has been placing on my heart this summer.  This began back with the senior high mission trip to Indianapolis early in the summer.  During one of the evening services that week, we were asked to write down or draw on a large wall mural something we have wasted.  Some drew money, some drew pictures of hands or gifts, but by far most people drew a clock (in some form or another) to symbolize wasted time.  As I stood there looking at the mural, I too realized that my biggest waste was time.  However, for me, God was striking a deeper chord in my life than he had before.  In my waste of time, I was wasting souls.

"...whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."  (Matthew 10:39b)

At one time, all of us were on a road that was not satisfying and was not leading us to a place any person would desire.  We were on a dead end road - that ended in death.  But someone introduced us to Jesus.  We experinced forgiveness that we did not deserve, a love we could not earn, and peace so great we find it hard to describe.