O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption. Psalms 130:7

Many years ago Leigh Harline and Ned Washington put their talents together and wrote a song. It reads,

"When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you
If your heart is in your dreams, no request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star as dreamers do."

Their song concludes with

"Like a bolt out of the blue, fate steps in and sees you thru
When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true."

Most of us like that song. We like the idea that dreams come true. We like the concept that if we wish hard enough, long enough, and are sincere enough, we will eventually get what we want.

It's a great idea. Too bad it isn't so.

Our dreams don't always come true, do they? All of us know of someone who wished upon a star -- who poured out an ocean of wishes upon a galaxy of stars, but their dreams didn't come true. In spite of our wishes and dreams, disappointment, discouragement, doubt, depression and death still come.

Since sin entered the world that has been a fact of life.

Thankfully, for followers of the Savior, there is another fact of life. We are blessed to know the Christ who had been crucified by a Roman death squad has risen from the dead. Nobody dared dream that could be a possibility, but it did happen.

Jesus rose from the dead and showed to all that sin would no longer rule us; Satan could no longer claim us, and death no longer had the last word in our lives.

Jesus rose from the dead and His resurrection changes the really important things of life.

No, I'm not going to say He changes everything and makes every moment of our lives filled with sweetness and light. I can't say that. Christians are still poor; they still die of cancer; they still have personal problems and difficulties. But because of Jesus these pains and problems are seen for what they really are: temporary and transitory.

It is my prayer the risen Jesus has risen for you. It is my hope the Holy Spirit has placed within your heart a faith and confidence in the Christ whose steadfast love and blood-bought forgiveness gives us an unconquerable hope.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, in the midst of the messes of life, I give thanks You have shown me that You are in charge and these hurts are fleeting. May I look past the results of sin and see my Savior who comes and carries and helps me conquer. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Proverbs 19-21    Acts 3

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