What is the biggest problem in your life?

Once you identify that problem, you will discover what you need to resolve in order to have hope.

If I view other people and their evil influence as the biggest problem,
then my only hope lies in them getting their act together and changing for the better.

If I view my government as the biggest problem,
then hope only comes with better candidates and a better election.

If I view my church as the biggest problem,
then hope will only come when this or that person leaves,
a program is added or deleted,
and the staff is exactly what I think they should be. (Lord, have mercy.)

If I view my husband as the biggest problem,
then hope only comes when he treats me the exact way I want to be treated,
loves me the way I want to be loved,
knows what I’m thinking before I say it,
and does everything I never want to do. (Impossible? Of course not. ahem.)

If I view my children as the biggest problem,
then hope will only come when they require no correction or instruction because they are practically perfect (from my diligent teaching, of course), and when they serve, love, and are grateful for all I have done as their mother.

 

Since we live in a fallen world, my issues with people and programs will never be resolved.

In short: if I continue to rest my ultimate hope in a future resolution of these problems, then the result? I’ll never have hope.

However. If I recognize that my biggest problem is sin – the evil desires and intentions that lie in my very own soul – well, that’s terrible news.
But there’s a resolution for that.

His name is Jesus. He is the Advocate and propitiation for my sin. Through His death, He has created a way of forgiveness and cleansing.

But true hope starts with this acknowledgment:

My sin is the biggest problem in my life.

My biggest problem doesn’t lie in the people or organizations that surround me, but in the depths of my very own soul.

Only when the true problem is recognized can the right solution be applied. When I view anything besides my sin as my biggest problem, then hope will only come when that issue becomes resolved according to my liking.

Only when I see my sin as my biggest problem can I have confidence in the hope that is in Christ. While focusing on my sin as the problem may initially seem discouraging, in reality it’s the only source of lasting hope. True, lasting hope can only be found by resting in Jesus Christ.

If you are feeling hopeless today, prayerfully consider these questions:

What do I believe to be the biggest problems in my life?
To what or whom am I looking to for hope?
Am I attempting to devise solutions in my own faulty wisdom?
Am I actively looking to Jesus for the resolution of problems?