Mar | 20 | Life from The Fire

Key Word:- HOPE

Title:- Life from The Fire

Lamentations 3:21-24 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!"

The phoenix is a majestic mythical bird that after its set time, ignites itself and in its own nest burns in the flames of its own making, only to then later emerge, reborn from the ashes! At the very least, this myth is both a picture of resurrection and immortality. Don’t you think??

In 1965 Hollywood produced a film called ‘Flight of the Phoenix,’ starring James Stewart, telling the story of a plane crash where the twelve surviving lost and dispirited souls, are encouraged by one of the ‘oddest of the oddest’ characters assembled in the cast, that from the remains, they can together, build an aircraft which he has designed, to then make an escape from the certain death of the desert. The 2004 remake of this well acted film has one of the best crash scenes ever filmed, but is incomparable to the acting quality of the first film, save for the speech of one of the characters. Let me get to that.

In the script of the 2004 remake of ‘The Flight of the Phoenix,’ the captain of the crashed aircraft loses all hope and is then found refusing to try and implement the plan of rebuilding and possible escape which has been placed before him and in his own rluctancy and despondency, he also removes all hope of escape from the survivors. This causes one of them, Crew Member Liddle, to strike out by himself on foot and into the certain death of the desert, willing to “try and die,” as he puts it, rather than remain in an hopeless situation. The captain follows him into the desert and finds him. Here, the conversation of that encounter, turns the captain’s heart to the embracing of hope, which in turn leads to the subsequent resurrected, rebuild of the previously proposed aircraft and to all their eventual deliverance. Here is the three-sentence gold mine for us to look at today:

Captain Frank Towns: “Why give people false hope?

Crew Member Liddle: “Come on man. Most folks spend their whole lives holding on to hopes and dreams that are never going to come true but they hold on to them. Why are you going to give up on them now when you need them most?"

Captain Frank Towns: “You are assuming I’m one of those people who has hopes and dreams. "

Crew Member Liddle: “I find it hard to believe that a man who learns to fly never had a dream. “

Captain Frank Towns: “Look, how can I let those people build that plane when I don’t believe it will work? And, every day they waste trying to build it brings them one day closer to dying.”

Crew Member Liddle: “I think a man only needs one thing in life. He just needs someone to love. If you can’t give him that, then give him something to hope for. And if you can’t give him that, just give him something to do.”

Captain Frank Towns: “James, you’ll never make it."

Crew Member Liddle: “Then I’ll die trying. There are people counting on me."

Captain Frank Towns: “Okay, Okay, Okay. Okay. We’ll build it.”

I love these lines, don't you?

“I think a man only needs one thing in life.
He just needs someone to love. If you can’t give him that,
then give him something to hope for. And if you can’t give him that,
just give him something to do.”

If your life has been singed today or ruined in a fire, then let me tell you that whatever, I say whatever those flames have been, there is in Jesus, always hope of a resurrection. God has revealed Himself to you in Christ and invited you into an intimate relationship with Him. “Love me!” He says, “For I am worthy and will never let you down, and will never, never, no never leave you. I have given you a certain hope, a definite promise, that will be established with you and in you, just as I have said! All will be well in the end! Nothing shall be wasted and everything shall be redeemed and turned to your eternal and great advantage. Now GO! Go into all the world and tell every one of the great things I have done for you and for all who will call upon My name.”

Jesus has given us Himself to love, a new life in the heavens with Him to hope for and something glorious for us to do for Him and with Him. Jesus then, has given us the three most necessary things in life which we need. Someone to love, something to hope for and something to live for.

Listen: - When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Saviour; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honoured, And I have loved you; Isaiah 43:2b-4a

Pray: - Lord, thank you for this trifold blessing of reasons to live! Thank You for predestined purpose. Help me then, to focus on You today and then to love You with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my might. Then help me to do exactly the same, tomorrow and the next day, and the next day and the next day. Help me to continually rise, rebirthed with hope, from all the flames of my life, in Your great name I ask it, amen.