One day, Josh graduated from the Ateneo. He had many dreams and was excited about his future.
After the graduation ceremonies, he rode a cab.
The taxi driver greeted the young man, “How are you today?”
“I feel wonderful,” the new graduate said, extending his hand, “I’m Josh, Ateneo, batch 2010.”
“Congratulations!” the cab driver said, “I’m Carlos, Ateneo, batch 1976.”
(Note: This is a joke. I graduated from the Ateneo!)
Today, God Wants To Give You Hope
God wants to give you hope.
How? He’ll do it by giving you a peek into your future.
He’ll give you a glimpse of what’s coming next.
My message for you today is very simple: The last chapter of your life has been written, and it has a happy ending.
Obviously, you have to choose this happy ending.
It won’t happen if you don’t choose it.
But my point is that it’s available.
You can have a happy future.
Yes, you may be going through rough times now. Perhaps there’s a mountain of bills that you have to pay. Or the doctor’s report may not be good. Or there’s a conflict in your family. Or you may not be happy with your job.
Whatever it is, believe that you can have that happy future.
The Last Chapter Of Your Life Has Been Written,
And It Has A Happy Ending
Take the case of my friend Pablo.
Pablo has a problem: His girlfriend dumped him.
His friends told him, “Pablo, that’s just a small problem.”
But Pablo is collapsing under its crushing weight.
He feels that life is hopeless and wants to die.
To hide his identity, I won’t show you his photo.
Instead, I’ll just draw a caricature of Pablo…
As a kid, I used to draw a lot. 10% of my notebooks were class notes, and 90% were drawings. (To mothers: When your little boys fill their notebooks with drawings, don’t stop them. They may become preachers one day!)
But one day, someone invited Pablo to the Feast. (That’s what we call our weekly prayer gathering because it’s feels like a party. If you want to join us, click here or email feastsecretariat@yahoo.com.) And he was hooked. He never left.
Each week, he heard God’s Word.
After 6 months, Pablo’s life has totally changed.
But ironically, he now has more problems!
First, he still doesn’t have a girlfriend.
Second, the company he’s working for is in bad shape and may close down soon.
Third, his parents are fighting over money again.
Fourth, his pimples are acting up.
But here’s a caricature of Pablo after 6 months…
Pablo has more problems today.
Yet he’s smiling!
How come?
He’s got more problems now.
He should be crying more.
But he’s not.
Here’s the reason…
There’s only one difference between the two drawings: In the past months, Pablo has grown in Hope.
He knows that his problems are temporary. He knows that his future is brighter than his past. He knows that in the end, he will win the victory.
Happiness Has Nothing To Do
With The Absence Of Problems
Do you want to be happy?
Being happy doesn’t have anything to do with the size of your problems. Being happy has everything to do with the size of your hope. And that’s what you receive from God.
Friend, are you like Pablo?
Are you burdened with a long list of problems?
Having many problems isn’t the problem.
Losing your hope is the problem.
Don’t give up.
Don’t lose hope.
Because when you lose hope, you lose life.
Pablo is smiling because he has hope.
He knows something He didn’t know before: That God finishes what he starts.
Listen to God in your heart. He is speaking to your heart and saying, “The last chapter of your life has been written, it has a happy ending.”
The Power Of Hope To Bless Your Life
Hope is underrated.
The Bible says that between faith, hope, and love, love is the most important thing in the world. And I agree.
And faith? It’s essential to salvation.
So where does hope come in? A nice third class bonus.
They also say that in Heaven, you don’t need hope anymore.
But that’s precisely the point: We’re not yet in Heaven. (Just to check, pinch yourself. If you experience pain, you’re not yet there.)
On planet earth, hope is crucial for survival.
In fact, it’s crucial for any kind of success.
Do You Have More Problems
When You Grow Closer To God?
One day, Pablo asked me, “Bo, why is it that when I grew closer to God, I now have more problems. Is this a test from God? Or is this harassment from the devil?”
I told him, “Neither. I believe you’re experiencing a normal life. Because problems are a part of life. I believe you’ll have problems whether you’re near to God or far from God. Your choice is this: Will you go carry your problems with hope or will you carry your problems without hope?”
Pablo almost shouted, “With hope!”
And that’s what happens when people join the Feast every week. They go home from the Feast with overflowing hope in their hearts. In other words, they receive a “Taboric” experience…
Jesus Lifted The Curtain
Between Heaven And Earth
One day, Jesus brought Peter, James, and John to Mount Tabor. When they reached the top, a powerful transfiguration happened.
They saw Jesus shining with brilliant light.
And beside him were Moses and Elijah, also glowing.
It was so powerful, Peter said, “Jesus! Let’s build 3 tents. One for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
He didn’t know what he was saying.
The vision was so mind-boggling, he was speaking gibberish.
Because on Mt. Tabor, Jesus lifted up the curtain that divided heaven and earth.
Here’s my question: Why did Jesus do that?
To show off? Not likely.
He did this to give them hope.
Jesus knew that after they go down from Mount Tabor, life would be tough. His disciples will see Jesus bloodied up. Beaten with whips. Slaughtered as a criminal. They’ll see him die on the cross.
So in Mount Tabor, Jesus gave them a peek of the future.
He gave them a glimpse of the last chapter.
He was telling them, “The last chapter of your life is written, and it has a happy ending.”
You Need Taboric Experiences In Your Life
I feel each Feast is a Taboric experience.
In our weekly Feast, people meet God. They hear God’s Word. They go home with great hope in their hearts.
Because in the Feast, people get a taste of their future.
Below is a photo of a regular telescope.
Do you know that Hope is also a telescope?
It is. But it’s a very special one.
Instead of looking through space, it looks through time.
Hope is a “time” telescope.
It sees the future.
Hope whispers to your heart, “Your future is beautiful. You will win. You will overcome.”
“You’ll Never Be A Speaker”
I will never forget this one difficult moment in my life.
I was fourteen years old, already giving talks here and there in different prayer groups.
One day, I was invited to speak in a seminar.
There were less than 20 people in the audience.
But when I stood in front of them, I didn’t know why, but I felt so self-conscious. I felt nervous and began to sweat. And my talk bombed.
After I spoke for less than 20 minutes, I sat down. I felt so ashamed at what I did.
It didn’t help when the organizer stood up and said, “What Bo was trying to say was this…” He then proceeded to give my talk all over again.
After the seminar, he came up to me and said, “Bo, I think you shouldn’t be speaking in seminars like these.”
Ouch.
In my mind, I heard a voice say, “I knew it. Who am I fooling? I’ll never be a speaker.”
That day, I basically gave up on myself. I was thinking of just refusing the invitations I was receiving.
But when I went back to my little prayer group, my prayer group leader, Aida Manongdo, never gave up on me. Perhaps she sensed I was feeling down. She called me aside and said, “Bo, I have something to tell you.”
She said, “Bo, God spoke to me again. He said you really have an anointing. One day, you’ll be preaching in many countries all over the world.”
What was she doing? She was giving me hope.
She was saying, “God will finish what He has started. The last chapter of your life has been written, and it has a happy ending.”
Today, those words have come true.
For 31 years now, I’ve been preaching in over 20 countries.
When you’re feeling down and about to give up, I now realize that God will send an Aida to you who will give you hope.
I’m that Aida to you now.
God has sent me to tell you that your future is brighter than your past. You may be in a Good Friday right now but I’m telling you that your Easter Sunday is coming. You will have a happy ending. You will have a glorious future.
What Kind Of Person Are You?
Let me end with one last word.
There are two kinds of people in the world: People who give hope and people who take away hope.
What kind of person are you?
When you relate with your kids, do you give hope? Are you like Jesus who lifts the “curtain” between his present and bright future? Do you tell your child, “The last chapter of your life has been written, and has a happy ending.”
Today, I want you to receive hope.
And be like Jesus.
Give hope.
May your dreams come true,
Bo Sanchez
PS. You Can Grow Your Financial Abundance–No Matter What Happens Around You. Last Friday, I sent to my TrulyRichClub Gold Members my 2nd Issue Of “Stocks Update” Newsletter. I talked about how to profit in the Stock Market if there’s a failure of election. (But hopefully, elections will turn out very well.) I guide my members how to grow their money. You can enjoy what they’re enjoying. I’m personally inviting you to join my TrulyRichClub and grow in financial abundance. For more details, go to www.TrulyRichClub.com now.
