The+Monarch-Symbol+of+Hope

Have you ever considered the fact that the Monarch butterfly is called the "Symbol of Hope"? All of us need hope in our lives especially when we are going through hard times. Are you going through a difficult time in your life? Have you noticed that many medical organizations use the butterfly logo in their literature. Why is that? They want you to focus on the fact that the butterfly is the symbol of hope, restoration, and renewal. Even though you may be going through a hard time in the treatment process, they do not want you to become discouraged, lose hope, or give up. They want you to believe that healing is coming and a healthy, normal life is in your future. Have you lost a friend or family member in death? We believe that God has given us the Monarch butterfly as a symbol of hope. Several people have related to me their experiences at a funeral of a loved one. During the committal service at the cemetery, a butterfly suddenly appeared and landed on the flower arrangement on the casket. They were impressed by the way the butterfly changed the atmosphere from grief to hope.

If you believe in God as the creator of the universe, and that the Bible is God’s word to us, then he has given us hope. That hope is not only for this life, but a hope that is beyond the grave. Are you looking for purpose, meaning, or direction in your life? Jesus promises to guide and take care of us now, // I Peter 5:7 - "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you", Philippians 4:19 - "And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus", Proverbs 3:5,6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, acknowledge Him in all your ways, and He will direct your paths". // God's word can be the GPS in your life. Begin with reading the Gospel of John. He also promises us hope for the future.There is life after death, and those who believe in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, can be assured that he will provide hope in their lives. Let’s see what God’s word says about this hope that he wants us to have.

Jesus said in // John 14: 2,3 -“In my Father’s house are many dwelling places. I am going to prepare a place for you. __I will come back__ to take you to be with me that you may be where I am”. // After Jesus ascended to heaven after his resurrection from the dead, the angels that appeared to His followers said in // Acts 1:11 - “ Men of Galilee, this same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, __will come back__ in the same way that you have seen him go into heaven”. //Jesus has promised that he is coming back to this earth to take us to be with himself. // I Corinthians 15:51-53 - “Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep (die), but we will all be __changed__ - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be __changed__. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality”. // There will be a generation of believers in Jesus Christ who will __not__ experience death, but along with believers who have already passed away, will experience “metamorphosis”. It is the same word as the word, “changed” used in describing the life cycle process of the butterfly. // I Thessalonians 4:13-18 - “We do not want you to be ignorant about those who have fallen asleep (died), or to grieve like those who have no hope. We believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep (died) in Him. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ __will rise__ first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be __caught up together__ with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words”. //

As God provides a totally new and marvelous body for the Monarch caterpillar, through metamorphosis, so God has given us hope. He is also going to give us a new and marvelous body that will be changed, metamorphosis, in the blink of an eye. If you are going through a time of sorrow over the death of someone dear to you, this message of hope and comfort is for you. Like the Monarch, what you see in that casket is only their __chrysalis__. That person is very much alive with the Lord. Someday, possibly very soon, God is going to provide a glorious body for them, fit for eternity. He has given us the Monarch butterfly, as real and tangible evidence to show us that he can and will do what he has promised. // Titus 2:13 " We are to be looking for the __blessed hope__ - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ". // Every time we see a butterfly, we should be reminded of that hope.

// Philippians 3:20-21 - “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will __transform__ (metamorphosis) our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body”. I John 3:2-3 - “We know that when he appears, we shall be like be // __// like him //__ //, for we shall see him as he is”. // There is much more to life than what we now see. **//There is hope beyond the grave//**. God has a fabulous future in store for those who love him. Jesus is __coming back__ for his believers. Are you ready for his return? Jesus died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the grave to pay the penalty for our sin. He did that so that we can spend eternity in heaven with Him. That is the meaning of Easter. Put your //faith and trust// in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord of your life and //believe// the wonderful promises that he has given in his word, the Bible. It is the only hope that will last. //John 3:16 - “For God so loved the world (you and me) that he gave his one and only Son (Jesus Christ), that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life”. John 11:25 - "Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives// //and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"// Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who came into the world. He died on the cross and rose from the grave for __you__. Ask him to be __your__ Savior and Lord of your life. He is the only one that can give you real hope, meaning, and purpose in life.