Special Sunday School Teaches of Hope

• Published in: The Ledger (Lakeland)
• Main Author: Dantzler, Rick
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lakeland, Fla Halifax Media Group 06.11.2004
• Subjects: Carter, Jimmy; Fuller, Millard
• ISSN: 0163-0288

[Jeremiah] also gave people hope, President Carter said. He told them to be patient and God would deliver them from their tribulations. Indeed, Jeremiah would introduce a new covenant from God. Reading from the Bible, the president showed that this covenant would be internal in that it would be within the hearts of the people; available to everyone, not just for the Hebrews or for certain classes; and redemptive in that God would forgive iniquities. He then directed our attention to the Book of Hebrews in the New Testament, stating that it was in Jesus Christ that this new covenant was fulfilled. Applying the teachings of Jeremiah to modern-day life, President Carter stated that his uncle did not die in the prisoner of war camp, when those around him were, because he never lost hope. And that was the message of Jeremiah: "Don't give up because God loves his people," he said. He challenged us to live out the new covenant by searching for our own relationship with Christ, and ended with a prayer. As I drove back to the hunting camp, passing yellow-flowered goldenrod and snow-like fields of cotton, all under a cobalt-blue sky, I was filled with energy and hope. Regardless of your tribulation, "don't give up because God loves his people," the president had said, paraphrasing the prophet Jeremiah. It was this lesson that I took from his Sunday School class.