Hope

-


Scripture

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Romans 15:13 NASB)

 

Observation


The God whom we serve is a God of hope, a hope which we receive through the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul knew that all of humanity, no matter their circumstances needed hope. Life on this earth has never been easy for Christ's followers and the need for hope has always existed. Hope results in a life filled with joy and peace as we believe.

 

Application


At this time of year people are looking for hope, joy and peace. Just today I've been watching the news with pictures coming out of Syria and young children running from gunfire. We do not live in a world of peace, but rather in a world of war. Humanity's self-centeredness leads to a place where there is no hope, no joy and no peace. With childlike faith the following song became popular in Russia during a time when peace was very tenuous:

May there always be sunshine
May there always be blue skies
May there always be momma
May there always be me

What does hope and peace and joy look like for a small child? Days where you can look up and see the beautiful blue sky which is not dotted with the clouds of war and that your mother remains by your side. As we head into this Christmas season we often speak of a desire for peace. What does peace look like for a follower of Jesus Christ? When the clouds of life come rolling in and we feel discouraged, may we be able to look heavenward and see the glory of the Lord, and may the presence of the Holy Spirit overwhelm us just at the loving embrace of a mother who remains steadily by our side through the thick and thin of life. That's the hope that we have during this Christmas season that was all made possible through the coming of Jesus Christ. His arrival in human flesh brought the reality of real hope to all of humanity through the gift of his Holy Spirit. May the hope, joy and peace of God, which is greater than anything created by human hands overwhelm and flood our hearts this Advent season.

 

Prayer


Lord, thank you for the hope which we have in you. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a ti...
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her ...
Read more

On Grief and A Flute Player

-
Scripture: Matt. 9:23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, Matt. 9:24 he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Matt. 9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. Matt. 9:26 And the report of this spread throughout that district. Observation: This is a simple story which we have heard or read numerous times. Jesus heals the little girl and the people rejoice. But at the moment in which he arrives at the home he encounters the professional mourners. These are the flute players, the ones who have come to make a great noise about the child’s death. It is the flute player that testifies to the fact that she is truly dead. Also, flutes were generally employed when it came to the death of a child. The whole community would therefore understand that it is a child who has died in this home. The flute player is doing the job they have ...
Read more