Hope is always forward facing, full of anticipation and longing, as it yearns for future things. And this hope of ours lies only in the person of Jesus Christ, and the gift of eternal life. For our future glory with Him is the foundational basis of our faith and trust…that confidence built on Him, and nothing else.
Tag: blood of jesus
Philippians 1: 4-6 ” In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
We all share in being part of the Good News of Jesus Christ. And from that assurance, we can be confident that what God has started in our lives will continue to grow and flourish until it is fully achieved…and His purpose in our lives has been perfectly accomplished…according to His glorious Will.
Ephesians 3:12 ” In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.”
Because of what Jesus did for us on the Cross, we can have unfailing trust…absolute access…audacious boldness, and limitless belief in our Heavenly Father. Such fearless confidence like this is only found through Christ and accepting Him as our Lord and Savior.
Acts 9:40 ” Peter sent them all out of the room; then got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, ‘ Tabitha, get up.’ She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.”
Peter first got rid of all the worldly distractions. He then knelt down, putting his mind, body and spirit in right relationship with God. Finally, he poured out his heart to the Lord. He prayed boldly that God would raise this wonderful old saint from the dead…and it happened! He called her name, and she responded.
Psalm 91:13 ” You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample on the great lion and the serpent.”
As Jesus told the 72 He sent out in Luke 10:19, ” I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” We have been given the power to triumph over the forces of Satan, and by the mighty name of Jesus we can defeat and crush him.
I Kings 22: 13-14 ” The messenger who had gone to summon Micaiah said to him, ‘Look, as one man the other prophets are predicting success for the king. Let your word agree with theirs, and speak favorably.’ But Micaiah said, ‘ As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me.’ “
The kings of Judah and Israel were debating whether to join forces and attack the king of Aram. They called together 400 prophets who all proclaimed victory for them. But then Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah asked, ” Is there not a prophet of the Lord?” The king of Israel replied, ” Yes, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good about me, but always bad.” Micaiah could of taken the politically correct route rather than speaking the truth of God. He could of agreed with the other prophets, and in doing so ,compromised his integrity to be part of the popular crowd. Instead, he didn’t allow fear or intimidation to dissuade him from boldly speaking God’s words.
Mark 4:33 ” With similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.”
Jesus taught the crowds with parables. Many times, He would make comparisons between spiritual things and things found in nature. Now to the carnal ear, it was just a nice story…but to the searching ear, it moved and resounded within their souls. Later in verse 34 it states, “But when He was alone with the disciples, He would explain everything.” In the evenings around the fire, Jesus would then reiterate very clearly to the disciples what He meant with the parables…giving eternal implication and significance to each one.
II Peter 3:3 ” First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘ Where is this coming He promised?’ “
The second coming of Christ…humans have tried to predict the exact time from the first century to today. And along with all the forecasting, has come the skeptics. Those who jeer, mock, and sneer because it hasn’t taken place yet. But keep this in mind before you doubt that Jesus will back to earth – a promise is a promise…and God doesn’t go back on His Word.
Psalm 119:95 “… I will ponder Your statutes.”
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I enjoy mindless tasks…a simple job that can be done almost automatically without little attention. It’s those quiet times that the Lord can speak very clearly to my soul and allow me to reflect on Him. In the middle of a mindless task – today it’s shelling peas – He reminded me of my childhood days and the family garden. Shelling a mountain of peas, or at least I thought it was a mountain of them, was a family affair. My Grandmother and Great Aunt would come out to the farm to help. Mom and Dad would get up early and pick, we would all congregate under the large shade trees and the shelling would commence. Conversation would start out lively, but soon talk slowed as we worked in companionable silence. After what I thought was an eternity, the peas were shelled and taken into the kitchen, while the kids gathered up all the pea shells and gave them to the pigs. Ah, those lovely mindless tasks … a time to ponder God and wonderful memories.
I Timothy 1:15 ” Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.”
The longer I’m a Christian, the farther I want to distance myself from the “old me”, and all that went along with it. But the sinful me is still there…lurking under the surface. I may not blatantly transgress, but I still mess up daily. More times than not, it involves a lousy attitude, or judging someone harshly under my breath. I am a sinner saved only by grace, and like Paul…foremost among the offenders.
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