And just like that, the calendar page was turned and it reads “December”. It’s hard to believe we’re down to the last 4 weeks of the year and along with that comes the final 4 blog posts. During this time we’re going to talk about the broad subjects of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. My prayer through this time is that our hearts and minds will be in the best shape of our lives to worship the Lord and celebrate who He is in our lives now and forevermore.
Scripture
The scriptures that we read for the topic of hope are as follows. From them, we can see stark contrasts between the hope we have in the Lord and the wishful thinking we casually talk about from day to day.
Romans 15:13
Psalms 130:1-8
Micah 7:6-8
Psalms 39:6-7
1 Peter 1:3-5
Colossians 1:25-29
Romans 8:18-39
Lessons
God’s Hope
God is trustworthy = you can have confident hope in Him.
God’s love is unfailing = you are confident in His love.
God hears and knows me = you only have to wait for His help because you know it’s coming.
God’s values are everlasting = you can invest in your relationship with Him and be rewarded eternally.
God’s wealth is limitless = your inheritance is priceless and eternal.
God is with you = You can expect to be with Him forever.
God’s care for you is complete = you don’t need anything more.
Man’s Hope
Man is fallible = you sometimes can trust in another and other times you can’t.
Man is fickle = love is often conditional or fleeting.
Man is less likely to know you, hear you, and meet your needs, consistently.
Man is a facade = your rewards from this world are empty, here today and gone tomorrow like a shifting shadow.
Man’s wealth is limited to this earth = you can be wealthy in many ways but none of those things will last.
Man is finite = even if he/she is in a close relationship with you, the relationship is not perfect and will not last forever.
Man’s care for you falls short = no one can truly meet your needs because they are not capable of what God can do.
Action
So what does this mean for you and me today? Well, it certainly does not mean that you give up on loving and caring for humanity. Or that you become cynical or jaded. Quite the opposite, if we live like Christ we are reaching out, helping, loving, trusting, enjoying our blessings, and sharing them with others.
For me, as I’ve emphasized all that hope in God brings, it’s been a great week of expressing gratitude to God for the hope He has given me.
Your action could be the same. Spend time this week deeply understanding all that hope in God means to your life, how it changes you, how it frees and supports you at the same time.
Write a note to Him in gratitude for the hope that fuels your days. Share your hope in God with others! It answers many questions that they may have about faith in God.
How can you be so confident? Why are you kind to others? Where does your energy come from?
Easy!!!! I am filled with hope in a future with the one and only God who loves, forgives, provides, and completes my life!
Thx for your commentary. An encouraging read