God Gives You Hope
May the
God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you
may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Romans
15:13)
The
world we live in isn’t offering us much in the way of hope right now. Our
political leaders will often tell us anything to make us think everything is
okay, while they chisel away at our freedoms and confiscate our money. Their
promises are empty and the hope they offer is false. I know my hope is in the
Lord, because he is the only one who will give me what’s real. He offers me real
joy, real peace just when I need it most. When the Holy Spirit took up
residence in my heart, the disappointments of this world no longer seemed so distressing.
I know now, my only hope lies in a loving relationship with Jesus by submitting
to the will of the Father in heaven.
The
only thing the average unbeliever has to look forward to is more pain and
misery, more disappointment and disillusionment from this world. You might
think, if you just had more money, you’d be happy. That might work for a short
time, but soon, you’ll feel just as empty as before. Look at all the rich
people who spend thousands of dollars a year in different kinds of therapy. If
I weren’t saved, I could get depressed just writing this piece but there is a
choice to be made here. I can choose to stay miserable in this fallen world, or I
can choose to follow Jesus every day of my life. God gave me his Spirit so that
I might be filled with hope. With that overflowing wellspring of hope, I can
share the good news I have about my Savior.
Am I going to choose a gloom and doom attitude? NO! I
am supposed to be a light in this dark world. If I am not showing the light of
Christ, I am failing at the only important thing Jesus left for me to do. I may
be the only “Jesus” some people see. So, it’s vitally important that I show his
love and not my insecurities. Am I going show the world the joy and peace I have
found by trusting in the Lord? YES! The time is short, Jesus is coming soon, so
sharing the gospel is just as important now as ever. Just because I’m saved,
doesn’t mean I can sit back and wait for Christ’s return. I must be busy
sharing the good news every day.
Father, you are the all-powerful Creator of all things. You existed before time and space. Without you, nothing would be. Therefore, we have every reason to be thankful for who you are. You are definitely the God of hope! You gave us Jesus Christ to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. Then, just to give us hope for eternity, you raised him from the dead; the firstfruits of the resurrection. It’s that hope that puts the joy and peace in our hearts because our faith is strengthened. After Jesus ascended into heaven to sit at your right hand, you gave us the Holy Spirit. Thank you for his guidance and power that fills us daily with hope, overflowing. He lives in us to be that still small voice, reminding us not to fear what’s going on in the world, but to fear only you. Thank you, God, for the blood of Christ. Thank you, Lord, for the reassurance of the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Father, for loving us the way you do and making all this possible. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!
Comments
Post a Comment