Hope for Grace and Peace

Meditate on this Advent scripture.

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Through him, God has enriched your church in every way--with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. 1 Corinthians 1:3-8   

I thank God for you…for each person reading this message. I am still totally amazed that people in 115 different countries around the world have read this blog. Some people may have just been searching for something to read in English…but searching for God—to understand His word. 

Purity and Hope

We are into the Christmas Advent season…and it is time to meditate on the gift that God has given us. The gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. The first gift…after life itself…is Jesus Christ His Son. Jesus was given as a sacrifice for our sins. From the very first offense against God’s will by Adam and Eve there must always be a sacrifice for sin. There must be a sacrifice to atone for the sin…so that the person can once again enter into God’s presence. God requires purity. With that purity…holiness…comes hope. A hope for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Hope for eternal life with Him. That Hope is provided in a promise.

So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. Hebrews 6:18 

So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us. 1 John 2:24-25

Our final gift or promise to claim is the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. We anxiously await that day…or at least I do. I am eager for Christ to return. Are you? 

Prayer ~ Lord God, I pray that You, the source of hope, will fill me completely with joy and peace because I trust in You. Then I will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. From Romans 15:13. 

Verse of Salvation ~ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5 

© 2020 Text, photos and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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