HOPE

Prayer – And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you. Psalm 39:7

Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. 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 5:1-5

Is there hope in green tomatoes?
Will they ripen and be as sweet
as the red and orange ones?
Can we confidently find hope in Jesus?

Meditate. Consider hope.

 

Do you feel that you have undeserved privilege in knowing and serving Jesus Christ? Do you feel like rejoicing when you have problems? Where is your hope?

 

Paul told the people there at the church in Rome to rejoice when they have problems. That is not part of the human nature. We can only do that with the power of the Holy Spirit. Can we rejoice when we see others struggling? Oh my! That would seem like heaping coals on their heads. No, we must hear the call to prayer when we see others struggling. I even pause to pray when I see an ambulance rushing down the street. “Lord, have mercy on those that emergency crew is going to rescue.” When I see the clouds of smoke rising in videos of Israel and Gaza, I can only pause to pray, “Lord, have mercy.”

 

Endurance strengthens character and thus gives us greater confidence in our salvation. The salvation in Jesus Christ. We have that need of salvation—just because we are human and follow in the footsteps of Adam and Eve. They made a willful decision to disobey—and yet we have to suffer the consequences. Endure. Have hope. By willfully and obediently becoming the ultimate sacrifice for mankind’s sin, Jesus really paid the price for those consequences. We don’t have to do anything except repent and believe. Can you do that? It is an ongoing process. One that continually reminds us of the hope we have in Jesus.  

For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. Titus 2:11-13 (Underlined for emphasis.)

 

Verses of Salvation ~ Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God's curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don't need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don't yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) Romans 8:18-25

 

 

© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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