“Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the Lord.” Psalm 31:24 “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy.” Psalm 147:11 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 What is your hope based upon? When your find yourself full of hope, is it because you might get that new job, the loan for the new house, for a pregnancy that has been long desired, for that marriage proposal, for the gift you have desired for your birthday, for the promotion that you have worked so hard for, or that your spouse won’t find out you have cheated? We hope for the strangest things in this life. So many people hope to win the lottery or some jackpot or other that would set them up for life. Some people hope that they have been taken care of in the will of a loved one. So many people base their hopes on things of this world. The lure is there and the acceptance for this kind of attitude is definitely there. Why are so many of our hopes and dreams based on the materialistic things of this world? Why are so many of us focused on death? Because death is what comes from leading a life devoted to this world. Remember, James said, “Whoever wants to be a friend of this world makes himself and enemy of God.” Our hope should lie in the Cross. Our hope is in our salvation. We should all hope that we can live peaceful lives by being peacemakers. We should hope for forgiveness from our transgressions, not only from Jesus, but from our fellow man as well so that we can live in peace with him. We should hope that our submission to God is complete. We should hope that our lives are focused on things above and that we are held from giving in to temptation. We should hope that our lives are an asset to the kingdom of God and not a burden. We should hope that we are aware enough to encourage faith in others. We should hope that we are good and loyal role models of faith to our children. We should hope that our dedication to God and Jesus is who we are genuinely in our souls and that it is not a superficial layer of ourselves. We should hope that our relationship with Jesus continues to grow day by day. Our hope is because Jesus died on that Cross for us. Our hope rests in the hands of God. Our hope is that we live our lives well, not as good people, but as Disciples of Christ. Our hope is that we guarantee our salvation by clinging to that Cross and turning from the lures of this world. Our hope is eternal and is not because of what we see here in front of us. Our hope is to make it home to heaven. Our hope is to be of one mind together so that we can help each other stand strong in this life. Our hope is that we honor God and His Son and receive the rewards promised to us. “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:1-2 Love That Cross, Pastor John Collins
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 14:06:12 +0000
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