Tuesday, November 15, 2016

H is for HOPE

by Hallie Gipson

As we approach the end of year 2016 and the seasons of Thanksgiving and Christmas, many will be excited about what each holiday means. Many will look forward to the time with family & friends as they enjoy all the ‘trappings’ that surround these holidays.

For others, however, these holidays can bring angst, depression, and a feeling of hopelessness. The reality is --- life is hard! And because we live in a fallen world, we must deal with many things that can cause us grief and pain, or that seek to drain all the joy from life. I could list some of these, but will leave that to you, the reader, because each person’s reason for feeling hopeless is different.

Even when our lives could be defined as going ‘well’, we can still be dragged into a pit that leaves us feeling hopeless. It’s not something we can always put our finger on or even name, but it’s there. It eats at our inner peace and leaves us feeling as if we’re in a fog with no way out --- hopeless.

If this describes you or someone you know, I am here to declare that there is HOPE for you!! And that hope is found in Jesus Christ and the truth of His word. No matter what ‘season’ of life you are in, God has not abandoned you. If He has allowed a painful or difficult situation in your life, He will walk beside you all the way. As you read the following Scriptures, it is my prayer that you begin to feel the warmth of God’s word and the hope found in Jesus Christ. As Jesus Himself said in John 4:46,“I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.”

1 Peter 1:3
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Titus 3:4-7
“But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Psalm 71:5
“For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my confidence from my youth.”

Ephesians 1:18
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”

Colossians 1:27
“ . . . Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Hebrews 6:18, 19
“ . . . by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil.”

1 Thessalonians 5:8
“But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.”

Romans 5:2b-5
“and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

As God’s word tells us, the hope we have through Christ Jesus is many things.  
It is:
  • ·        living
  • ·        eternal
  • ·        an anchor for our soul
  • ·        sure and steadfast

The hope we have through Christ will never disappoint. Christ in us is our hope of glory.

So take heart, dear reader! If you are experiencing a season of hopelessness, my prayer for you is Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”  

Blessings!

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