" HOPE "

This weeks message is on hope and that is something that we all need: hope.

Let's define what hope is:  "HOPE": Is to desire with expectation of fulfillment.

Have you ever thought why hope is a key to the Christian Life? I thank God everyday for being my Father. Hee has shown us the good, the bad, and His Son. Satan seemed to be victorious in the Garden of Eden and at the cross of Jesus. But God turned Satan's apparent victory into defeat when Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Thus death is no longer a source of dread or fear. Jesus overcame the grave, and one day we will also. Death has been defeated, and we have hope beyond the grave. Our day-to-day experiences and hardship are sometimes overwhelming; unless we can see that God's purpose is to bring about continual growth in us, we may despair.

You know how in Jesus we are always rewarded? Take for example the blind beggar who became aware that the Messiah was passing by. All others saw him just as Jesus of Nazareth, but this blind man knew that he was Jesus, Son of David. In those days beggars had little hope of liberating themselves from their degrading way of life. But this man took hope in the Messiah. He brazenly cried out for Jesus' attention and our Lord said that his faith allowed him to see. No matter how desperate your situation may seem, all you have to do is to call out to Jesus in faith and He will help you.

" FOR I KNOW THE PLANS THAT I HAVE FOR YOU; DECLARES THE LORD, 'PLEASE FOR WELFARE AND NOT FOR CALAMITY TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND A HOPE. THEN YOU WILL CALL UPON ME AND PRAY TO ME, AND I WILL LISTEN TO YOU'. " TO RETAIN HOPE WHILE WE SUFFER SHOWS WE UNDERSTAND GOD'S MERCIFUL WAYS OF RELATING TO HIS PEOPLE. " (Jeremiah 29:11-12)

We have all done things to which we are ashamed. We live in the tension of what we have been and what we want to be. Because our hope is in Christ, however, we can let go of the past guilt and look forward to what God will help us become. Don't dwell on your past. Instead, grow in the knowledge of God by concentrating on your relationship with Him now. Realize that you are forgiven, and then move on to a life of faith and obedience. Look forward to a fuller and more meaningful life because of your hope in Christ.

Until Next Time...
Jim