KEEP YOUR HOPE ALIVE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY AUGUST 19, 2021.

SUBJECT: KEEP YOUR HOPE ALIVE!

Memory verse: "While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (Second Corinthians 4 vs 18.)

READ: Hebrews 4 vs 3 - 10: 

4:3: For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So I swore in My wrath,‘They shall not enter My rest,’ although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. 

4:4: For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”; 

4:5: and again in this place: “They shall not enter My rest..”

4:6: Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience,

4:7: again, He designates a certain day, saying in David, “Today,” after so long a time; as it is said: “Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

4:8: For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day.

4:9: There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.

4:10: For he who has entered His rest has also ceased from his works, as God did from His.

INTIMATION:

Hope is the foundation upon which we continue our response to the grace of God. We all have faced problems in our relationships or in our work that have caused us to think about giving up. Also, we have all done things for which we are ashamed, and we live in the tension of what we have been and what we want to be. It’s easy to lose heart and quit. Because of our hope that is in Christ, however, we can let go of past and look forward to what God will help us become. Don’t dwell on your past if you a child of God. 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.

Our troubles should not diminish our faith or disillusion us, nor should fatigue, pain, or criticism force you off the job. We should not forsake our eternal reward because of the intensity of today’s pain. We should realize that there is a purpose in our suffering. Problems and human limitations have several benefits: (1) They remind us of Christ’s suffering for us; (2) they keep us from pride; (3) they cause us to look beyond this brief life; (4) they give us opportunities to prove our faith to others; and (5) they give God the opportunity to demonstrate His power. See your troubles as opportunities! Your very weakness allows the resurrection power of Christ to strengthen you moment by moment as you concentrate on the inner strength that comes from the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3 vs 16). 

Our day-to-day experiences and hardships are sometimes overwhelming, and we may despair unless we can see that God’s purpose is to bring about continual growth in us. Though Christians see the world as it is—physically decaying and spiritually infected with sin, but they do not need to be pessimistic, because they have hope for future glory. The hope they need is well expressed in Jeremiah 29 vs 11 - 12; “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go 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.

Some people have little hope of escaping their degrading way of life. With no hope, they languish in their state of predicament. But the blind beggar, in Luke 18 vs 35, took hope in the Messiah. He shamelessly cried out for Jesus’ attention, and Jesus said that his faith allowed him to see. No matter how desperate your situation may seem, if you call out to Jesus in faith, He will help you. God’s grace has delivered us from sin and death, and consequently, will deliver us unto the new heavens and earth that are to come. For this reason, Christians should obediently walk by faith in order not to give up their eternal possession that they have as heirs of God. 

The ultimate hope of a Christian when experiencing terrible illness, persecution, or pain is the realization that this life is not all there is—there is life after death! Death is only a prelude to eternal life with God. Knowing that we will live forever with God in a place without sin and suffering can help us live above the pain that we face in this life. The ultimate hope of the believer is in the return of Jesus (Titus 2 vs 13). Our perspective on life remains incomplete without this hope. This hope gives the Christians the inner strength to persevere through the struggles of this life, and remain faithful and strong through the trials and persecutions of this world. 

Hope keeps the Christian from becoming lazy or feeling bored. Like an athlete, train hard and run well, remembering the reward that lies ahead (Philippians 3 vs 14). No matter what happens, God is in control. Evil will not last forever. And a wonderful reward awaits all those who believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord. All Christians should show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that they do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises (Hebrews 6 vs 11 - 12).

Prayer: Abba Father, my trust is in You. For I know I am victorious in Christ, and look forward to live with Him forever when all suffering will end and all sorrow will flee away.

Give me the grace of unshakable hope in the heirship You promised to Your children, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!