I had some good time just sitting with Jesus this morning. It was quite blissful. And I was asking God what to even blog about, and what i heard was Hope.
So here's my thoughts;
This past week, was a real blah week, and quite difficult to keep my mood, morale, and attitude in a good place. I usually can gain a pretty good control of those things, but this week, it was not happening. There were some instances this week though that stood out to me:
At community night, we had a time of worship. Which was long overdue, and was the first time in what feels like a while that I just cried. I was overwhelmed....by the gifts and value Christ gave to every person in that room. And my heart broke, because the majority of them, don't see it/choose not to see it/doubt it/don't realize all that God has given them...
Sunday morning church service, during our third worship (music) set I was completely overwhelmed by the Spirit of God. It was during the song stronger. It was an odd thing, but a thing that Is happening more randomly. I lost control of my body. I can't remember shaking that bad, ever. My hands would not stay still, my knees felt like they were shaking, and all I could do was sing out and proclaim that He is Stronger....because He is.
So what does Hope have to do with these parts of my week? It has a lot to do....because what I feel, is that as the bride of Christ, His church, so many of God's people are lacking hope. And this weekend, where we celebrated Christ defeating death and rising from the dead, it reminds me that we should be full of hope, no matter what season of life we are in, and what trials or joys we are walking through. I see hopelessness everyday, and I am surrounded by people everyday of my life who love Christ more than life itself. This my brethren, is not okay. How can we, who have the Holy Spirit alive inside of us, moving us, guiding us, sanctifying us, empowering us, who have been redeemed and made righteous by Jesus Christ's selfless and victorious sacrifice, and who have been chosen by the Creator of the heavens and the earth, a Holy, infinite God, be so hopeless?!
I beg you brothers and sisters, stop looking at your failures, your past, your insecurities, your fears....and look to Christ. See yourself the way He does, know what He says about you. People watch you, a dying world watches you, they know you proclaim Christ, so show them that He is worth the fight, that there is hope.
If you watch any movie, any tv show, hope is basically the center of what is going on. There is always that one person, who hopes for all the people, that something better will happen or come along. I've been watching recently a lot of the show Once Upon A Time, and Mary Margaret in one scene told Henry that fairy tales are there to give us hope. Hope that things don't have to stay the way they are, and that they won't.
That is what Christ gives us. Hope. Hope, that life will not stay the same. Our situation, our trials will not stay the same, but that one day we will be face to face with Christ. And that time with Him, will not end. We will get to spend eternity with Him, and with no fears, no tears, no pain. Just the glory of God surrounding us!
So I leave you with the challenge to ask God to fix your eyes on Him so that your heart can hope more and more each day in Him. Also, look up verses on hope. The bible talks a lot about it. Here are a few:
"Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:2-5
"For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." Romans 8:24-25
Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13
"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." Titus 2:11-14
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, Hebrews 6:19
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
Revelation 21:1-7
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