November 21, 2024

Spiritual Hope

June 2, 2015 by

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For everything that was written in the past
was written to teach us
so that through endurance
and the encouragement of the Scriptures
we might have hope.
Romans 15:4

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These words came as I was addressing an issue at hand.  Reference was made to that which is written in the Old Testament.  The Word of God always gives comfort and strength.  The Word of God is an oasis of hope.

Believing the Word of God and living by it takes us from the arena of hope into faith.

And hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God
is shed abroad in our hearts
by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Romans 5:5

That means hope never disappoints. The reason it does not disappoint is that the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.  Hope is one of the three creative principles of the human spirit. They are also abiding principles.

And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three;
but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13

Meaning that when all else fails, these three principles will remain and not pass away.  They are given to us and are in our spirits.  We are to choose to act on faith, to always be hopeful towards God, and to walk in love.  Hope does not function on its own; it must be applied or acted upon.

The kind of hope that always produces results is the one that has its roots in God’s Word.  No man should hope in himself for there is no strength in such hope.  However, to hope in God is to trust entirely in Him for your provision.  Yet hope is not enough to change circumstances until its given substance.  This substance is the faith.

For faith is the substance of things hoped for….
Hebrews 11:1

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Dear heavenly Father, I declare that by the entrance of your Word in my spirit let my faith grow.  I should live by Your Word for it gives comfort and strength.  Let me not trust and hope in chariots, as some others do, but let all my hope be in You in every area of my life.  I pray all this in Jesus’ name.  Amen!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)

September 11, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Today I felt led to share this poignant song by Alan Jackson. It is so hard to believe that it has been 13 years since the horrific attack on the Twin Towers and the almost 3,000 who died on 9/11/01. Mr. Jackson’s song brings us back to what will always be the greatest thing we can do—love.

(Please be aware that the video includes many photos of the tragedy that happened at the Twin Towers.)

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Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in L.A.
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry

Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don’t know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below

Did you burst out in pride
For the red, white, and blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do
Did you look up to Heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really matters

I’m just a singer of simple songs
I’m not a real political man
I watch CNN but I’m not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you’re a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that Bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Speak with some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you’re watching
And turn on “I Love Lucy” reruns
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love

I’m just a singer of simple songs
I’m not a real political man
I watch CNN but I’m not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love

I’m just a singer of simple songs
I’m not a real political man
I watch CNN but I’m not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love

The greatest is love
The greatest is love

Singer / Songwriter: Alan Jackson
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Such a beautiful song which ends with the Truth of God’s Word—‘and the greatest is love.’

But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13

There is no doubt that we have been given the standard to love throughout the entire New Testament.  From Jesus’ words to His disciples, to Paul and Timothy’s encouragement to the believers of the 1st Century Church, to the standard that John, the beloved Apostle, laid out in the epistles he wrote…all point directly to the greatest thing we have to do.  LOVE.

Jesus said quite a bit to His disciples about love. Listen…

“Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and most important command.
The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 22:36-39

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another:
just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:34 and 35

“You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.
For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good,
and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Matthew 5:43-45

Shortly before Jesus’ trial and persecution and His death, the disciples were asking Him about His return. Amongst other warnings, He admonished them about the great importance of love.

“But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.
At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.
Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.
Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.
But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.”
Matthew 24:8-14

All of Jesus’ disciples died before He was sent by His Father to return to the earth and gather the faithful.  So these words must be taken seriously by those of us who still remain. We don’t know WHEN He is coming…but we DO know that He IS coming! And so these warnings should be heeded to.

The attacks of those who hate God against the Christians in the world have definitely increased.  Our military continues to fight heated battles in Afghanistan (and also in other regions of the world).  Christians in many countries are arrested, tortured, and some killed for their faith in God and Jesus Christ.  Even here within the borders of our own country, hatred increases it seems every day.  We must not be counted among those whose ‘love will grow cold.’  There is great hope, too!  Remember, Jesus said, ‘…MOST people’s love will grow cold.’ (Not ALL people’s.)  Love will survive and can even thrive where we (you and me!) choose to love and not hate. It will be hard…it IS hard! It will seem to be an up-hill battle, and it IS.  But we have the Holy Spirit within us to lead and guide and help us!  May God give us grace every day to choose love.

Even in the days of the 1st Century Church, Paul and Timothy and John encouraged the believers to choose love.

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these.
2 Timothy 3:1-5

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
1 John 4:7-12

But our living love, practicing love, showing love is now of utmost importance, more important than having any of the other virtues or gifts, because love is the greatest (hey, I didn’t say it!).  Oh, yes, we must have faith and hope…and live our lives with those virtues.  But, since ‘the greatest is love’ we must remember…

LOVE is
patient and kind
does not envy, is not boastful, is not conceited
does not act improperly
is not selfish, is not provoked
keeps no record of wrongs
finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth
bears all things
believes all things
hopes all things
endures all things
never ends

There are so very many ways for us to show love to those around us.  To some, it is easy and natural…but to others it takes effort and work (sometimes it seems we need supernatural help!).  But we can.  And we can grow in our ability to love others.  Paul wrote,

I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment.
Philippians 1:9

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But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Love Your Enemies by Diane Meyers

February 23, 2013 by

This week I decided to take a break from the Love Letters from God series for a very special reason. God has laid something on my heart to share with you. Today, I want to share with you a lesson that God has taught me and, is still teaching me, that has brought me SO close to Him. Something I thought would prove impossible to do only proved that nothing is impossible with God. I know every single one of you has an enemy or enemies. How many of you can say with confidence that you are obeying the Lord’s command to love each of your enemies? Today, I am able to say with confidence that I love my enemy, but I can assure that was not the case at one point in my life. Let me share with you my journey of loving my enemies.

When I was younger I was confused by the statement I would hear in church, “Love your enemies.” I distinctively remember thinking, “Who are my enemies, and why am I supposed to love them?” I will never forget the day that this command proved to be the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. That would be the day I learned what an enemy was. I remember thinking there is no possible way I can love him; he caused way too much pain and heartache in my life. This was a man whose desire was to bring me down, use me, abuse me, put me in danger, confuse me and pull me far away from TRUTH and LOVE and bring me into a life full of EVIL and LIES. Surely God had no expectations for me to love this person?

I felt as though the pain this enemy caused me was greater than the love that I could give him. I truly thought it was impossible to forgive, and love someone who did such awful things to me.  Boy—did Satan want to confuse me.  There came a time when I needed to flush out the lies and believe in my heart that nothing is impossible with God. We have God’s love as a perfect example of how we are supposed to love our enemies. Our love is not perfect love like God’s love for us, but the more we grow in our relationship with God, the easier it is to gain God-like qualities; loving our enemies being one of them.  It hit me one day; God loves my enemy so much.  Everyone God loves, I want to love to (this being the whole world).  I had to learn a healthy way to love this enemy.  God showed me exactly how to handle this enemy in my life.  I started loving him by praying for him.  I was able to forgive and ask for forgiveness for not loving this enemy.  I may never have the chance to tell my enemy all about the love I have for him, but I pray that he will make the most of his chances to feel all of the love God has especially for him.

Has reading this brought to mind any enemies you may have?  What about the ones you are not loving?  Loving our enemies truly is something God wants and expects us to do. Matthew 5:44 says, “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  Also, 1 John 4:19-21 says, “We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And He has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” God doesn’t want us destroyed by the cancer of hatred; He wants us to grasp onto His strength and power to love those who hurt us the most.

It wasn’t until I started loving my enemy by praying for him that I realized that person no longer has any power over me. 1 Corinthians 13:13: “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” This reminds us there is nothing greater than God’s love. And He will empower us to love even those who hurt us.

Let’s Pray:

Lord, thank You for Your perfect love.  I ask that You bring to mind the people in our life who have hurt us.  I pray that You help us to be strong in You and ask for Your help to forgive these people and learn to love them as You want us to love them.  Love is an amazing gift.  There is freedom in Your love.  We trust that when we finally love those who hurt us, we can feel Your love more freely through us.  I pray these things in your precious name, Amen.

 

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