December 29, 2024

Hope for Good

June 16, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you a hope and future.”
Jeremiah 29:11

  *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most popular Scriptures known to Christians…that and John 3:16.  Jeremiah 29:11 has been misquoted, misused, and misunderstood, as well.   Sometimes, we like to take Scripture and toss it around, in a well-meaning (but incorrect) fashion.  What I like most about Jeremiah 29:11, though, is that it reminds you that God cares for you and all that you do.

Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God is on our side.

  • He does not harm us
  • He does no ill to us
  • He does not give us cancer
  • He does not cause accidents
  • He does not burn down houses

He does not do any of those things!  There is no burning down your house to give you a better house.  God doesn’t do wrong, bad things, or cause harm.  God, however, can make good come out of bad.  But He does not make bad happen so that good can happen.

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good?
No one is good except God alone.
Mark 10:18

The LORD is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does.
Psalm 145:13b

Knowing these proven truths, no matter what our circumstances look like or what our eyes can see or what our minds tells us, we can rest assured that God is for us and will never let us down.  Yes, the way things work out don’t often make sense to us, but God can see the big picture.  Hoping in the Lord Almighty is the best decision that can be made for one’s family and future.

We may “lose” things.  Things may not go our way, but this does not mean that God does not have a plan.  No, it simply means that our plan does not look like God’s plan.  It’s okay to let go of the steering wheel and take the passenger seat. You’d be amazed at the places you will go.  Following God is made a bit easier when your hope is in Him.

  *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Lord, help us to keep our hope in You.  Help us to see the hopeful future and plans You have for us.  Amen.

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Hope In The Lord

June 15, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

For this is what the Lord has said: When seventy years are ended for Babylon,
I will have pity on you and give effect to My good purpose for you,
causing you to come back to this place.
For I am conscious of My thoughts about you, says the Lord,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you hope at the end.
Jeremiah 29:10-11 BBE

Hope (here in this passage) refers to something to look forward to, or to anticipate, usually with pleasure.  God was telling His people of when they would go into exile; they would have a hope of coming home.

God did not want to send His people into exile.  He wanted them to listen to the warnings of Jeremiah before He punished His people.  The people just scoffed at Jeremiah, choosing to ignore God’s warnings.  Thinking, “Here is Jeremiah again; saying bad things are going to happen to us!”  Scripture tells us of Jeremiah’s frustration at being treated lightly by those listening.

Daniel, who was one of those who were taken into exile in Babylon.

In the first year of his rule, I, Daniel, saw clearly from the books the number of years
given by the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah,
in which the making waste of Jerusalem was to be complete, that is, seventy years.
Daniel 9:2 BBE

Daniel was a man after God’s own heart.  He immediately began praying, asking forgiveness of sins for himself and for those of God’s people.  Daniel was in reverent awe of God’s mercy, grace, and righteousness toward them.  Daniel’s prayer is an example of intercessory prayer.  We should all strive to do this, and most of us moms do pray and intercede regularly for our children and our family.  Our hope is in God’s mercy and forgiveness.  We have to be willing for God to use us where needed.  He will use our willingness to serve to give hope to those who have no hope.

Often, when we feel we are not worthy, that is when God will use us.  When we are empty of ourselves is when God can fill us with His hope and joy until it overflows and effects others around us.  When we are free of ourselves is when He can work mightily through us.

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Father, thank You for telling us of how You loved Your people so much that You would send them to exile in a foreign nation…only to bring a remnant back to rebuild Your holy city.  You have shown the great hope you have for Your people and how You continue to give us opportunities to shine and be a light for You. Forgive us for being prideful and thinking we can do everything ourselves without Your help. You are our Strength, our Shield, and our Hope in this crazy, mixed-up world.  Thank You for Your love is all things.  In Jesus’ name, amen!

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There Is A Hope (Jeremiah 29:11)

June 14, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Stuart Townend
written along with Mark Edwards

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There is a hope that burns within my heart
That gives me strength for ev’ry passing day
a glimpse of glory now revealed in meager part
Yet drives all doubt away
I stand in Christ, with sins forgiv’n
and Christ in me, the hope of heav’n
My highest calling and my deepest joy
to make His will my home

There is a hope that lifts my weary head
A consolation strong against despair
That when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit
I find the Savior there
Through present sufferings, future’s fear
He whispers, “Courage!” in my ear
For I am safe in everlasting arms
And they will lead me home

There is a hope that stands the test of time
That lifts my eyes beyond the beckoning grave
To see the matchless beauty of a day divine
When I behold His face
When sufferings cease and sorrows die
and every longing satisfied
then joy unspeakable will flood my soul
For I am truly home

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This Week…1 Peter 1:3-5

June 12, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead and into an inheritance
that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you,
who through faith are shielded by God’s power
until the coming of the salvation
that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

This week, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we are continuing a mini-series on the subject of HOPE.  Our devotional writers have shared the Truth given us in this week’s passage reminding us that biblical hope is a ‘living hope!’ Here are a few of their thoughts….

 In Imperishable Hope, Tina reminded us of God’s promise.

Did you just read what Peter said?  We have a living hope to an imperishable inheritance  through Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  AND it is a place reserved in heaven with Jesus and our Father.  What a great promise we have!

We all have a hope to be with God in Heaven one day.  As we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior we will be there.  It is like waiting to go on a long-awaited trip, or finally being able to accomplish a dream… God has a plan to bring us to Him as His own.  Our hope is in Him and He is attainable.

❦

In Living Hope, Cynda encouraged us with the great value of this inheritance.

Our hope is provided by the death of Christ.  Because of His Resurrection, our hope possesses life and vitality—a living hope.  We can hold tight to the confident hope we have in Christ because He has paved the way for us.  Look at Hebrews 6:19:

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul,
both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,
where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus….

Amazing, isn’t it?  Christ went before us to give us hope and provide us with an inheritance.  Ephesians 1:11 states “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance.”  As I read through different translations of 1 Peter 1:3-5, these are a few of the words used to describe our eternal inheritance:

incorruptible, imperishable, undefiled,
priceless, unsullied, and unfading

Can we say that about any earthly inheritance we might receive?  Plus, this eternal inheritance is already ours.  We do not have to do anything to earn it and it can never be taken away from us.

❦

In Regeneration, Ann tied another verse together with our theme verse…

For you have been born again not of perishable seed,
but of imperishable through the living and enduring Word of God.
1 Peter 1:23

Combining these two verses shows us that the resurrection of Jesus Christ has given us a new identity.  We need to embrace this new identity and live a life that is worthy of the calling of child of God.  We are regenerated—made new.   The old things have gone and behold all things become new.  Our character, our attitude, our thinking,  our abilities should match with the new status we have been given.

Dear friends, let us live a life that is pleasing unto God and appreciative of the love that God had for us by sending His Son to die for us to take away the sinful nature and giving us new life.

❦

In Hope In Eternity, Ahmee shared the example of the Apostle Paul and his hope.

Paul is a very good example of what hope on Earth is supposed to look like—He experienced many hardships while here on Earth and yet he never seemed to waver in the hope that he experienced.  He said about his Hope,

He has delivered us from such deadly peril, and He will deliver us again.
On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us,”
2 Corinthians 1:10

Look at the faith that Paul had!  His hope was unwavering.  Is ours? Are we so consumed with our day-to-day hope in our daily circumstances that we miss out on the big picture?  Do we sometimes get so consumed with our current situation that we forget what God has done for us?  His track record proves that we can trust Him…but do we not sometimes forget?  Doesn’t THIS situation somehow seem different than other situations?  We forget sometimes that our hope is that of an eternal hope.  It can never be misplaced if we are placing it in God.  It is impossible.

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Imperishable Hope

June 11, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

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,
to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled
and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
who are protected by the power of God through faith
for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Did you just read what Peter said?  We have a living hope to an imperishable inheritance  through Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  AND it is a place reserved in heaven with Jesus and our Father.  What a great promise we have!

We all have a hope to be with God in Heaven one day.  As we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior we will be there.  It is like waiting to go on a long-awaited trip, or finally being able to accomplish a dream.

The Jewish people have hope for their Messiah to come, one of a conquering one.  We know the Messiah has already arrived.  Our job is to pray for the people of Israel to realize Jesus as their Messiah and to demonstrate to them who we are in believing in Jesus.

With the rebirth of Israel as a nation in 1948, the people have begun resettling the land which God promised would happen.

For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land
who will not care for the perishing, seek the scattered,
heal the broken, or sustain the one standing,
but will devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs.
Zechariah 11:16
God has a plan and has given hope to His people—from selecting Abraham and Sarah, to bringing the people out of captivity in Egypt, to David being chosen as king.  God has a plan to bring us to Him as His own.  Our hope is in Him and He is attainable.
*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 
Father, thank You for loving us and for grafting us into Your family.  Help us share the hope you have given to all of us with others.  Help us not be afraid to be bold.  Give us courage.  In Jesus’ name, amen!
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Living Hope

June 10, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Praised (honored, blessed) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)!  By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  [Born anew] into an inheritance which is beyond the reach of change and decay [imperishable], unsullied and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,  who are being guarded (garrisoned) by God’s power through [your] faith [till you fully inherit that final] salvation that is ready to be revealed [for you] in the last time.

1 Peter 1:3-5 AMP

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As I read this passage, three phrases got my attention:

  • ever-living hope
  • inheritance which is…imperishable, and
  • being guarded

As I studied each one I realized, while each is uniquely different, they are all tied together.  According to John Piper:

“…hope, as we typically think about it, is a desire for some future thing which we are uncertain of attaining…. Christian hope is a strong confidence in God which has power to produce changes in how we live.”

– read more here; Desiring God.com

Our hope is provided by the death of Christ.  Because of His Resurrection, our hope possesses life and vitality—a living hope.  We can hold tight to the confident hope we have in Christ because He has paved the way for us.  Look at Hebrews 6:19:

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul,
both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,
where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus….

Amazing, isn’t it?  Christ went before us to give us hope and provide us with an inheritance.  Ephesians 1:11 states “In Him also we have obtained an inheritance.”  As I read through different translations of 1 Peter 1:3-5, these are a few of the words used to describe our eternal inheritance:

incorruptible, imperishable, undefiled, priceless, unsullied, and unfading

Can we say that about any earthly inheritance we might receive?  Plus, this eternal inheritance is already ours.  We do not have to do anything to earn it and it can never be taken away from us.  Which brings us to our last phrase.

The term guarded often means ‘shielded or protected by’.  God is not only standing guard over our inheritance but we are shielded by His power as well.  Job 33:11 HCSB states “He stands watch over all my paths.”  John 10:28 HCSB reminds us “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand.”  We are guarded by His power. God’s power is our security.

Our hope is in Jesus Christ, who provided us with an eternal inheritance through His Resurrection.  This inheritance is (as we ourselves are) being shielded and protected by the power of God Himself.

That is living hope.

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Regeneration

June 9, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade –
kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power
until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

For you have been born again not of perishable seed,
but of imperishable through the living and enduring Word of God.
1 Peter 1:23

Combining these two verses shows us that the resurrection of Jesus Christ has given us a new identity.  We need to embrace this new identity and live a life that is worthy of the calling of child of God.  We are regenerated—made new.   The old things have gone and behold all things become new.  Our character, our attitude, our thinking,  our abilities should match with the new status we have been given.  We need not to forget that we are lights in the world.  People see us, and with our Christ-like character they will follow us and will be saved.  If we live to the contrary we preach death to the people.

If you know that He is righteous
you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of Him.
1 John 2:29

No one who is born of God will continue to sin,
because God’s Seed remains in him.
He cannot go on sinning because he has been born of God.
1 John 3:9

Let us strive to live a righteous life as our Father. (Be holy for I am holy- 1 Peter 1:16).  There is a worldly proverb that says “Birds of the same feather, flock together.”  Now we are told Christ lives in us.  So how can we sin when He lives in us?  The Holy Spirit is in us, how do we sin?

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God
and everyone who loves the Father loves His Child as well.
1 John 5:1

Dear friends, let us live a life that is pleasing unto God and appreciative of the love that God had for us by sending His Son to die for us to take away the sinful nature and giving us new life.

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Lord, we thank You for Who You are—You are the great God, the I AM WHO I AM, the ever present, immortal God, invisible God.  We thank You because we have this new life because of Your love for us. Thank You for letting us be born again.  Give us the grace not to turn to the left or the right of Your precepts but rather do what we are supposed to do at the right time…all to the glory of Your holy Name.  In Jesus’ name I have prayed.  Amen!!!!

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Hope in Eternity

June 8, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

I think one of the main reasons that hope is possible is not because it is something that we do day-to-day, but because it helps remind us that there is more to this life.  Hope keeps us focused on God Almighty and eternity.  Hope is something that will last until our dying day.

1 Peter 1:3-5 says,

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.
This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,
who through faith are shielded by God’s power
until the coming of the salvation
that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Paul is a very good example of what hope on Earth is supposed to look like—He experienced many hardships while here on Earth and yet he never seemed to waver in the hope that he experienced.  He said about his Hope,

He has delivered us from such deadly peril, and He will deliver us again.
On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us,”
2 Corinthians 1:10

Look at the faith that Paul had!  His hope was unwavering.  Is ours?  Are we so consumed with our day-to-day hope in our daily circumstances that we miss out on the big picture?  Do we sometimes get so consumed with our current situation that we forget what God has done for us?  His track record proves that we can trust Him…but do we not sometimes forget?  Doesn’t THIS situation somehow seem different than other situations?  We forget sometimes that our hope is that of an eternal hope.  It can never be misplaced if we are placing it in God.  It is impossible.

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Lord, help us to not forget the big picture of hope.  Hope is our fuel to get us to eternity.  Hope helps make life bearable, but hope also strengthens our relationship with You.  Help us understand that our hope in You is an eternal hope and that it can never be misplaced when we hope in You.  Amen.

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Living Hope 1 Peter 1:3-4

June 7, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
According to His great mercy,
He has given us a new birth into a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
and into an inheritance that is imperishable,
uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
1 Peter 1:3 and 4 HCSB

I’m living in the light of Your smile
Father, Your smile
I’m taking in the newess of life
The abundance of Your life

‘Cause there’s so much life for me
It abounds, transcends what I can see
There’s living hope for me
No circumstance could ever change the fact

Because it’s incorruptible, undefiled
It does not fade away
Reserved in heaven, kept by His power
To be revealed in the latter days

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This Week…Romans 15:4

June 5, 2015 by

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For whatever was written in former days
was written for our instruction,
that through endurance
and through the encouragement of the Scriptures
we might have hope.
Romans 15:4 ESV

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

This week, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have begun a mini-series on the subject of HOPE.  Our devotional writers have brought light to the verse highlighted above truly bringing us ‘the encouragement of the Scriptures.’  Here are a few of their thoughts….

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

In Positive Attitude, Tina wrote about a woman in the Old Testament who had great hope…

God gave hope to Hannah.  Hannah was barren.  She went to the temple and prayed for God to take away her shame.  When the prophet, Eli saw her praying, he thought that she was drunk instead and questioned to her. When she explained she was praying for what she requested of the Lord yearly, Eli sent her on her way, asking God to grant her request.  And God did.  She gave birth to a son, Samuel, whom she dedicated to the Lord.  She was also blessed with other sons and daughters for her faithfulness. (Click here to read this account.)

God still shows up in this way today…There is power in prayer and belief.  Within these lies our hope.

❦

In Hope Waits, Ahmee shared that having hope means we wait…

Waiting goes hand in hand with hope.

Sometimes it’s a matter of seconds…sometimes it’s a matter of years.  Hope can be lost.  Hope can be found.  We can temporarily lose sight of the hope that we hold.  Hope is something that we have to focus on; something that is actually intentional.  Hope helps you keep a smile on your face when it’s raining.  Hope is a matter of perspective, but also, knowing that we are loved by the Creator of the world who only wants good for us.  With God, the hope we have has a real chance of actualizing.  Otherwise, we are just wishing for good things to happen.

God has promised us many things in His Word, and because of this it is possible for us to have hope.

❦

In Spiritual Hope, Ann reminded us of the hope that the Word of God gives us…

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.

❦

In Circle of Hope, Cynda gave us a great example of how biblical hope works…

Scripture
Purpose = Instruction
Result = Hope

The purpose of Scripture is our instruction.  The Scriptures encourage us to persevere, to endure.  They offer us comfort and give us hope. Psalm 119 reiterates how closely hope is tied to the instruction of Scripture. Look at the following verses:

Do not snatch Your Word of truth from me,
for Your regulations are my only hope.
verse 43 NLT

You are my Refuge and my Shield;
Your Word is my source of hope.
verse 114 NLT

This is the circle of hope—the more we seek God through His Word…the stronger our hope becomes; the stronger our hope…the more we seek God.  This serves us well in times of trouble.  Instead of being filled with despair, we can remember the nature of God and be filled with hope.

❦

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