"Why Hope?"

“Why Hope?”

 

We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our Help and our Shield.   In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name.   May Your unfailing love be with us Lord, even as we put our hope in You.        Psalm 33:20-22

 

HOPE:  To trust or rely on (Webster’s Dictionary)

 

The Psalmist indicates that we SHOULD wait in HOPE for the Lord.  We should wait knowing that He is in CONTROL of EVERYTHING, and therefore we should WAIT TRUSTING or RELYING on God to do whatever He promises He will do. 

 

WHY should we WAIT in HOPE? Because He is our HELP and our SHIELD, in other words, He is our PROTECTOR.  God is ALL-KNOWING, and since He is ALL-KNOWING, He KNOWS what lies ahead of His Beloved Children, and can PROTECT them from worldly influences, and situations that would hinder or harm our relationship with Him. 

 

Our HEARTS can REJOICE because we HOPE or TRUST in His Holy Name, that name that is above ALL names in Heaven and on Earth.  In Old Testament times, God had many names, and each of those names had a meaning which reflected God’s character, such as:   El Shaddai, which means, The Almighty God.  Today, TRUE BELIEVERS, call on the name of “JESUS” who is the NEW CONVENANT, which brings mankind and God into a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP or RIGHTEOUS RELATIONSHIP with each other through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  We end our prayers with the phrase; “In Jesus’ Name,” which indicates our HOPE or TRUST in the PRECIOUS NAME of our LORD.  And our HEARTS REJOICE because we HOPE or TRUST in the POWER of that name.

 

Those who are TRUE BELIEVERS can put their HOPE in God, because of His UNFAILING LOVE, a LOVE that is like NO OTHER, a LOVE which, boggles our minds, minds that does NOT FULLY understand WHY God would sacrifice His Son to be beaten beyond recognition, then nailed on a wooden cross, to be humiliated, scorned, and abused by sinful men, who could NOT comprehend the depth nor height of God’s UNFAILING LOVE, LOVE that held Jesus to the cross, in order for mankind to be able to be REDEEMED or SAVED from their sins and to be able to escape Hell, the place of UNENDING HORRORS, with NO WAY of ESCAPE.   This is the REASON we can put our HOPE in Him.  Have you put your HOPE in GOD and His SON, Jesus Christ? 

You should, because He is your ONLY HOPE, without Him you are DOOMED to spend ALL ETERNITY in HELL.  You must TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and put your HOPE in Him, for He LOVES you with an UNFAILING LOVE.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"A New Lease on Life"

“A New Lease on Life”

 

For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.        Hebrews 9:13-14

 

The blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with ashes of a heifer, were used for ceremonial cleansing of the body, and performed on a regular basis in the times, before the DEATH and RESURRECTION of Christ, but could NEVER reach the HEARTS and MINDS of mankind.   The blood of Jesus Christ, however, was shed ONCE and for ALL, and could CLEANSE the HEARTS and MINDS of ALL who would ACCEPT this NEW LEASE on LIFE, which is ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, by TURNING AWAY FROM their sinful life style and TURNING TO GOD for the SALVATION of their BODY and SOUL.  The BODY and SOUL will be reunited at the RAPTURE of the Saints of God, and will spend ALL of ETERNITY in Heaven. 

 

What the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of ashes of a heifer on the defiled person COULD NOT DO, the blood of JESUS CHRIST, DID.  And that was to PROVIDE a ONCE for ALL sacrifice for the souls of the defiled people.  But the defiled person must Accept, Believe, Confess, and be willing to serve the Risen Lord, their REDEEMER. 

 

Once we have gone through this CLEANSING and PURIFICATION of our souls, we should be WILLING to SERVE the LIVING GOD, who provided our SALVATION through the shed blood of the ONCE for ALL SACRIFICE, of His Son, our SAVIOR and Lord, Jesus Christ.  Have you been CLEANSED by the BLOOD of JESUS?  Are you SERVING the LIVING God?  Will you be spending YOUR ETERNITY in HEAVEN or HELL? 

 

If you have not given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you have NOT been CLEANSED by the BLOOD of Jesus, and you are NOT SERVING the LIVING GOD, and you are headed for an ETERNITY in HELL.  However, God in His INFINITE MERCY and AMAZING GRACE is offering you a NEW LEASE on LIFE, by TURNING AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURNING TO Him, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING with ALL your HEART that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and His NEW LEASE on LIFE for YOU, with an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.  So do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Righteousness by Faith"

“Righteousness by Faith”

 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God’s power of salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.  

For in it God’s righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written:  The righteous will live by faith.            Romans 1:16-17

 

The theme of Paul’s letter to the True Believers in Rome, is the phrase in verse seventeen, “God’s righteousness is revealed” Paul was delighted to share the gospel with those who were called as saints. He made sure to let them know that he was NOT ashamed of the gospel, because it is the POWER of the ALMIGHTY God, which brings about SALVATION to EVERYONE, who believes, both Jew and Gentile (non-Jew).

 

The GOSPEL or GOOD NEWS, Paul says is God’s POWER of SALVATION to EVERYONE who BELIEVES, first brought to the Jews and then to the Gentiles also. The GOSPEL shows how God, in His infinite MERCY and GRACE makes people RIGHT with Him, and it BEGINS and ENDS with FAITH.  

 

The Apostle Paul, then quotes Habakkuk 2:4; “The righteous will live by faith.”  This kind of RIGHTEOUSNESS cannot be achieved by mankind’s OWN initiative.  It is RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM God, it is NOT the PERSONAL ATTRIBUTE of God, but since it comes FROM God, it is CONSISTENT with His own PERSONAL ATTRIBUTE.   Remember, RIGHTEOUSNESS is having a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God.  And ONLY those who have TRULY GIVEN their HEART and LIFE to Him, and LIVES by FAITH, will receive RIGHTEOUSNESS, and JUSTIFICATION, SANCTIFICATION, and GLORIFICATION, in the process of LIVING BY FAITH, and thus will have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God. Do you have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with God?

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you do NOT have a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him, and are headed to an ETERNITY In Hell, the place of UNENDING torment, torture, heartache, pain, and despair, without any WAY of ESCAPE.  However, God is offering you the OPPORTUNITY NOW to receive His gift of SALVATION and be made RIGHTEOUS in His sight.  You can do that by:  TURNING AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURNING TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and LIVE by FAITH, having received His JUSTIFICATION, SANCTIFICATION, GLORIFICATION, and RIGHTEOUSNESS.  Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"One Act of Righteousness"

“One Act of Righteousness”

 

Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.  For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.          Romans 5:18-19

 

Righteous- morally upright, acting justly.

 

When we come to God for the SALVATION of our souls, we are carrying out a RIGHTEOUS act, we are acting justly.  We are ACKNOWLEDGING that we are SINNERS, and that we NEED to have FORGIVENESS of our sins and have a RIGHT relationship with God. 

 

We cannot have a RIGHT relationship with Him, IF there is SIN in our HEART.  REGARDLESS, of whether we are a BELIEVER or an UNBELIEVER.  IF we are a BELIEVER and have UNCONFESSED SIN(S) in our HEART, our fellowship with our Heavenly Father is severed, until we come to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART and CONFESS ALL our sins to Him. If we, as TRUE BELIEVERS, have UNCONFESSED sins in our HEART, we won’t lose our SALVATION, but our FELLOWSHIP with God will change.   Who are we to think that we can have a RIGHTEOUS relationship with the HOLY, RIGHTEOUS God of this universe, with UNCONFESSED sins in our HEART, when He couldn’t even look on His own SON, who took on the SINS of ALL mankind, when He was on the cross, dying for mankind to be able to have a RIGHT relationship with God, which was the ONE ACT of RIGHTEOUSNESS that brought mankind and the ALMIGHTY, RIGHTEOUS GOD together in a RIGHTEOUS relationship.

 

For the UNBELIEVER, they CANNOT obtain a RIGHTEOUS relationship with God, unless they come to Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING their sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL their HEART that Jesus died for THEM, personally.  When Adam, ONE man, committed ONE trespass, it brought a sinful nature into the HEARTS of ALL mankind, and  they are faced with ETERNAL CONDEMNATION, spending an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL it’s HORRORS and NO WAY of ESCAPING.

 

But ONE man, JESUS CHRIST, through ONE RIGHTEOUS ACT, brought about JUSTIFICATION, or RIGHTEOUSNESS, and a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP between God and mankind, and those who have received the gift of SALVATION, will spend ALL of ETERNITY in Heaven with God, their Heavenly Father.  Will YOU?  Are you a TRUE BELIEVER, one who has a RIGHT relationship with God?  Have you TURNED AWAY FROM your sins and TURNED TO Him, with a TRUE REPENTAN HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, and ACCEPTING His gift of SALVATION, through the ONE RIGHTEOUS ACT of ONE Man, Jesus Christ, have you received a RIGHT relationship with God?  If you do this NOW, you can ESCAPE an ETERNITY in Hell.  PLEASE COME to Him NOW!!  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Righteous in God's Sight"

“Righteous in God’s Sight”

 

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.        Romans 3:20, 22-24

 

Once when I was out with a group of other Christians, knocking on doors and witnessing.  I came upon a young man, who was apparently a non-believer.  I asked him, “In your opinion, what do you believe it takes for a person to be able to go to heaven?”  His answer was, “Keeping the Ten Commandments.”   WRONG!!  I explained to him that the Law, the WORKS of the Ten Commandments will NOT SAVE anyone.  The Law makes us conscious, or aware of our sins, and can NOT make us RIGHTEOUS in GOD’S SIGHT.   Sadly to say, the young man REJECTED his invitation to be SAVED and to be made RIGHTEOUS in GOD’S SIGHT.

 

The RIGHTEOUSNESS of God, which is having a RIGHT RELATIONSHIP with Him, is ONLY POSSIBLE through His Son, Jesus Christ.  You MUST BELIEVE in Him for your SALVATION and to be made RIGHTEOUS in God’s SIGHT.  It doesn’t matter whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, because we ALL have sinned and we ALL fall short of the glory of God, and we ALL are headed for an ETERNITY in Hell, but through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, God’s GRACE was extended to ALL MANKIND, and those who BELIEVE and will ACCEPT Jesus Christ as their SAVIOR and LORD, will be SAVED, and made RIGHTEOUS in GOD’S SIGHT.  Have you been made RIGHTEOUS in God’s SIGHT?

 

If your answer is NO, then you are LOST in your sins, and headed to Hell for ALL of ETERNITY, because you have NOT ACCEPTED GOD’S gift of SALVATION, and you are NOT RIGHTEOUS in GOD’S SIGHT.  However, you can be by:  TURNING AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURNING TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be made RIGHTEOUS in GOD’S SIGHT, with an ETERNITY in Heaven.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"Desiring a Prosperous New Year?"

“Desiring a Prosperous New Year?”

 

Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine.       Proverbs 3:9-10

 

PROSPERITY:  Wealth, success

 

Everyone desires PROSPERITY in some form or another.  Whether it’s to be WEALTHY, as in being RICH, monetarily or to have SUCCESS in whatever you attempt to do.  However, you can have PROSPERITY in ways that are NOT necessarily monetary.  You can have a PROSPEROUS FAMILY, one that is RICH in LOVE and COMPASSION for each other.  You can have a PROSPEROUS career, in whatever you do, by being SUCCESSFUL in the KNOWLEDGE of your profession, and in the WORK of your hands.  There are many ways to be PROSPEROUS.

 

God’s Word tells us that we SHOULD HONOR the Lord with our POSSESSIONS.  This is a way of expressing our THANKS and GRATITUDE to God for ALL of His BLESSINGS, when done in a LOVING and GRATEFUL attitude, which comes from a LOVING, and GRATEFUL HEART, then we will RECEIVE from God MORE BLESSINGS.  Our giving of our POSSESSIONS with the FIRST produce of our entire harvest is, the giving of our tithes, which is at least ten percent of our salary, BEFORE ANY DEDUCTIONS.  Some may say:  “How can we afford to do that?”  My question is:  “How can you NOT afford to do it?”  When we put God and the things of God FIRST in our lives, it shows our LOVE and APPRECIATION for ALL that He has done for us, and it HONORS Him.   He will GIVE us His BLESSINGS, which will bring us PROSPERITY.  Oh, by the way, the “NEW WINE” spoken of in verse ten, is FRESH WINE, it is the FRESH JUICE of the FRESHLY PICKED GRAPES, NOT the FERMENTED JUICE.  And that is a topic for another time.

 

Are you DESIRING a PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR?   Well, when you GIVE YOURSELF to the LORD, HEART, BODY and SOUL, then He will  BLESS you with ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven, and KEEP you OUT of Hell, with ALL of its HORRORS, and with NO WAY of ESCAPE.  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING, your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and GIVE to God, FIRST, with a LOVING and GRATEFUL HEART, which produces  a  LOVING and GRATEFUL ATTITUDE, and experience PROSPERITY in the NEW YEAR.   Do it NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

"New Year, New Challenges"

“New Year, New Challenges”

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.     Proverbs 3:5, 6

 

HAPPY BLESSED NEW YEAR!!  So are you looking FORWARD to a NEW YEAR with NEW CHALLENGES?  For some it will be EXCITING and loaded with all kinds of OPPORTUNITIES, and CHALLENGES, which they will meet head-on. 

 

For others though, it will NOT be so EXCITING and MANY of the OPPORTUNITIES will be LOST and the CHALLENGES will NOT be met at all, mainly because of FEAR, ANXIETY, and lack of SELF-CONFIDENCE, now a little SELF-CONFIDENCE can go a LONG way.   God created us with the ability to experience SELF-CONFIDENCE, and to use it at the RIGHT times.  Sometimes, we go overboard with the SELF-CONFIDENCE, and leave God out of our lives all together.  NOT a GOOD thing on our part.

 

However, we see in this Proverb, words of HOPE, DIRECTION, and HAPPINESS, if we will FOLLOW the writer, of this particular Proverb.    Now KEEP in MIND, that there will be situations that we will have NO control over nor will they turn out at all like we WANTED or EXPECTED.   But the Word of God tells us to first of all: “Trust in the Lord with ALL your HEART”, now it doesn’t mean that when we are facing HEARTACHES, TRIALS, SICKNESSES, and even DEATH, that He will make them ALL go away.  All of these things are a part of life, on this earth.  The IMPORTANT PART of facing these things, is to TRUST in the Lord with ALL your HEART, FIRST, and He will HELP to see you through EACH ONE.   

 

Now, here is where we get proper GUIDANCE, with the gift of SELF-CONFIDENCE and its proper use.  We are NOT to rely on our OWN understanding:  In other words , SEEK His WAYS and let Him TEACH you, through the power of His Spirit, how to have and use SELF-CONFIDENCE.  When we have the Holy Spirit of the Living God working in us, then we can have ASSURANCE and SELF-CONFIDENCE, just KNOWING that GOD is in CONTROL, and He KNOWS EVERYTHING, even what we will be facing in the NEW YEAR.  SO, “TRUST in the LORD, with ALL your HEART, and LEAN NOT on your OWN understanding.   Then, “THINK about Him in ALL your ways.”  SEEK HIM, CONTINUALLY, ACKNOWLEDGING Him in ALL THINGS, and He will GUIDE you to the RIGHT paths.  He will DIRECT your PATHS to doing His WILL!”  And you can be CONFIDENT in His GUIDANCE.    What a GREAT way to LIVE in 2018. 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you are headed for HELL, the place of UNENDING, heartache, torment, torture, pain, agony, and despair for ALL ETERNITY, with NO WAY of ESCAPING.  So to TRUST in the LORD with ALL your HEART, begin by TURNING AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURNING TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING, your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God, then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and TRUST HIM with ALL your HEART, and  DO NOT RELY on your OWN understanding, but in ALL your ways THINK and ACKNOWLEDGE Him, and let Him GUIDE you on the  RIGHT paths in 2018.  Do it NOW, while you still can. He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!