2023-10-06
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The Holy Spirit directs me to write about hope. “Hope” is commonly used to mean a wish-- its strength is the strength of the person's desire. But in the Bible hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised and its strength is in His faithfulness, e.g. PS 103: 6, “The Lord will work righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.” This intangible concept is desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment or success. Hope implies little certainty but suggests confidence or assurance in the possibility that what one desires or longs for will happen. Trust and reliance on God are involved in its true meaning in the noun form. There is also the verb, “to hope,” which is anticipation, the process of awaiting something to happen, the expectation of something happening, and the process of watching for something to happen. To “expect” something to happen implies a high degree of certainty and usually involves the idea of preparing or envisioning. To “hope” implies little certainty but suggests confidence or assurance in the possibility that what one desires or longs for will happen, e.g. He hopes to find a job soon. To “look” with to, implies assurance that expectations will be fulfilled, e.g. Look for rain when the wind shifts to the northeast.
Those who study the Scriptures increase their chances of giving a correct estimation of God’s will in all we think and do. The underlying love and inner peace in the important lessons of the Bible teach us to have a positive attitude of expectation where God is concerned, no matter which of the three personalities we communicate with in prayer in the moment [2 TIM 3: 16-17]. RO 8: 1-2 are full to the brim with hope. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit Who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.” This death is “second death or Gehenna” [Gee’-hen-a] in Hebrew, a one-way trip to hell and the death of one’s spirit. People going to hell will be forgotten, whereas those going to heaven will be remembered. This is the opposite of physical death, which we all must experience, called in Hebrew “Sheole” [She’-ohl]. When one physically dies, the Lord Jesus has the authority to decide whether each person’s final fate [DN 7: 12-14]. The same standards will be applied to each person, and what directs Christ’s decision is if the person is a believer who lived righteously or a rejector, who lived without God’s ethics. Since God has no evil in Him [1JN 1: 5], we can say with confidence what RO 8: 28 tells us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.”
If we review GA 5: 22-23, the foundation passage of this series of devotions, we will see that hope is implied. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such as these, there is no law.” On earth, we are going through a refining process, one that will determine the final spiritual maturity and level of righteousness we will become. With RO 8: 29, God’s will made clear is: “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Laws can’t justify people but living by the Holy Spirit does. Those justified will also be glorified. These faithfully obedient people need not fear physical death, for they will gain eternal life with the Lord. That is the hope of the resurrection that all those who proclaim Christ as their personal Savior and live righteously carry with them.
O Lord, a faithfully lived life is one that is full of hope, the hope of the resurrection--1 PET 1: 3, “Praise be to God, the 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.” We must understand that the Lord Jesus spent three days in the paradise portion of hell, after having told one of the thieves being crucified with Him, “I will see you in paradise.” He didn’t go to the torments part of hell-- thanks be to the Father. Then, on the third day, He rose again to be given a crown of glory in heaven. You were unselfish and protective, since we know that the Lord Jesus will share His glory with those who are righteous [COL 3: 3-4]. Thanksgiving and praise be to You for all the hope You give us! In Christ’s holy/mighty name we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: At the end of today’s message, I mentioned glorification without defining it or discussing glory in general. At the behest of the Holy Spirit, these subjects will be discussed in next week’s message. God’s wise and generous Spirit has a bit more to say about hope. JER 29: 11-13, “For I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to bring disaster, plans that will give you the future for which you hope. Then, you will call upon Me, come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” When a friend with an aggressive, malignant brain tumor in Northridge, CA asked me to write her letters from my home in GA, I knew she would pass away soon afterward. God turned this sad event into a useful way to serve others for Him. My friend had prayed, GN 50: 20, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” He did this by enabling a few others to find out about what I was doing and to ask if they could receive them too. God made a snowball fall over a precipice and roll down a hill! My friend passed away almost 40 years ago, and more and more readers are now receiving my weekly devotions. The hope that God gives them by reading about the Scriptures, fulfills my love for Him and His writing, as well as giving them the hope of the resurrection too. I’m just God’s instrument in this process, and all the kudos belong to Him! Let me end with RO 15: 4 & 13, “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…May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope, by the power of the Holy Spirit! Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2023. All Rights Reserved.
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