And again, Isaiah says, "A descendant of Jesse will appear; he will come to rule the Gentiles,
and they will put their hope in him."
May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in Him,
May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in Him,
so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:12-13
I’m praying for you today.
Yes, YOU.
I’m echoing Paul’s prayer. He was praying for those who read his letter to the Romans. And I’m praying the same for those of you who are reading this letter {blog}.
I know it’s true because, to one degree or another, we all have hurt. We all face disappointment.
What I don’t know is where you go when you’re hurting, when you face disappointment.
Where do you find peace? JOY? On who or what do you place your greatest HOPE?
If you place your HOPE on material things, or individuals you’ve probably already figured out that these things may puff you up for a time, but they don’t fill your soul.
True, heavenly, spiritual joy is filling to the soul;
it has a satisfaction in it,
answerable to the soul's vast and just desires.
And there is only One Source of true JOY, real PEACE, and secure HOPE: Jesus Christ
You’ve heard this - - You may even KNOW it. After all, this time of year all you hear about is HOPE, JOY AND PEACE. But the more you hear about it, the more you look at your life and wonder if it’s real. Is true HOPE, JOY and PEACE even attainable?
Yes, but how?
Firstly, by prayer. We must go to God for it. Prayer fetches in spiritual JOY and PEACE.
Secondly, by believing. True substantial JOY is the fruit of faith. 1 Peter 1:8
The joke is that the answer to all the questions in Sunday school is the same = Jesus
But it is true. Jesus IS the answer. Jesus is the God of hope. He is the foundation on which our hope is built, and He is the builder: He is both the object of our hope and the Author of it. Any hope that is not fastened on God is a fancy that will deceive us.
Paul knew this. He knew how important it was for believer’s to place their hope in God, rather than on earthly things.
It is why he prayed for them.
It is why I pray for you.
May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in Him,
so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Blessings,
Thank you for this!!
ReplyDeleteSo true! There's a hurt and a hunger in our hearts that only Jesus can heal and satisfy! Thanks for sharing these wonderful words of encouragement, June!
ReplyDeleteThank you, sweet friend. I shared with my small group last night how it truly occurred to me yesterday the importance of being grounded in His word. I had a day where I felt shaken. We received news of approximately where our son is on his ship and the missions his ship is supporting. That knowledge threw me and brought me to tears many times. But while in the car driving (and crying) I remembered that the same God here with me is the same one with my son. It was that truth and knowledge that helped me through the time apart from my husband. And the only way I will really know and believe that truth is being knowing Him more deeply and intimately. And the way to that kind of relationship with Him is through His word and in prayer. It just all makes me hunger for Him more and more. He is the source of all hope. He does fill us with all joy and peace.
ReplyDeleteLove you so much.
xoxo
Amen!
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful and brought tears to my eyes. Appropriate for now when "tangible gifts" are on our minds.
ReplyDelete