All other ground is sinking sand. Lord I pray you will lift us up today.
Good morning... Life is a real struggle sometimes. All day long the world will beat you down and the demands will continue as long as there is conflict. So I have a question to ask you... What hope do you have today?
Notice in the Psalms, There is an argument the writer is having with himself in verse 5... "Why art thou cast down..." and then the uplifting message comes in the same verse, "hope thou in God"
Psalm 42:1 (To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah.) As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.
4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday.
5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
Amen! But why must we preach these encouraging words to ourselves? We already know God is our helper. Hope in God does not come naturally to believers or unbelievers. It is something we receive of the Lord through the Spirit. We place our hopes and dreams in a lot of things in this life, and The Lord is probably ok with most of it as long as our hope for life is in Him.
When we have hope in God, we can have hope for man, we can trust in the goodness of one another, we can desire something good for our fellow man. We wrestle, and fight, and struggle to maintain some level of hope in this life don't we... I admonish you today to place you hope in God first before all other things!
John Piper said, "Biblical hope not only desires something good for the future- it expects it to happen." He continued...
...hope is like a reservoir of emotional strength. If I am cast down, I look to the reservoir of hope for strength to return good for evil. If I experience a setback in life, I look to the reservoir of hope for strength to keep going and not give up. If I am faced with temptation, I look to the reservoir of hope for the strength to hold fast to the way of righteousness and deny myself some brief worldly pleasure.
You may be saying right now... Lord, I need my reservoir filled today... Sure up the retention walls of my life with your presence.
These verses of God's Holy Word always gives me hope!
All religions, beliefs and all faiths are broken down into truth when reading theses verses: 1 Corinthians 15:1-6
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
Paul said I seen Him too! As one born before the due time. Paul had placed his hope in that of The Lord Jesus Christ alive and risen and ascended and seated at the throne!
Jesus rose from the dead! And because Jesus rose … so will we!!!
Notice in Revelation 1:17-18 some sixty years afterwards, Jesus introduces Himself:
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
When we express hope, it seems there is the absence of confidence, otherwise why would we hope? We hope because of the flesh... But in the Spirit we have complete confidence Christ liveth and we shall live with Him also!
Heavenly Father, Thank you for giving us hope, for where there is hope, there is faith. In Jesus name, Amen.
Please remember our church prayer requests and all those listed in our church bulletin.
Pray for one another. Pray for our Nation and ALL people.
Pray for our military, their families and the churches missionaries all around the world.
Pray for our Police Officers, Fire Fighters, and First Responders.
Pray for all those in the medical field, hospitals and doctors offices as they provide patient well care and also to protect themselves.
Finally Pray for the lost, those seeking after The Lord today.
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the glory, for ever. Amen
"Wherefore edify(encourage) one another..." 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Standing on the promises of God... in Christ, Pastor Brian Have a great day!
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