God’s Hope

Seeing From Here

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Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
I John 3: 2

In John’s letter he gives us two assurances. First, that despite appearances, or the opinion of others we are God’s children. Though there are days when we don’t act like ot or even feel confident in our faith it remains true. There is simply nothing in this world that can ever give us that sense of belonging that heaven holds. That is when John’s second assurance kicks in and tells us that when He appears we will be like Him! Wow! If that doesn’t blow the cobwebs out of our dusty souls then we haven’t read closely. We have His promise that one day we will be accepted home to heaven with God!

Did you ever wish you just could get a small peek into heaven? No, we cannot see heaven from here but when we have expectant hope God’s peace will come and rule over every fear, every doubt and tear. We will one day really see Jesus just like the women who went to the tomb on Easter morning 2000 years ago. Right now we at best see only empty tombs but one day when we sprint across the finish line of this life we will see Him as He is!

Anchor of the Soul

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Where is your hope today? Is it locked in a safe deposit box? Can it be located in a safe neighborhood in a gated community? Does it depend on what position you hold or what people think? I confess that too often these have been places where I looked by failed to find hope. But the Bible tells us that the true hope is beyond the veil through which Jesus passed with His own blood. We cannot see the place where He went to set our anchor yet we can trust in His promise that it will hold for ever.

T

his hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, Hebrews 6:19 NKJV

Are your bags packed?

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

“Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:18‭-‬19 NKJV

Because we are in the middle of moving our lives are more than a little topsy-turvy. Deciding whether to rent or sell our current home and choosing what to keep and or leave behind is really stressful. As Rex Harrison once sang, “I’ve grown accustomed to her face.. ” we have grown comfortable in the familiar sights and sounds of our home. But nothing really stays the same in life. All things at all times are in flux – except God. He alone is unchanging and if we will follow Him we must always be ready to pack our bags and go where He is calling. He delights in doing new things. He saw darkness and decided to create the light. He saw Adam alone then created Eve. The God who designed planets and filled the oceans is at work in you and I at this very moment. He says through the prophet Isaiah to get ready for change. Stop thinking long melancholy thoughts about the “good old days” and get ready to move forward. No matter how good those days were God is at work on something better. We can either mope in the back seat of the station wagon looking behind as we drive off or we can eagerly examine the road map for our journey ahead. Our destination is God’s choice but our attitude is ours. We need to be sure to pack our bags with everything that He has done in our hearts, then leave behind the keys with Jesus to close and lock the doors!