Hope is a by-product of our justification (God’s grace freely offered and God gift of amnesty and reconciliation for the sins we commit).  It’s within that reality of justification that our hopes are born and renewed each day as we look forward to living eternally in the presence of our God.  That is what we live for and why we live today.  It’s not the challenges we face, nor the things of life we enjoy because of our material wealth.  It’s our spiritual wealth that opens up the door of hope as we look forward to a brighter tomorrow minus the challenges we face today.  We look forward in hope to the day when sickness and death will be no more.  We look forward in hope to getting rid of these earthly tents we live in to be clothed in the radiance of the glory of God.  We look forward in hope to the day when — as the song says — ‘’faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back like a scroll; the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, even so, It is well with my soul.”  That is the hope born of the character developed in our suffering.  That is the hope that is guaranteed by the presence of God’s Holy Spirit living with in us.  And that is the hope that springs forth from our justification by our faith in God’s grace and the peace that comes from reconciliation.  It is a hope that fulfills all of God’s promises to us — promises that cannot be denied or broken.  Therein is our hope — in the faithfulness of our God to declare us “Not Guilty” by reason of faith in Jesus Christ!

• When you think about what you hope for, what images come to mind most vividly?
• How does your hope work in you to keep you faithful enough to persevere?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, enable me by the power of Your grace to always remain hopeful, even in the midst of my sufferings, knowing that I’m justified and that my hope is not in vain.

         Trials in life are not something we tend to look forward to or desire.  What we desire most along life’s journey is a road that is freshly paved 4‑lane black top with GPS assists along the way and no speed bumps.  What we don’t want is more mountains and hills to climb.  Perhaps that’s because we’ve never really stopped to consider that trials are a condition of life established to teach us endurance, patience, perseverance, and faithfulness. 

         There is a parable of an old dog that fell into a farmer's well. After assessing the situation, the former sympathized with the dog but decided that neither the dog nor the well were worth the trouble of saving.  Instead, he planned to bury the old dog in the well and put him out of his misery.

         When the farmer began shoveling, initially the old dog was hysterical period but as the former continues shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, he should shake it off and step up. This he did blow after blow after blow after blow.  “Shake it off and step up, shake it off and step up, shake it off and step up!” he repeated to encourage himself.  So, Before the dog, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well. What seemed as though it would bury him actually benefited him — all because of the way he handled his adversity.

         If we face our problems and respond to them positively, refusing to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity, the adversities that come along to us to bury us usually have within them the potential to bless us!

         It’s the development of those characteristics of perseverance that enables us to remain strong throughout our journey.  Just as a child’s legs get stronger the more it tries to stand up, so does our spirit get stronger the more we rely on it and learn to persevere.

• As a mid-week exercise, write down some of the things you’ve persevered through along with your reasons to be thankful to God.

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Loving God, give me the strength and patience to endure life’s challenges. Help me to hold on to my faith and hold out until my change comes and You declare me “Not Guilty.”

         It’s difficult in this day and age — or perhaps any day and age — to go through life without being insulted, persecuted, lied on or lied about.  And yet while we might each face those types of negative comments, I wonder, of all the people that face them, how many people face them because of their relationship with Jesus Christ?  The way I understand it, Christ is the common denominator in this issue of persecution, especially for those who claim to be Christian.  There are certain lessons to be learned when being persecuted for being a follower of Jesus.  Perhaps it’s because it’s impossible to stand up for the underdog, to offer unconditional love to the unwanted, or to accept those who society deems unacceptable without facing “persecution” (verbally, physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually) from someone.  But the upside is that we can rejoice in our persecutions because they teach us perseverance.  Perseverance teaches us character, and character teaches us to never give up our hope.  It’s through our persecutions that our justification becomes real, and the grace of God becomes manifest in our lives in tangible ways.  And if the grace and mercy of God in our lives can become more tangible, we have a reason to rejoice because our justification is merged together with our similarity to Christ’s persecution and his seal on our justification.  Just as he was not guilty, God will accept our faith in Christ as a verdict of “Not Guilty” against us.  That’s enough reason to rejoice in our justification and be glad.

A line from a song says, “See, I’ve been picked out, to picked on — talked about out my friends mouth, I’ve been beat down … “ 

• How do think it feels to be insulted, talked about and lied on by people you considered your friends?
• Have you ever been persecuted because of your faith as a Christian?
• If so, what was that experience like for you?

Todays Prayer

Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and merciful God, empower me to experience the blessing of persecutions. Let them be growing edges of my spiritual journey that I may become more like You and declared “Not Guilty.”