Thoughts On Hope!

1 Peter 1:3-4 (KJV)
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you".

As I read through the newspapers, watch TV newscasts and even on this Christian website, I see something missing that we all need to work harder at obtaining and that thing is...............................

HOPE!

Did you hear about the little boy who wan't getting good grades in school? One day he quietly approached his teacher and tapped her on the shoulder and said......
"My daddy says that if I don'r get better grades, somebody is going to get a spanking."

We ALL have something coming to us. For some, what we have coming is scary. For others what we have coming is thrilling. I wanted to encourage everyone reading on this website today to have HOPE!

The text I posted today from 1 Peter tells us that Peter had a focus on "salvation". Salvation IS the destiny of every Christian and salvation actually means DELIVERANCE. We as Christians have a "living HOPE" because our salvation is based in LIFE and not death. Our HOPE rests upon the fact of the RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ from the dead. Since Jesus rose from the dead and we who have trusted in Him, are then IN Christ Jesus, we therefore have a HOPE OF LIVING and not dieing.

A LIVING HOPE is one that has life in it and therefore can give life to us. Because it has life, it grows and becomes greater and more precious as time goes by.

THE WORD HOPE USED IN THE TEXT I POSTED MEANS EXPECTATION.

Many people hope for salvation in the way I first used the word. But the Scriptures teach us that salvation is our confident, sure EXPECTATION or better said---a fact of reality!!!

A Little boy was standing at the foot of an escalator at the new Sears store. He was just standing and watching the handrail go around. He never took his eyes off the handrail as it went around. A clerk saw him and asked him if he was lost or what she could do for him. The little boy said...NOPE!
I am just waiting for my chewing gum to come back around. THAT's WHAT HOPE IS!!!

I say all this today to ask you this now...........
do you just HOPE you are saved, or is your salvation your CONFIDENT, SURE EXPECTATION????

Acts 16:31 says...........
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved".

Remember this fact........."since you can not do anything to earn your salvation, ONCE you have it, you then can not do anything to lose your salvation".

Major, now that is the sort of posting that should be printed out and posted in our Churches.
blessings,
calvin

Thank you my brother. It has been on my heart now for sometime. I may add to it shortly as I am still prayerfully considering more or should I say that the Lord is doing that in me.

Bless you my brother and thanks for the flowers!

I am really feeling like we all need to get back to some "old fashioned" heart work and get away from all the conflicts and insults that seem to take place here.

So I am trying to move in another direction as the Lord would have it.