Tag: Hope

“Masterpieces” by God

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ephesians 2 8I love today’s verses in Ephesians 2:8-10.   They bring renewed hope, purpose and clarification from God showing His great love, generosity, planning and sovereignty.  I particularly like the New Living Translation as it brings added clarity to the passage.      “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For ephesians 2 10we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

What hope we have because we believe in Jesus!  We are assured that we don’t have to try and ‘earn’ our way into heaven.  God promises us that there is nothing we can do now or in the future to earn our salvation.  It is purely a gift from our gracious God.  God loves us and we are important to Him.  We are His masterpieces.  He loves us and has prepared good works for us to do in His name.  There are many scriptures that confirm these facts:

John 1:16 “For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”   His grace is perfectly complete, giving us all we need.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”   Salvation is a free gift, not earned.

Psalm 139:14 “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.   Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”   God specifically created each of us.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”   God’s plans are complete and for my good, I can place my hope in them.

James 2:14 “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?   As a believer, genuine faith will cause me to seek to do good works for Jesus.

We can cling to these verses from our loving and gracious God knowing we are here with a purpose by His design.  We can trust His sovereignty in all things.   2 Chronicles 20:6 ““O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.”

Have a blessed day as you prayerfully consider:  God’s grace towards you, His sovereignty over your life and the good works He has lovingly prepared for you.

Linda

But God! Thankfully, His grace abounds towards us!

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Yesterday, Paul reminded us of our state of sinfulness before knowing Christ in Ephesians 2:1-3.  epheisans 2 4 but-godIn today’s verses, Paul brings us hope that through the mercy of God we were not left in that horrible state, BUT GOD!    We can be totally encouraged by our present and future!   Ephesians 2:4-7  “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”   

Blank white paperWow!!! In His mercy, God intervened and sent Jesus to die for our sins and be raised from the dead.  Through His act of love, He offered salvation through faith in Jesus.  It was totally God.  He alone could save us from our sin, and we did or can do nothing to earn His love.  We can’t be good enough or work hard enough to make God love or save us- it is solely through His grace- God’s unmerited favor towards us.   Paul tells us God’s plans did not stop with salvation,  but He desires to have us dwell with Him in eternity in heavenly places so He can show us His amazing grace and kindness up close and personal.   Amazing!

I am so thankful that God intervened.  Romans 5:8 confirms this truth “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  Sinful man would be a hopelessly lost but for God.    Does that fact make you thankful?  Do you feel loved by God?   Can you feel the grace of Jesus in your life?  John 1:14, 16 “And the john 1 16Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”    

Through the power of Jesus’  indwelling Holy Spirit, we are filled with His grace each day.  Live today like you believe you are filled with His grace and love.  Look for His gracious hand of protection and favor as you go through this day.   When you see it or feel it, raise your voice in praise to Him!  You will be amazed by God’s grace and love.

Linda

Here’s a guarantee you can count on!

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ephesians 1 13-14Today’s verses are some of the most precious in the New Testament and I refer to them often in my writing and speaking.  They tell of our wonderful inheritance of salvation through faith in Christ and inclusion in God’s family through the power of the Holy Spirit.  His power within us is our guarantee of God’s hope and promises to come.  Be encouraged as you read, Ephesians 1:13-14 “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”

I love that God knew us so well.  He knew that our finite minds would need a guarantee to confirm our faith and help us cling to His promises.  Praise God for the Holy Spirit that He has placed within us through faith.  The Holy Spirit confirms and testifies with our spirit giving us hope and assurance in Him.  “For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”  Romans 8:16

romans 8 16Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, May you be encouraged by God’s love, the redemption plan made perfect in Christ and the hope you now have in Him.  Praise God!  Thank you Jesus!

Linda

#9 Practicing Devotion to God- by relying upon His Grace

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 What is Grace? It is defined as God’s unmerited favor towards us.   We did nothing and can do nothing to deserve His favor.  It is something that God gives us freely by faith in Jesus from the depth of His love for us.  Scripture teaches us that God’s grace is always sufficient and because God is omnipotent He will never run out of grace.  2Corinthians 12-92 Corinthians 12:9  is one of my go to verses for power, strength and assurance about God’s grace.  Paul recalls the words of Christ to him, “ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”    God graciously gives us what we need in our weakness and brings glory to Himself by showing His power in our lives.   I cling to the sufficiency of His grace.

Ephesians 2:8-10  “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”   We are saved by grace_alone_770x280His grace, certainly not by anything we have done or will do.  We cannot be good enough, clean enough or pure enough on our own. Salvation is a gracious gift of God given to us through our faith in Jesus.  He saves us by grace and graciously uses us to do  His good works.  He could do everything himself,  but He graciously allows us to participate for our good and His glory.

Hebrews 4:16 adds one other dimension to His grace towards us.  “ Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”   Because of our faith in Jesus, our high priest, and His work on the cross, we have access to God and can approach Him in prayer.  When we do, we are assured that we will find grace and mercy in our times of need.  There is never a time that God is not with me and I can always know that He will meet my needs with grace and mercy.  What a blessed hope!

GodsGraceMay you grow to trust in His grace, lean into and depend upon His grace and let His grace give you Hope as you draw near to Him with a heart of love and devotion.

Linda

I pray you have been blessed as  much as I have by going through these 9 practical ways to show our loyalty and devotion to God.  We can practice devotion to God by:  recalling His attributes, remembering His good works towards us, relating to Him in prayer, reading and meditating on His Word, resting in our identity in Christ,  repenting regularly, responding to the world biblically, remembering our Savior and relying upon His grace.  May you remember to incorporate these into your life on a daily basis and receive His blessings!

#3 Practicing Devotion to God- Pray

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prayerThe third practical way to experience love and commitment to God is to PRAY.  The Bible is filled with people talking, communing, listening and responding to God in prayer.  Isaac prayed for his wife Rebekah to conceive as she was barren, Hannah prayed rejoicing as God gave her a son to love,  David prayed for protection and guidance as he fled from Saul, Solomon prayed for wisdom to rule the people, Nehemiah prayed for the restoration of Jerusalem,  Jonah prayed from the belly of the fish, Jesus prayed many times to commune with His father while here on Earth, the Apostles prayed for guidance in presenting the gospel and encouraged all believer to pray constantly.  These are just a few examples of the who, when and why people prayed.

We often think of prayer as me talking and God listening.  All of the above knew that God was accessible in prayer and that He would answer with guidance, hope, love and compassion.  In Psalm 16: verses 7, 11 David reveals how he feels about prayer.  “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;  in the night also my heart instructs me.”  ” You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy;  at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”    David received God’s guidance and counsel as God laid on his heart what he should do.  God revealed the right pathway in life to him. 

 Jesus instructed us on prayer in Matthew 6: 5-13.  He told us what not to do in verse 5,7-8 and then what to do in verses 6, 9-13.  Do Not “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ” 7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.    Do “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”   Pray then like this:

lords-prayer“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.”

Prayer is personal as you alone can speak with Almighty God and lay your concerns, hopes, dreams and desires before Him.  As you learn to trust Him, He will reveal His will and desires to you.  Psalm 37:3,4 are some of my favorite verses and I pray and claim them often.  “Trust in the Lord and do good;  dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.4 Take delight in the Lord,  and he will give you the desires of your heart.”   

Psalm-37-4Talk with God, trust Him with the desires of your heart, keep on doing good and be safe in His arms.

Linda

Plans, Dreams Realized in Walking with God. Thanks Dr. King for your example.

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i-have-a-dream-mlkToday is deemed Martin Luther King Day in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who stood for rightness in the fight for freedom and equality for all men.  He was very eloquent in speech and inspired many with his life and his fight against oppression.  He challenges the generations to dream of equality and reach for it.  Where do you have unrealized dreams today?  Are you actively pursuing them, keeping them in focus and grabbing onto opportunities to make them happen?

This year my word is HOPE and like Dr. King I need to put my faith and trust in God and walk in Hope.  What about you?  Have you chosen patience as your word- do you need to purse patience in moving towards the goals God has for you?  Have you chosen structure- do you need to form a plan or have a pattern for your daily success?  Have you chosen peace- do you need to develop an attitude of peace in your heart and towards those around you this year?   Like Dr. King, we want our dreams and goals to be accomplished and we want to glorify God in the process.  I came across this verse today that fits in and encouraged me.  Proverbs 16:3 in the Message translation. “Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place.”  Keep God in your focus, in your heart, in your prayer life and He will bring you to it and through it this year for your good and His glory!

As we remember Dr. King today and honor his achievements for mankind. think how much God has for you to accomplish and what wonderful purposes He has for you.  We know for certain that He has a plan and a purpose for each of us.  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11  Put God in charge of your plans and He will align them with His will to accomplish His purposes.  His are the best plans of all. Let go this year and let God be in charge.   But Jesus looked at them and said, Matthew19_26_All things“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”  Matthew 19:26.

Linda

Total Hope, where do you find it?

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These first few weeks of 2020 I have been looking into HOPE as it is my chosen word for the year.  I saw survival hope in Psalm 71:14 “But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.”, Hope in God’s Word, Psalm 119:114 “You are my hiding place and my shield;  I hope in your word.”,  Hope in God’s steadfast Love, Psalm 33:18 “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,”, Hope in the future, Jeremiah 29:11 “ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” and daily Hope for living, Lamentations 3:21-23 ” But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;  they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”  

Today’s verse helps me to see that God is my Total Hope,  Psalm 62:5-7                            psalm 62 5“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.”     

I love the truth of these words written by the psalmist David so long ago.  They are truths confirmed throughout scripture.  My hope comes from God alone.  He is the one who stands by me and holds me in times of distress and trouble  Psalm 107:13 “they cried to the Lord in their trouble,   and he delivered them from their distress.”   God is so strong and mighty, so sure and complete that He cannot be shaken, Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.    He gave me salvation through faith in Jesus, Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”.   God alone is working in my life to mold and shape me into the person He desires me to be and shares His glorious attributes with me,  Romans 5:3-5 “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”   He is the holder of my salvation and sent the Holy Spirit as my guarantee, 2 Corinthians 1:22 “and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”

Do these truths about God alone give you Hope for surviving, loving, learning and leaning on the truth of His Word, for looking into the future and for daily living?  God is my total Hope and that Hope is in Him alone.  He is and has all the hope I need.  in christ alone“Thank you Jesus for bringing God’s Hope to me.”  

May you grab hold of His Hope today and be uplifted and strengthened.

Linda

Faithful God inspires HOPE for Living

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A portion of scripture I always visit in the New Year is Lamentations 3:21-26 as it is filled with hope for life, living and reminds me of the importance of dependence upon God.

But this I call to mind,                          (I just need to remember to receive HOPE.)
    and therefore I have hope:

22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;           (God’s love and mercy are
    his mercies never come to an end;                               unending.)
23 they are new every morning;               (Each day I can begin anew with God.)
    great is your faithfulness.                      (I can depend upon His faithfulness.)
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him.”                     (My hope is in God alone.)

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
    to the soul who seeks him.                          (The Lord blesses me as I seek Him.)

lamentation 3-21-22 NLTThese verses inspire, refresh, assure, and lead me to God.    He alone is the one I can depend upon because I know He is faithful, merciful, keeps His promises and delights when I seek Him.  He loves me with an eternal love that is steadfast and true and therefore I can place my hope in Him.

lamentation 3-21-NLTJoin me as we begin this New Year by placing your Hope in God and walk expecting good from God as He is good to those who wait upon Him and place their hope in Him.

Let these words of hope and encouragement guide you today. God is faithful and you can depend upon His love and mercy so you can begin each day with new hope.

Linda

Where are you placing your future? Is it done with Hope and Assurance?

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Do you have verses that are yours?  One of my life verses is Jeremiah 29:11.  I first connected with this verse when I was asked to choose a verse for my grandson at his baby dedication. God led me to Jeremiah 29:11 and I began to cling to the promises it holds.   The connection for today and every day is the hope contained with God’s Words. romans 8-28“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”   This verse tells me God knows me and my future and He has good planned for me.  Those things He has planned are designed to give me hope and a positive future.  I am convinced that God loves me and wants the very best for me.  I am convinced that God is good,  desiring the best for me- for my good and His glory.  How can I not have hope?

Does this mean that everything will always be good, happy and fulfilling? No.  It means that whatever happens in my life, God can use it for my good.  Romans 8:28 confirms Jeremiah-29-11this, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”   Since I know and love Jesus, I am assured that He can and does use all things in my life for good.  In the hard times, it is difficult to be assured of this,  but looking back or looking at others suffering we can often get a glimpse of this truth.  This calls for our faith and trust in Him.

I cling to the truths of Jeremiah 29:11 when hard times come, when I see amazing things happen, when I look and plan for the future and seek to know what He would have me do.   I ask for His help and guidance as His will is perfect His direction is true.  Let Psalm 25:4-5 be your prayer as it is mine.                                                                                            psalm 25 5 “Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.

Linda

Got Hope in 2020? Anchor it in God’s Steadfast Love.

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Hope-in-Gods-Steadfast-LoveAs we look at hope in scripture we see survival hope, hope in His Word and today I see hope in His steadfast love.  God’s love is an anchor for our soul and His love surrounds us 24/7.  Knowing God loves us- gives us Hope, knowing God is trustworthy and faithful gives us Hope that is secure in that love.  John 3:16 reminds us that God’s love is what motivated Him to come after us, free us and send Jesus to suffer and die to redeem us for all eternity.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.   This love, eternal and sacrificial is ours so that we may have Hope.

In the Psalms David captures this love hope and puts it into words we can cling to:  Psalm 33:18 “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,”    Psalm 33:22  ” May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,  even as we put our hope in you.”   Psalm 147:11 “The Lord delights in those who fear him,  who put their hope in his unfailing love.”     We see in these verses hope comes from knowing God’s unfailing love because we revere, worship and adore Him.   Hope comes when we put our trust in God, and God is pleased or delighted by our reverence and fear.  We know that God is love, and the proof of His love is His sending Jesus to save us.  “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”1 John 4:10

psalm33 22Meditate on God’s steadfast love today and consider how that love gives you HOPE:  1 Chronicles 16:34 “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;  for his steadfast love endures forever!”    Psalm 13:5 “But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.” Psalm 33:22 “Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.

Begin 2020 with Hope rooted in God’s Steadfast Love,

Linda