HOPE...

I found this quote the other day in a book I was glancing thru
and it took me back in time - approximately 38 years!
To when I graduated from Nursing School ... 1970!

In the Year Book for the Class of ’70, I had given this quote as my desire in life:

“The Great Essentials of Happiness are
Something to do,
Something to love,
and
Something to hope for.”
(Joseph Addison)

I’ve not thought about this for a long time –
My life has been filled with lots of “doing”,
and lots of “loving” –
But it’s only since I’ve known Jesus as my Savior
that the “HOPE “ has become a real, well-founded hope!

And as I just wrote that, I realized, once again, that the “doing” was
never as rewarding
as it has been when “doing” for HIM –

And the “loving” has expanded and abounded since knowing HIM.

It wasn’t until approximately 10 years after I was saved that I discovered
the beauty of this particular verse in Jeremiah -

Jeremiah 29:11 –
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (NLT)

“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.” (NIV)

There have been times in the past when I have wondered what my life
would have been like had I sought Him
earlier in my life and given myself over to Him then...

But you know what?
I can’t dwell on that!
I haven’t thought about that for a long time because He has given me a future!
He has prospered me!
He has given me a hope!
AWESOME!
Mind you – I have had my share of difficulty, frustration, pain, and sorrow;
I’ve also had an abundance of joy, peace, rest, and love;

But the HOPE! – Oh! –The HOPE!

Hope of spending eternity with Him!
The blessed Hope of His return!
Hope of generational curses being broken!
Hope of my offspring making different / choices than I did because
they have a loving Savior in their lives!
Hope for my lost loved ones to find their way to this wonderful Savior!
Hope of a lost world finding its way to Him!
Hope for our young people finding Christ early in their lives because of faithful,
God-loving Children and Youth Leaders, Sunday School Teachers,
Camp Counselors, Children`s Pastors, and so on!
Hope for our marriages, our families, our churches –
as Christians become ever more a praying people!

The Hebrew word for hope – yachal – means ``to wait with expectation``
The Greek term – elpis – denotes ``confident expectation`` or ``anticipation`` -
not ``wishful thinking``.

So I await with confident expectation all the things I just mentioned.
What is it you ‘HOPE’ for? That you ‘anticipate’?
That you have a ‘confident expectation’ of?

Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in believing,
that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (NKJV)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,
so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (NIV)

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Lamentations 3:25-26 (NIV)

HE is the God of HOPE...
Not the God of “wishful thinking”...
He fills us with His Holy Spirit and gives us His peace and power!

Dear friends,
I pray that you KNOW this God of Hope and that He fills you to overflowing
with His love and joy and peace!
And with HIS Hope!

Have a Blessed, Hope-Filled Day!
Resting in HIM,
Ruthie