October 1st, 2018

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. – Colossians 1:27
 
In this letter to the church of Colossi, Paul writes in spite of his suffering, he is rejoicing because there is hope. Hope and love are things everyone needs. Hope gives direction.
 
Our hope is Jesus Christ. Without Him we would not have hope for anything beyond this life. The above verse tells us Christ is in us, knowing that brings us hope. As we look at our lives we get discouraged and loose hope. We know He loves us, He is in us and there is no need to despair.
 
Since Jesus is our source of hope, this verse tells us that the Holy Spirit’s power can bring joy. People everywhere  are looking for happiness, wealth, good times and fame. But we know peace and joy can come from within us because of the Holy Spirit living in us. Those who do not know or have Jesus as their strength do not have that hope.
 
The worldly material, power, and fame does not give us hope as Jesus does. Those things only bring disappointments and heartache. The Psalmist say in Psalms 42:5, put your hope in God; Psalms 62:5 says, “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.” again we read hope comes from God.
 
Jeremiah 29:11, “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.“ It says God plans to give you hope and a future.
 
Hope is given to us by God. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.” (1 Peter 1:3-4) 
 
God in His mercy set hope before us. It becomes our anchor in times of despair as you look forward to the inheritance before us in eternity.
 
Throughout the Bible we see great saints like Moses, David and others were successful because of their faith.
 
When we display our lives before others, our hope touches them and helps them to see who our God is. Our hope builds others and brings joy and happiness. we become the conduit of God’s love to others.
 
In Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.” We are told we will be rewarded for what we have done throughout our lives.
 
HOPE GIVES US DIRECTION.
 
God bless. Have a beautiful fall, enjoy the colors and the gentle breezes as we look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas.
 
In Christ’s steps,
Pastor Shaker

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