Tweet
Glory Seed Devotional’s, 2017: Anticipating and Experiencing Jehovah-Jireh...
Our hope is in the Living God...
Shalom!
If you ever thought about throwing up your arms and quitting the apostle Paul has some very good advice for all of us. “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.” (1 Timothy 4:8–10, NLT)
“…for our hope is in the living God…” Yesterday I wanted us to consider faith today I want us to consider hope. Because we live in a “vertical world” where the most important is at top and the least important is at the bottom, or the strongest is at the top and weakest is at the bottom, or the richest is at the top and the poorest is at the bottom I have for a while now I’ve wondered which is more important faith or hope. Does faith open the door for hope or does hope open the door for faith? Or does it really matter, and how does the relationship of hope and faith factor in with throwing up our arms and quitting?
The answer of course is both are of equal importance, and both must be present in order to have a relationship with God. The question of which one is more important is of no real importance what is important is how we understand how each on factors in to our relationship with God. With those thoughts in mind I understand hope as standing on the promises of God until they become a reality either “in this life or the life to come”. And one of faith’s many functions is the power to keep hope alive until it is transformed to reality. That lesson was driven home recently following my 26-day prayer vigil for the healing of pulmonary fibrosis. When I first realized a healing was not in God’s Ultimate Plan after getting over the disappointment I found hope, not hope in the healing but hope in Psalms 23:4, “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4, NLT)
“May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us.” **
Grace and PEACE,
Gary
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Note: Should you want to go back and review this Glory Seed or if you would like to subscribe so you can receive them in your email you can do so by clicking on this link: http://www.gloryseeddevotional.org.
If you would like inspirational music playing as you read this Glory Seed may I suggest clicking on this link: http://www.abidingradio.org/listen/
“Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.”
**Psalm 67:1, New Living Translation