HOPE IS A CHRISTIAN VIRTUE

HOPE IS A CHRISTIAN VIRTUE

     “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”  1 Peter 1:3-5 (NKJV)

    Clem Thurman writes in Gospel Minutes Sept. 27, 2002: “Some folk, faced with the conditions as they are in the world today, are led to believe that ‘Christianity has failed.’  Even among those who are supposed to be Christians, many are ready to give up on ‘the law of the Spirit of life’ (Romans 8:2) as a world-changing movement, claiming that the gospel will just not fit the complex issues of our society today.”

     Paul commanded: Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!  Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Phil 4:4-7 (NKJV)

     “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”  Heb 6:19-20 (NKJV)

    “(as it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations" ) in the presence of Him whom he believed--God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be."  Romans 4:17-18 (NKJV)

     “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.  Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie--indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.”  Rev 3:8-9 (NKJV)

     “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”  Romans 16:20 (NKJV)

     “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.  For in fact the body is not one member but many.” 1 Cor 12:13-14 (NKJV)

     “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”  2 Cor 3:17-18 (NKJV)

WHY  DO  YOU  HOPE

Stand up and praise the Lord your God!

Praise Him forever and ever!

Let everyone praise His glorious name,

although no human praise

is great enough.

The long history of the church is filled

with the wonders of God’s Spirit.

Who would dare to say that

the love and imagination

of God were exhausted?

The ways of Providence

are by nature surprising.

We are not prisoners of "fate,"

nor of the gloomy predictions

of sociologists and The News.

We must therefore be ready

to expect

the unexpected

from our God!

To hope is a duty, not a luxury.

To hope is not to dream,

but to turn dreams into reality.

Blessed are those who dream dreams

and are ready

to pay the price

to make them come true.

I am a man of hope - not

from human reasons

nor from a natural optimism.

Our God is here, near us,

unforeseeable and loving,

working in this world

at this very minute.

To those who welcome Him

He gives each day fresh liberty and

renewed joy and trust!!!

                [2 Cor. 3:14-18]