Verse of the Day - Romans 12:12

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. ~ Romans 12:12 (NLT)

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We often equate hope with wishing. I hope it's not too hot today...(that's definitely wishful thinking in Sacramento today!)...I hope it's not too late to submit my application...was the deadline really yesterday?!?

hope (noun)
from the American Heritage Dictionary

1. A wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment.
2. Something that is hoped for or desired: Success is our hope.
3. One that is a source of or reason for hope: the team's only hope for victory.
4. often Hope Christianity - The theological virtue defined as the desire and search for a future good, difficult but not impossible to attain with God's help.
5. Archaic - Trust; confidence.

We can wish for $1,000,000 or cheaper gas prices, but our confidence level of getting them is pretty much zero. Confidence seems to be the key to a hope versus a wish.

How confident are you in Jesus? Is He your hope? Is He your "team's only hope for victory"? Do you ride all your bets on Him, confident that His horse will win the race--the race to end all races?

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
~ Revelation 19:11-16 (NIV)

Christ followers put their confidence in Jesus, because He's proved Himself to be trustworthy and faithful, strong and capable, divine and holy. All that He said would happen, did happen. He offered mankind eternal life in Himself, and then He rose from the dead, giving us hope -- that confident expectation -- that we will also have eternal life if we trust in Him, and Him alone.

They say that nothing is secure except death and taxes. Well, God begs to differ. Despite the fact that we cannot see beyond the grave, God says you can have hope of eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. And Paul says in Romans that that is reason to CELEBRATE! ... REJOICE! ... GET HAPPY! Regardless of the trials and difficulties that come our way, nothing ... nothing ... nothing ... can take away our hope of salvation and eternal life! Christ's hold on us when we come to Him is like a vise grip...

Who can keep us away from the love of Christ? Can trouble or problems? Can suffering wrong from others or no food? Can it be because of no clothes or because of danger or war? The Holy Writings say, "Because of belonging to Jesus, we are in danger of being killed all day long. We are thought of as sheep that are ready to be killed." (Psalm 44:22) But we have power over all these things through Jesus Who loves us so much. For I know that nothing can keep us from the love of God. Death cannot! Life cannot! Angels cannot! Leaders cannot! Any other power cannot! Hard things now or in the future cannot! The world above or the world below cannot! Any other living thing cannot keep us away from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.
~ Paul, in Romans 8:35-39 (NLV)

I'd say that sounds like a man who has real hope, wouldn't you?

You can rejoice in your hope, if your Hope is Jesus! As you enter your house of worship this weekend, let your worship of Jesus--your Hope--be JOYOUS! Let it be loud and exuberant! He is worthy of all you have to offer, because He gave all He had to offer for you. And it was enough. It was sufficient. For your past...for your present...for your future. You can be confident of that!

Love,
Joelene