may interest you: The word "hope" is the 20th most common word used in the English language! Wow! But that should be no surprise considering a culture that's constantly desiring something to fulfill temporary happiness, and is completely devoid of any real hope.
It's used in a variety of contexts, from expressing optimism about the future to expressing a desire for something. The most common ways we use the word "hope" in our vernacular is as such:
No wonder the word "hope" is used a LOT, in our everyday language, and for good reason! It's essential to the human experience. It gives us the strength to face challenges, the courage to pursue our dreams, and the resilience to overcome adversity. On the other hand, there are many in the world, right now, who feel or experience, in some way, hopelessness. Hopelessness is a symptom of depression. It is the feeling that things will never get better and that there is no point in trying. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) depression is the most common mental disorder in the world. An estimated 280 million suffer from it and it is expected to rise to 350 million by 2030, and I mention that simply because, hopelessness is a significant cause of depression for many. Now back to the word hope. The title, "Hope vs Hope" suggests that there is a difference between worldly, "everyday hope" and "biblical hope". There's nothing wrong with everyday hope but it's extremely important we differentiate between everyday hope and biblical hope. Biblical hope is 'NOT the same' as "everyday hope". When we read verses like Romans 12:12, "Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying ". OR Titus 2:13, "...while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed". OR Romans 15:13, "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit", we are not talking about the word "hope " as it used in "everyday language". A child hopes he will get a bicycle for Christmas but he doesn't know for sure until Christmas arrives. We "hope" someone's cancer will be extracated. But we don't go to them and say, as a matter of fact, "I'm hoping your cancer will go away, so your are going to be absolutely healed!" Why? Because we can't be for sure. We're not sure that we will receive what we desire. That's NOT true of hope in the Bible. The word translated hope in the Bible can't find it's equivalent in our use of the word "hope" as mentioned in the introduction of this devotional study. Rather, it means, "confident hope"; "absolute certainty of what we have been promised and expect". In our verse Hebrews 6:19 it says, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." An anchor attached to a boat or ship, keeps it from drifting. We have "hope-anchored" souls. Our souls are made secure, because our expectations will absolutely be fulfilled based on God's promises and God cannot lie! (Numbers 23:19) Wow! Now that's the kind of hope we want. It's the kind of hope we need! It's the kind of hope we don't deserve, but God has so lovingly, unconditionally provided through His own sacrifice and purchased of our salvation. Thank God for THAT kind of hope that He has so graciously provided to us. That's why when we lose someone, in this world, Gods Word and Promise to us is that, "...we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope".(1 Thessalonians 4:13). I do "hope" you will have a wonderful week. I really do! But more importantly, I "hope" you have the true biblical hope, that gives you joy, and gives you peace, that surpasses all understanding, and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, and which only comes from knowing Jesus as your "great God and Savior". PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us REAL hope that is not as the world gives. Rather, you have given us REAL and genuine promises of an absolute confidence and assurance! Thank your for giving the gift of that kind of Hope that only YOU can give to those who have placed their faith in You and Lord and Savior. In Jesus Name, Amen! Until next time, "Keep, keeping on". (Gal 6:9) Mark Evans The Journey Place
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That last one will make you think, right? 🤔
However, there are TWO more. 4. What God thinks of you 👀, and 5. What you think God thinks of you. 😇 Have you ever asked that question before right now? People do all kinds of things to try to “find themselves” or discover who they are and/or what their purpose in life is. From personality tests to IQ tests, and psychological tests that test you on five dimensions. But can these tests really tell you the most important things about yourself? What does God think of you?! OK Mark!!! “What does God think of me?” 😁 I’m SO glad you asked me!! 1. God sees you as valuable! Ya, that’s right. You…are…valuable! I am the Creator and you are my creation. I breathed the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). I created you in my own image (Genesis 1:27). My eyes saw your unformed substance (Psalm 139:16). I knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). I know the number of hairs on your head, and before a word is on your tongue I know it (Matthew 10:30; Psalm 139:4). You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Hows that for value? That’s how God views you but how does science view you? Based soley on the chemical elements that make up your body ( i. e., oxygen, carbon, hydrogen) you are worth as much as $1 60 and some say as little as a few bucks? Not Good! Not God! God sees you infinitely more valuable than you can possibly think, hope, fathom, or imagine! You are so incredibly valuable to Him that all the Money, Gold, Silver, and Precious Stones on the entire planet are but a grain of sand in comparison! There is NOTHING that God would or will not do for YOU…for what’s in your best interest! And He did just that!! By becoming a human being in order to bridge the gap, to fix the bridge to Himself so people could know Him the way He originally intended and to have relationship with, and to enjoy all His benefits here and now, and Forever! PRAYER: Lord God, I thank you that you love us infinitely more than we can hope or imagine! You consider each one us, despite our mistakes, and in spite of ourselves, to be wholly, and completely valuable more than anything in all of creation! We know that, which you value the most, and which you call, "the apple of my eye" (us), you will take care of us and hear our prayers. Help us to trust you when it seems, to us, you are not listening. Thank you for your love and your ear. In Jesus Name, Amen! Stay tuned for more! Until next time... "Keep, Keeping on!" (Galatians 6:9) Have a question? Contact The Journey Place to find out more. Pastor Mark The Journey Place vacation for a week. My boss said, “You're still learning, but you're doing a good job. Have a good vacation! See you when you get back”. He said he would give me the same work again when I return.
However, when i returned instead of “loads” for the day sitting on the driver’s seat there was a note that said, “your employment has been terminated” and that it “just isn’t working for you”. ??? What!?!? Are you confused? Don't worry. So am I. Then 2 days later I started to have a vise grip, throbbing, type of headache and feeling tired like I did 10 years ago when i had an immune deficiency. In just hours I went from having a job and strength to unemployed and feeling week and unhealthy!! (It was 2 weeks later I discovered I had a very bad sinus infection and it was affecting my overall health now). It’s easy to feel like God has abandoned us sometimes or that he doesn’t seem to care, that He has somehow forgotten us, or we are not important enough for him to see. David is expressing, here, his own experience of feeling abandoned by God. Here is the most intense suffering God’s servant can know—not just that enemies surround him (Ps. 22:7, 12–13) and that his body is in dreadful pain (Ps. 22:14–16), but that he feels that God does not hear him and does not care about his suffering. Then, in the midst of great anguish, David recalls how God has been his God from the moment he was born (vs 10). He recalls the acts, availability, and presence of God to those who praise him and proclaim his name. He recalls in vs 24, “For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help.” Remember, this week and moving forward, that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1), and that there is no such thing as, (as the title of Garth Brooks song reads), “unanswered prayer”. Rather, God always answers prayer! His answers are: 1. Yes 2. No, and 3. Wait! We want answers now! But God’s timing is perfect. He knows the wise and unwise decisions we make; the good, the bad, and the ugly, of our lives and choices. He knows our past, our present, and our future. He knows all the obstacles, and heartaches, and joyous occasions in between our birth and our last hour on this earth. God’s Word declares, “But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) My advice? If you are in a hurry, then Hurry up and wait! Specifically, ON the LORD! “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” (Psalm 27:14) PRAYER: Father, we proclaim your name as the only name under heaven by which people can be saved. We thank you your love which surpasses all understanding. Help us to trust You and to wait on you patiently. Forgive us when we fail. Lift us up on wings ‘like’ eagles to experience your encouragement and give us strength for today and the days ahead of us. In Jesus name. Amen! Until next time: “Keep your heads up, your heart’s holy, and your hands lifted high!” Pastor Mark Evans The Journey Place |
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AuthorMark Evans is the Teaching Pastor of the former Radio Broadcast, "Embracing the Truth" ArchivesCategories |