The Christian Hope
In this discussion I would like us to talk about the difference between faith and hope. What is faith and how do we get it? What is hope and how do we enter into it and make sure that we will are partakers of the HOPE mentioned in the Word.
No person can live without faith and hope. Without hope we are hopeless in this world and will start to live as hopeless people. I have come to realize that Hope energizes us in life. There is also a danger in making what we HOPE present tense or even past tense. If we take the Christian HOPE and make it something of the PAST we are hopeless again.
Let’s talk…
(I will place a new discussion on the BLOG once a week)
Bertie Brits
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word.
ReplyDeletewhat word is the question???-the beautiful thing is when you check the original greek word for"WORD" its the same word for christ. So faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of christ.
Faith is something that happens to us, when i hear, faith will be produced in me...ha ha, its so easy:-) it makes me happy.......Faith will be a result of hearing the word.
Hope:mmmmmmmmm-hope for the comming of Jesus i think??????expectation???????
Thanks for your reply. I have never seen Christ and the WORD as the same in the Greek. Could you explain how you see this? It would truly be wonderful to see. Here is what I have concerning the Greek when it comes to the Word and to Christ
ReplyDeleteChrist
Χριστός
Christos
Thayer Definition:
Christ = “anointed”
1) Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God
2) anointed
Part of Speech: adjective
A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G5548
Word
G3056
λόγος
logos
log'-os
From G3004; something said (including the thought); by implication a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive; by extension a computation; specifically (with the article in John) the Divine Expression (that is, Christ): - account, cause, communication, X concerning, doctrine, fame, X have to do, intent, matter, mouth, preaching, question, reason, + reckon, remove, say (-ing), shew, X speaker, speech, talk, thing, + none of these things move me, tidings, treatise, utterance, word, work.
sorry my apologies-faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of christ- the word God hear in original greek actually refers to christ....So faith comes when we hear the word of christ.
ReplyDeletewhat programe do you use???-it looks insightful??
For me, HOPE means having an expectation for better things in THIS age, AND in the age to come, because of what Jesus has done. If the expectation is not for THIS age, what's the point of even living in this age?
ReplyDeleteGood one Louise. I love what you have said "in THIS age and the age to come" all based on Jesus.
ReplyDeleteConcerning hope in the future, Jesus went to great lengths to prove He is a Man after His resurrection:-
ReplyDeleteLuk 24:39 BEHOLD My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. HANDLE Me and SEE, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.
Luk 24:40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.
Luk 24:41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?"
Luk 24:42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.
Luk 24:43 And He took it and ate in their presence.
Keeping this in mind makes a lot of sense when reading 1John1-4.
1Jn 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have HEARD, which we have SEEN WITH OUR EYES, which we have LOOKED UPON, and our hands have HANDLED, concerning the Word of life—
1Jn 1:2 the life was manifested (the resurrected Christ), and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life
(immortal , no more death) which was with the Father (when Jesus went to the Father presenting His blood before the mercy seat) and WAS MANIFESTED (in His living flesh) to us"!!!
He is the Firstfruit we are the harvest! Paul also saw His ressurected state.(1 Cor 15:8)
The redemption of our bodies is our hope:-
Rom 8:23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
Rom 8:24 For we were saved in this hope....
100% in agreement with you Dave. The problem I have seen is when people don't see this GREAT GREAT truth as future but misinterpret it for today. Seeking perfection in all areas of life now. If they don’t find it introspection is next on the list and then the LAW.
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing
I have come to know that hope is something we have as a byproduct of hearing the good news (what Jesus has already done). I noticed for me, hope increases in my life almost surprisinigly. As I am resting in the finished work of the cross, hope comes! And before I know it I have hope in areas that I didn't before!
ReplyDeleteQUESTION: So, then is hope in the new body, earth and heaven to come??
ReplyDeleteSo, its to say when we dont see healing when we pray for the sick, or we were beleiving for something and there was no manifestation that our hope is in the new world to come.???
I have shared with close firends in a really difficult time that Gods cares, and loves them but things got worse for them and they would say to me," so much for your God of love"??
How would/do you respond to statements like that??
I feel in my heart that, we live in a fallen world..its in the midst of the chaos, he brings us peace, sadness-joy. but yet, all victory and authority is his.
pls respond.
Hope is something that is towards something that has not happened yet, or is not seen yet. Otherwise it's not hope. So when i have faith (past tense) in the finished work of the cross, i have peace (present tense), righteousness (present tense) and joy (present tense). Everything for salvation is settled and done (past tense, the fruit of which continues into the present tense and into the future). Surely hope is towards experiencing the physical MANIFESTATION of what has already been completed at the cross?
ReplyDeleteWell said Megan!!!
ReplyDeleteI believe hope is: The rest your mind enters in due to the influence of grace.
ReplyDeleteDaleen
I have so many questions but one of them is this, and please forgive me....I hope I word it correctly:- if we are to believe the finished work of the cross and all the benefits that go along with that message, like living in health, being prosperous, being seated with Christ and enjoying being a joint heir....going out and healing the sick and believing that our families are under the protection of Christ then why do some Christians (who I know are strong believers) loose their children to death? why would you believe for LIFE and living under protection, only to possibly loose your children? I don't understand. There seems to be this gap somewhere. I believe with my whole being that my family will always be safe. I confess and believe that we shall live and NOT die.......I seek immortality. I cannot understand how I would believe all this only to have the possibility of loosing one of them. What is the point of believing? please explain. My question is not to discredit but for a better understanding.
ReplyDeleteHaving hope is so important to be in rest -- the rest and peace that God promised us. As the bible says -- loosing hope makes the heart sick. I would also say that when you face a series of loses we totally loose heart and that is not a good state for anyone to be in. My question is how do we ensure that this does not happen? I would also put it this way -- we must ensure that this does not happen as it would completely demoralize us. My own belief now is that we must put our total focus on the finished work of Christ -- it is not possible to loose hope when we make this out total focus. The promises of the cross cannot fail -- otherwise we are living in the hope of an illusion.
ReplyDeleteHi Guys,
ReplyDeleteI had a little look at some of the Greek text and the meaning in the translation of these words and this is what I came up with. Hope is generaly described by the words "el-pis, el-pizow or apel-pizow. the translation generaly refers to a sence of trust, expectation or non dispair. Faith is discribed by the words pistis or pistos and speaks of the conviction of the truth of a thing. The first also speaks of the trustworthyness of the character of a person (ie. credibility), the second (pistos) speaks of a twofold interpretation 1. the maner in which one conducts himself in bussiness, or execution of his duties; being reliable and 2. being easily persuaded (espescialy in context regarding Christ's resurection & being the author of salvation).
The way I see this is that faith is the conviction of present realities according to the completed work of Jesus in the absolute confidence of His character and reliability because we have seen the revelation of Him in the way He conducts His bussiness. Hope speaks of the things we expect and trust in concerning what is not yet evident because we have this confidence that our trust in Him will not disapoint us.
Faith is substance to our expectation(hope), evidence(reality) of that of which we do not yet have revelation
Blessings
"Hope does not disappoint, for the love of God was shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit" (Romans 5:5) His steadfast love is what keeps us expect good things to happen, since "hope" means "positive expectation of good things to come" (from the Greek word "elpis"),
ReplyDeleteAll very interesting, but no-one has answeared GILL'S question/questions???????
ReplyDeleteMany people have these questions in their hearts. Will all be healed all the time. What should we expect (hope for)?
ReplyDeleteI will be placing my comment later this week - getting all the scriptures together. It is getting interesting and hopeful.
Faith is the foundation of our hope. This faith is past tense in the finished work of Jesus. Hope is future tense(unseen). I believe that the focus on 'going to heaven' has robbed us of a GREAT truth and comfort. The apostles spoke of a living hope, through the ressurection of Jesus, that is unchallenged and sure(kept in the heavens for us; 1Pet 1:1-9). Bear in mind many of the believers Paul wrote to were in great tribulation. He refers to this hope many times as comfort and consolation: 2Cor 4:16-18; 2Cor5:1-7; Rom 8:16-25; Phil 3:20,21; 1 Cor 15 etc etc. This hope is unaffected by contradiction in the natural(seen). If our hope is only in what we see we will stumble. Things happen in this world. Though we are affected by contradiction and loss, we have a hope that transcends the natural. If we believe that nothing bad will ever happen to christians, our faith can be shaken. If God had so to interfere with this world, I believe He would have to remove from us our greatest gift: to be in His image and likeness(Himself). This does not mean we don't look to Him for protection, but we know that whatever happens, we are secure.
ReplyDeleteWhilst we are on the subject of faith and hope, let's also discuss LOVE. Because love is the GREATEST of these 3.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the point of looking to Him for protection when we know that whatever happens, we are secure? For example, if we die, we know we have a place in heaven (secure). What then is the point of PRAYING FOR protection? Surely then we must just take whatever comes our way, whether hard times or death, and just accept that no matter what, we are secure? What then is the point of PRAYING FOR anything at all?
ReplyDeleteOf all that Christ accomplished on the cross:
ReplyDelete1) What is past?
2) What is for now?
3) What is future based only?
4) What can we accept as done (finished)?
5) What do we need to PRAY ABOUT?
Does God NEED our prayers in order to "move" on our behalf?
ReplyDeleteBut i suppose prayer is a whole other subject :)
Christ in us - the HOPE OF GLORY!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe answer to understanding HOPE is what you have just said. Christ in us is the proof of and expectation of GLORY. The wonderful thing about HOPE is that it is not something a Christian does not have but a truth about something that will happen at the return of the LORD that gives us joy for today.
ReplyDelete8:19 Our lives now represent the one event every creature anticipates with held breath, standing on tip-toe as it were to witness the unveiling of the sons of God. Can you hear the drum-roll?
ReplyDelete8:20 Every creature suffered abuse through Adam’s fall; they were discarded like a squeezed-out orange. Creation did not volunteer to fall prey to the effect of the fall. Yet within this stark setting, hope prevails.
8:21 All creation knows that the glorious liberty of the sons of God sets the stage for their own release from decay.
8:22 We sense the universal agony and pain recorded in history until this very moment.
8:23 We ourselves feel the grief echo of their groaning within us while we are ready to embrace the original blueprint also of our physical stature to the full consequence of sonship. What we already now participate in as first fruits of the spirit will bloom into a full gathering of the harvest. 8:24 Our own experience of salvation confirms our hope-dream now and continues to fuel our expectation for what we still cannot see. (In terms of realising the full gathering of the harvest.) In the final visible completeness of the harvest, hope has fulfilled its function.
8:25 In the mean time our expectation takes us beyond visual confirmation into a place of patient contentment.8:26 The Spirit also sighs within us with words too deep for articulation, assisting us in our prayers when we struggle to know how to pray properly. When we feel restricted in our flesh, He supersedes our clumsy efforts and hits bulls-eye every time.
8:27 He who scrutinises the heart understands the intention of the spirit. (He knows us so much better than what we know ourselves) His intercession for the saints is consistent with the blue-print purpose of God.
8:28 Meanwhile we know that the love of God causes everything to mutually contribute to our advantage. His Master Plan is announced in our original identity.
8:29 He engineered us from the start to fit the mould of sonship and likeness according to the exact blueprint of His design. We see the original and intended shape of our lives preserved in His Son; He is the firstborn from the same womb that reveals our genesis. He confirms that we are the invention of God.
clearing up the Rom 10:17 confusion, The Westcott-Hort Greek text records the word of Christ
ReplyDeleteother greek texts record the word of God
there are obviously several Greek texts
in this context and several other instances the Westcott-Hort text is the more reliable...
this is my translation ... 10:17 "It is clear then that faith’s source is found in the content of the message heard; man’s inclusion in Christ is the ingredient."
ReplyDeleteyou can get the rest on www.mirrorreflection.net under the Mirror Translation...
it is impossible to believe without hope
ReplyDeletefaith is the substance of .... things hoped for!
we must know that if we are dealing with Gods faith we are also dealing with Gods expectation, which is and always has been... Christ in us!!!!!
just like a golf player has to see the shot before he plays it, he has to accurately visualise the shot in advance...
Hope produced by faith is not futuristic, it is now! I do not hope that I am GOING to BECOME or be something, (that is wishful thinking) or go somewhere in Christ in the future. The message that I heard concerning ALL God HAS DONE on my behalf has caused faith and persuasion (substance, I am totally convinced) in my heart that I already AM!
ReplyDeleteNow, when I am convinced and persuaded in my heart, this becomes my reality (what I think, feel and speak) this is what becomes my substance. My hope NOW is the absolute expectation and trust in this very thing (my reality produced by faith) that I am persuaded of.
So the hope operates every second of my existence. It is not based on what the future holds but what the now (reality) holds. In other words, I am persuaded to believe something that my eyes can not see, and my common sense can not perceive, but my faith makes it real, and being real and fact to me even though I can't see it, is a hope to me, it is what I trust in and where my expectation rests. I have hope in this reality that I believe in even when I am faced with a contradiction, because the trust and expectation of this hope lies not in the physical evidence anymore, but rests in the persuasion and faith received freely as a gift from the Message (Word) that I heard.
Eg. I hear that I am righteous – I believe what I hear, and I believe I am close to God (faith) – I have a lustful thought and feel removed from God (contradiction). Now in which of these 2 experiences does my trust (HOPE) lie? In the new reality that can not be seen but only exists by faith from hearing? Or in the old experience and evidence of by what I do I get (LAW or contradiction)
My conclusion: In Christ, in the spirit we walk by faith based on our trust (hope) that rests on what God has already done for us. = HOPE
In the flesh, in Adam we walk by the sight of what we can see, in order to become by what we have done. = CONSEQUENCE
Much love and grace!
Is hope then not just all about what God has done for us and what He says about us = Good report or message, the too good to be true news!
ReplyDeleteMy hope lies in this Message of God!
HEARING the WORD of God, produces FAITH, which is the substance of things HOPED for and the evidence of things NOT SEEN = SPIRIT
WRITTEN LAW, produces WORKS and ACTIONS, which is the substance of CONSEQUENCES and the evidence of what will be SEEN and EXPERIENCED =FLESH
Anonymous you are right, our hope is alive. But what if the contradiction you're facing is a child dying or a terminal illness which does'nt get healed? Has God promised perfection in the flesh now? What about severe persecution or poverty? Is there no hope beyond this life?
ReplyDeleteConsider what prompted Paul to say this:
1Co 15:19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
If immunity from calamity and misfortune is a measure of God's blessing in our lives, Paul(and the early church) where the most unblessed around. Yet he says:-
Php 4:11 .. I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:
Our portion now is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. In the midst of our enemies He prepares a feast for us! Like Paul we are able to sing hymns in prison. One of the greatest gifts we receive is contentment. Hope is a confident expectation which is built upon faith in the finished work of Christ. Part of that finished work is the Firstfruit resurrected Man Christ Jesus.
Php 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Php 3:21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body...
So is our glorified body our ONLY hope? I.e. future based, and NO HOPE for anything PRESENT?
ReplyDeleteHi Louise
ReplyDelete1Co 15:19 If ONLY for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
No, hope is in this life too.
Faith - is what we require and receive freely to complete our mission in this world and our journey in Christ. Faith comes freely by hearing the word of God, (By hearing the Love of God)
ReplyDeleteHope - Christ is the Hope of Glory and Glory will be given to us freely as Christ dwells within us therefore we are the Hope of the world. Christ the Hope of Glory how wonderful is the Saviour of the world?. I wanna hear some more.
Praise God
can someone please answear gills question
ReplyDelete!!!!!!-properly and adress the questions that were asked?????????????????????
Dave, is our hope in THIS life then based purely on the glory to come? I.e. is that what we are living NOW for? Are we cruising along, waiting to die or be clothed with immortality? Is that all we are here for?
ReplyDeleteI guess what i'm asking is: If faith pertains to past, and hope pertains to future, WHAT pertains to NOW? With all these doctrines on revival, prosperity, immortality ... all for NOW .... it's all very confusing!
ReplyDeleteRighteousness, peace and joy - is that all we have for now? Can we stop seeking anything else for NOW other than this?
Louise, hope is in the present, it is now ...I am. Our glorified body is already, but I do not see it yet(the seeing part can be in another dimention or time). 1Cor 15:19 "this life" does not speak of time (past & future) but of dimension. We have all been raised with Christ in His resurrection, it is a done deal, and by believing it faith (God’s faith in and about me) happens in my heart, and this is the substance of what I hope in (the finished work) and the evidence (that it is true) even if I can't see it yet. Hope says this is what I hold on to and TRUST IN, and faith says I am convinced that it is fact and that I will see it!
ReplyDeleteIf a loved one dies, I am not immune from calamity in this physical dimension (it remains a contradiction that I can see now), but because of faith (remember it is God's faith in and about man) I have substance of hope (that causes me to trust that - what I see now with my eyes is not the truth any more and is temporal) and what faith says to me concerning death (immortality .. death swallowed up … etc)is the truth even if I don't see it yet. Walking in the truth becomes so real that it starts manifesting (like the Glory revealed in Peter when even just his shadow caused people to be healed etc) Truth remains truth; whether we believe it or not ... so it is truth that we trust in, truth is our hope. Do we suffer in this world/life/dimension? Yes, but it is temporal, and hope translates us into the new world /life/dimension/light in the present tense in the now. Paul rejoices in chains, left for dead, Stephan steps into hope and experiences peace and joy.
Should my child die …. Christ our hope of Glory … Jesus Christ, His actual life says to me that I am God’s son, that I have life eternal, because I am created in God’s image and in His likeness, and that I have everything. His life says I can trust in what He accomplished on my and my child’s behalf… I see death now, but it is not real, our resurrected abundant life is real … it remains a hope because we can not see it yet … but we KNOW we will see it, and we know it is God’s will that all will see it. So, walking so persuaded, I will pray for my child’s healing or resurrection now, believing that health and life is the truth and is for the now, if I experience the manifestation…WOW!!! If I don’t see it yet, I still trust and hope in this truth, because of faith, and I know I will see it, and that my child does have it!
Anonymous
ReplyDeleteThat is fascinating! Thanks for that!
"So, walking so persuaded, I will pray for my child’s healing or resurrection now, believing that health and life is the truth and is for the now, if I experience the manifestation…". Why does truth not manifest all the time? How can you be so convinced that you are not just believing an illusion? Why must truth be invisible 99% of the time?
ReplyDeleteThe view I have of faith belief and hope is like this
ReplyDelete1. I have faith NOW but my faith is based on what happened n the cross
2. I believe now (believe = resting our minds in the loving person of God this rest is a result of my faith - persuasion - of what happened on the cross)
3. I have hope NOW (hope = confident expectation of good) based on what I "faith" and am persuaded of that happened on the cross.
Truth is neither confirmed nor questioned in man's experience
ReplyDeletesomething doesn’t become true when enough support is raised
we can do nothing against the truth only for the truth 2 Cor 13:8
truth's greatest testimony in the now of our experience is in the fruit of the spirit, the expression of the peace of God that passes all understanding and settles our hearts and minds in a place of total contentment in the face of any size or shape of contradiction
not forgetting what manner of man we are
double mindedness deceives
we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, I belieVE AND SO I speak, we too believe and so we speak, 2Cor 4:13, quote from Ps 116 where David speaks to himself, saying, return to your rest o my soul, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you
I believe that the Gospel of Jesus believed has great effect in our life. I Corinthians clearly states that we can have health and long life when we believe what Jesus has done for us. Many times I have seen the protection of God and miracles in my own life. By grace we can hear the voice of God that leads us to safety. Jesus warned people to free from Jerusalem when they see the destruction coming. God warned Joseph about people that wanted to kill Jesus.
ReplyDeleteBy faith we can have access into the power of God and see all these wonderful things that we can expect of God because of who he is. The peace I have when it comes to money is the person of God which is provision and many other things. One thing that is sure is that the HOPE the New Testament speak of is the salvation of our bodies according to Rom 8.
I have hope for things in this life because of who God is but this is not the HOPE that brings me the Joy that possesses the power to take me through hard times if it comes. I have seen many miracles but I remember the time I had to have an operation. After 10 years of faith I had to have the operation without having supernatural miracles. I did not feel disappointed because I have a higher hope.
Dear Anonymous
ReplyDeleteBecause we walk by faith! (God's faith in and about us and what He created us for) I received this faith as a free gift when I heard the Good news and found that the good news persuaded me of God's favor and intent.
We still only see in part now, well what do we see in part? The perfect opinion and thoughts that God has about each one of us! It is God's absolute will and purpose that all of mankind will see and understand the fullness of His favor and love towards us = THE TRUTH!
‘All flesh shall see the glory (what God thinks about man) of the Lord′ Is.40:5. And the knowledge of the glory (God's opinion of man in Christ) of God will cover the earth like the water that covers the sea. Hab 2:14
Francois said it so beautifully - The revelation of their true identity and the sun of God’s favor shine’s so brightly on the apostles that at times their shadow would fall on people and they would be supernaturally healed! Acts 5:12-16. The power of God within them would even be transmitted into cloth and garments they touch and these would be laid upon sick and demon possessed people and they would be delivered.′
All of creation eagerly anticipates the revealing of the sons of God, the redemption of our bodies! Rom.8:19.
Can we now BELIEVE ONLY THIS AS THE TRUTH!!!!!!
‘Arise and shine, for your light(Christ) has come and the glory(God's opinion) of the Lord is risen upon you! Take heed of the prophetic word!!! Kings and nations shall come to the brightness of your rising!′ Isaiah 60:1-3.
Can we believe this and now start walking in this TRUTH (only persuaded by what God says about us and who we are)
The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn which shines brighter and brighter until the full day.( This FULL DAY is MANIFESTATION)′ Prov.4:18. ‘
I have made you a light to the nations that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.′ Acts 13:47.
Please excuse this silly example, but:
When I started driving, my dad would only let me drive in quiet controlled situations where he knew there was no danger around. I enjoyed every minute and already started seeing myself in rush hour traffic! I did not pout, and stomp my feet asking why couldn't I drive in the rush traffic straight away! I didn't for 1 minute think or believe that driving in rush hour was only an illusion? No, I continued in patient perseverance, believing that I am an able driver, and putting my trust and HOPE in the fact that my dad said he KNOWS I am a good driver and that I can drive in rush traffic! ... Hope this makes sense?!
how about using a numbers system to identify the anonymous posts? or even better names with pictures!!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous (8 posts up) - brilliant answer!
ReplyDeleteAm trying to understand – disappointment because of unfulfilled hope (confident expectation of good). Bottom line, and we will all agree is when God doesn’t do what we want, it’s not easy. But isn’t faith the conviction that God knows more than we do about this life and he will get us through it?
ReplyDeleteAs Lucado writes in one of his book – Disappointment is cured by revamped hope. Not what I want but what God deems as right. A higher Hope....as you wrote Bertie.
I like that story about the fellow who went to the pet store in search of a singing parakeet. Seems he was a bachelor and his house was too quiet. The store owner had just the bird for him, so the man bought it. The next day the bachelor came home from work to a house full of music. He went to the cage to feed the bird and noticed for the first time that the parakeet had only one leg. He felt cheated that he’d been sold a one-legged bird, so he called and complained.
“What do you want,” the store owner responded, “a bird who can sing or a bird who can dance?”
I believe hope is a living present truth, based on the past (cross) and the future (glorification). We are "surrounded" with this hope, it's entwined in the very fibre of our being, it's a living reality of all the good that God is. Christ in us, right here, right now. He is our hope for every second of every day.
ReplyDeleteYou take it all together here Louise. I believe the hope that you talk of that we "experience" as alive in our hearts today is what the WORD calls "patience" - or the empowerment of God in our lives for today.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous I must say that I agree with you and what you have said at 10:20am is wonderful and I believe it brings all that I wanted to say in this discussion together. I am very blessed with it. Hope is such a powerful blessing that gives us power for every day. By understanding this truth we will never be hopeless and hard times has completely lost its power over us. AMEN!!
ReplyDeleteHey Bertie Brother you are such a blessing
ReplyDeletelove you stax!!!!
Wow, I'm glad you started this blog...it's great to have a place of discussion. Even if I do more reading and less commenting. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, thank you Bertie!
ReplyDeleteHi Gill,
ReplyDeleteI think whenever we try to prove to other people (or ourselves) that God loves them by what he can do for them (health, protection, prosperity etc) we fail to help them truly know his love. For all these things can not compare with the fact He sent his Son to die for us, so that no matter what happens in this life, we can rest assured that we will continue to live with him forever.
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. (1 John 4:9)
There is so much going on in this world that we do not, and can not understand. But there is one thing we can be sure of. God loves us, for he proved it to us through allowing his Son to die for us.
Although we recieve so many benifits in Christ, the reason we believe is not for the benifits, it is because it's the truth. Jesus is real. The gospel is true. We are his treasured posession.
Not sure if that helps answer you question, but thought I would give it a try. Always remember you have the greatest teacher of all time you can ask, that is Christ in you. He is not afraid of difficult questions, and he can answer them much better than the rest of us :-)
Mick
Thanks Mick - this is the GOSPEL TRUTH!!!!
ReplyDelete"For all these things can not compare with the fact He sent his Son to die for us, so that no matter what happens in this life, we can rest assured that we will continue to live with him forever". Thanks Mick - that was such a blessing!
ReplyDeletethanks Mick and thanks Bertie. I accept the reply. Like a good friend once asked me about something in the bible and I replied that I did not know but just accepted it to be as it was written. I shall do that in this case. God knows best and no matter what.....I shall live forever.....with my family! blessings to all!
ReplyDelete