Word for Today, Friday, August 7, 2009: My Hope

#1 · August 7, 2009, 4:28 am

Quote from Forum Archives on August 7, 2009, 4:28 am
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

I want to make those of you who pray be aware that I have been out of work since the end of January, and this week, I was sent a letter from an attorney representing my mortgage company that foreclosure proceedings were being initiated against my home, and that within thirty days, I must either make my entire outstanding balance current, pay off the mortgage entirely, or lose the property.

Needless to say, "in my flesh", that upset me. While it would be nice to be able to move elsewhere, the simple facts are that 1) I have no current known means to do so and 2) I have young children, who love and need a daddy in their life.

What, therefore, do I do? Well, the only wise thing that I can do is pray, so that is what I have done.

I trust God with every aspect of my life. I do not expect everything to always go smoothly. As I examine the life of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, He did not even have a place to call "home" during His entire earthly ministry, yet God provided for Him every single day until His purpose was fulfilled, the sacrifice on the Cross, His death, and ultimately His resurrection from the dead, demonstrating complete victory over the power of sin.

Bible veterans will know the passage of scripture below. I used the FREE "Bible Time" software to do a word study, looking at Old and New Testament scripture for the word "purpose". What is God's purpose in all of this? Is it good?

I do not know the complete answer to that - yet - but the scripture below provides an important part of the complete answer:
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28, KJV)

The conclusion of the passage that I included for this study gives us more, and this has been my attitude and answer to it all thus far:
"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"

Therefore, I say to you, friends, that if you face a struggle today or any time in the near future, turn to Romans 8. If you have been called by God and you have answered His call, and you claim Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and the Savior of your soul, then these words are for you as well as me, and both the conditions and promises they hold apply - for you and for me.

Romans 8:26:
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Romans 8:27:
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Romans 8:28:
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:29:
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Romans 8:30:
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Romans 8:31:
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

God is for me - I pray that you have claimed these promises and that they are for you as well. If not, while you still have life and breath, acknowledge Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, then you may claim every promise of God for your life.

This will not mean that your life will be free of bumps and turns - as you can see, my life has plenty of them. But through the twists and turns of life, God has always been faithful to me - much more so than I have ever been to Him. He has saved my life from the eternal pit of hell and the lake of fire to follow, and instead has reserved for me a home in Heaven and has a room with my name on it and my name in "The Book of Life". My prayer is that your name will also be written in that book, and on the Day of Judgment, you will face the Judgment Seat of Christ, where your works of faith will be judged and rewarded, but your sins will be blotted out, as opposed to the Great White Throne judgment, where every thought, word, and deed will be held against you forever.

You can see, then, why I have a hope that will never fade. Sure, times are tough, but that is a very small part of the larger picture. Let me tell you an inside secret - though in my flesh I am concerned about what I will do next and where I will end up, in The Spirit I am excited about what God has planned for my life and where He will take me next on my spiritual journey. May your life also be full of eager anticipation of what God will do and how He will use your life for His honor and glory!

Yours in Christ,
Brian

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

I want to make those of you who pray be aware that I have been out of work since the end of January, and this week, I was sent a letter from an attorney representing my mortgage company that foreclosure proceedings were being initiated against my home, and that within thirty days, I must either make my entire outstanding balance current, pay off the mortgage entirely, or lose the property.

Needless to say, "in my flesh", that upset me. While it would be nice to be able to move elsewhere, the simple facts are that 1) I have no current known means to do so and 2) I have young children, who love and need a daddy in their life.

What, therefore, do I do? Well, the only wise thing that I can do is pray, so that is what I have done.

I trust God with every aspect of my life. I do not expect everything to always go smoothly. As I examine the life of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, He did not even have a place to call "home" during His entire earthly ministry, yet God provided for Him every single day until His purpose was fulfilled, the sacrifice on the Cross, His death, and ultimately His resurrection from the dead, demonstrating complete victory over the power of sin.

Bible veterans will know the passage of scripture below. I used the FREE "Bible Time" software to do a word study, looking at Old and New Testament scripture for the word "purpose". What is God's purpose in all of this? Is it good?

I do not know the complete answer to that - yet - but the scripture below provides an important part of the complete answer:
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28, KJV)

The conclusion of the passage that I included for this study gives us more, and this has been my attitude and answer to it all thus far:
"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"

Therefore, I say to you, friends, that if you face a struggle today or any time in the near future, turn to Romans 8. If you have been called by God and you have answered His call, and you claim Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and the Savior of your soul, then these words are for you as well as me, and both the conditions and promises they hold apply - for you and for me.

Romans 8:26:
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Romans 8:27:
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Romans 8:28:
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:29:
For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Romans 8:30:
Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Romans 8:31:
What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

God is for me - I pray that you have claimed these promises and that they are for you as well. If not, while you still have life and breath, acknowledge Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, then you may claim every promise of God for your life.

This will not mean that your life will be free of bumps and turns - as you can see, my life has plenty of them. But through the twists and turns of life, God has always been faithful to me - much more so than I have ever been to Him. He has saved my life from the eternal pit of hell and the lake of fire to follow, and instead has reserved for me a home in Heaven and has a room with my name on it and my name in "The Book of Life". My prayer is that your name will also be written in that book, and on the Day of Judgment, you will face the Judgment Seat of Christ, where your works of faith will be judged and rewarded, but your sins will be blotted out, as opposed to the Great White Throne judgment, where every thought, word, and deed will be held against you forever.

You can see, then, why I have a hope that will never fade. Sure, times are tough, but that is a very small part of the larger picture. Let me tell you an inside secret - though in my flesh I am concerned about what I will do next and where I will end up, in The Spirit I am excited about what God has planned for my life and where He will take me next on my spiritual journey. May your life also be full of eager anticipation of what God will do and how He will use your life for His honor and glory!

Yours in Christ,
Brian