What Do You Hope For?

This is the season of hope. What are you hoping for? A nice gift? Quality time with the family? The greatest gift was given to us some 2000 years ago. The gift of hope. The gift of salvation. The gift of grace. God gave each of us the opportunity to accept that gift. That is hope. It’s not just a wish. It’s confidence, trust, expectation. As believers, we have that confident expectation that one day we will be in heaven with Christ. Not because of anything we have done, but because God loved us so much He sent His only Son to pay for our sins, to die on the cross, and to be raised from the dead, giving us victory over sin and death. It’s not just looking forward to it; it’s already been done.

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Who Am I?

Who we are in Christ. That is a question many of us ask ourselves and if we remember this, we would not have the fear, doubt, shame, anxiety or lack of confidence that we often do. We would have the fruit of the Spirit…love, joy, peace…we would remember the hope that is in us. We would be encouraged knowing that we are His children, and we would have boldness to share with others so that they can have what we have. God gave us a gift, not only in the life to come but in the life we have now.

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Do Not Fear; God’s Got This

November is right around the corner and so are the elections. Scary, right?! But God tells us again and again there is no need to fear. Do not worry. He is in control. Even if we end up with someone in office we do not like or is a tyrant or is not qualified, God has a plan and we need not fear. Many do not have the freedoms we have here in the U.S. Let us be grateful for what we have while we still have it (and pray for those who don’t). We know that there will be tough times ahead, but we also know we have hope in Jesus and that one day He will return. But more than that we can have peace and joy now, no matter what the outcome or circumstances we face in the future.

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Jesus and the Gentiles

As we continue our study of Jesus in the Old and New Testaments, we will talk about prophecies of the Messiah coming to save all nations, Jews and Gentiles alike. God is a God of all, not just Israel. He created the whole world and everything in it. He created mankind in His own image, and He loves each and every one of us. He sent His Son to pay for all of our sins and be a sacrifice for all. Jesus is the Redeemer of everyone. All who believe. No exceptions. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

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Lazarus and the Rich Man: Heaven

In the third part of my post about Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31), we will discuss heaven; what it might be like and the hope and assurance that those who love God and believe in Jesus Christ will spend eternity with Him there. What a great gift God has offered us, if we only accept it by believing and trusting in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

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