12/03/2020 —  
We cannot truly live without hope. But too often we defer the hope we need in our lives when we place hope in the temporal instead of in the eternal.

God is the only authentic and lasting source of hope. Hope responds to the goodness of God as demonstrated in our lives and allows us to face the future with faith that what He did before, He will do again!
 
Proverbs 3:11-18
^"My child, when the Lord God speaks to you,
never take his words lightly,
and never be upset when he corrects you.
For the Father’s discipline comes only
from his passionate love and pleasure for you.
Even when it seems like his correction is harsh,
it’s still better than any father on earth gives to his child.
Those who find true wisdom obtain the tools for understanding,
the proper way to live,
for they will have a fountain of blessing pouring into their lives.
To gain the riches of wisdom is far greater
than gaining the wealth of the world.
As wisdom increases, a great treasure is imparted,
greater than many bars of refined gold.
It is a more valuable commodity than gold and gemstones,
for there is nothing you desire that could compare to her.
Wisdom extends to you long life in one hand
and wealth and promotion in the other.
Out of her mouth flows righteousness,
and her words release both law and mercy.
The ways of wisdom are sweet,
always drawing you into the place of wholeness.
Seeking for her brings the discovery of untold blessings,
for she is the healing tree of life to those who taste her fruits” (TPT).
 
Hebrews 6:13-20
"Now when God made a promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater than himself, he swore an oath on his own integrity to keep the promise as sure as God exists! So he said,
'Have no doubt, I promise to bless you over and over,
    and give you a son and multiply you without measure!'
"So Abraham waited patiently in faith and succeeded in seeing the promise fulfilled. It is very common for people to swear an oath by something greater than themselves, for the oath will confirm their statements and end all dispute. So in the same way, God wanted to end all doubt and confirm it even more forcefully to those who would inherit his promises. His purpose was unchangeable, so God added his vow to the promise. So it is impossible for God to lie for we know that his promise and his vow will never change!
"And now we have run into his heart to hide ourselves in his faithfulness. This is where we find his strength and comfort, for he empowers us to seize what has already been established ahead of time—an unshakeable hope! We have this certain hope like a strong, unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God himself. Our anchor of hope is fastened to the mercy seat which sits in the heavenly realm beyond the sacred threshold, and where Jesus, our forerunner, has gone in before us. He is now and forever our royal Priest like Melchizedek" (TPT).
 
Psalm 62:1-6
"Now when God made a promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater than himself, he swore an oath on his own integrity to keep the promise as sure as God exists! So he said,
'Have no doubt, I promise to bless you over and over,
    and give you a son and multiply you without measure!'
"So Abraham waited patiently in faith and succeeded in seeing the promise fulfilled. It is very common for people to swear an oath by something greater than themselves, for the oath will confirm their statements and end all dispute. So in the same way, God wanted to end all doubt and confirm it even more forcefully to those who would inherit his promises. His purpose was unchangeable, so God added his vow to the promise. So it is impossible for God to lie for we know that his promise and his vow will never change!
"And now we have run into his heart to hide ourselves in his faithfulness. This is where we find his strength and comfort, for he empowers us to seize what has already been established ahead of time—an unshakeable hope! We have this certain hope like a strong, unbreakable anchor holding our souls to God himself. Our anchor of hope is fastened to the mercy seat which sits in the heavenly realm beyond the sacred threshold, and where Jesus, our forerunner, has gone in before us. He is now and forever our royal Priest like Melchizedek" (TPT).
 

• The late Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias said, "Outside of the cross of Jesus Christ there is no hope in this world. That cross and the resurrection, at the core of the Gospel, is the only hope for humanity."

• Hopelessness is deadly. But we defer hope in our lives when we place our hope in the frailty of human persons instead of in God - in the created rather than in the Creator. And that's why our hearts are sick (see Proverbs 13:12).

• Like opioids, which are addictive because they mask the cause of our pain or disease, we use excuses to defer our hope. Those excuses are an inferior substitute for the hope that is found only in Jesus Christ.

• Two common worldviews in particular lead to hopelessness:
• Materialism, the view that the created world is all there is to this life.


• Postmodernism, the notion that there is no such thing as objective truth, and that no one person's truth is superior to another's.

• What are you waiting on? What are you hoping in? Where is your trust-place?

• Stop looking for hope in all the wrong places!Place your hope in God and Him alone today. Allow your heart to behold Him.