The Word of God for wisdom:
Proverbs 24:23-25 (HCSB)
23 These [sayings] also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment.
24 Whoever says to the guilty, "You are innocent"— people will curse him, and tribes will denounce him;
25 but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and a generous blessing will come to them.
The Word of God for inspiration:
Psalm 77:2 (HCSB)
2 I sought the Lord in my day of trouble. My hands were continually lifted up all night long; I refused to be comforted.
The Word of God for encouragement:
Colossians 1:24-29 (HCSB)
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for His body, that is, the church.
25 I have become its servant, according to God's administration that was given to me for you, to make God's message fully known,
26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints.
27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28 We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
29 I labor for this, striving with His strength that works powerfully in me.
My observation:
To capture the key thought for today's meditation from Paul's letter to the church at Colossae let's look at the preceding verse.
Colossians 1:23 (HCSB)
23 if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. [This gospel] has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.
I cite this verse to introduce you to the choice word that I observed in today's passage. It is the word hope. When you have hope you have a solid foundation on which to stand. When your hope is in a person, and that person is Christ Jesus, you have a rock on which you can build your life upon. This is what hope can do for you, and for those you share the gospel with.
Help
Other
People
Endure
The blessed hope of the child of God is that you are on your way to heaven. You have this hope within you because you have Christ Jesus living in you. If you have Jesus, you don't have to fear today or the future; you have the hope of Christ to stand on. You have hope for today, and all of your tomorrows.
1 Peter 1:3 (HCSB)
3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
My prayer:
Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, my heart sings with joy when I think about what the Lord Jesus means to me, and what he has done and is doing for me.
Father God, I delight to declare with the Apostle Paul what he said in his letter to the church at Rome concerning the gospel of Christ. I am so grateful for the hope I have because of Jesus living in me. In Jesus name, Amen.
Romans 1:16 (HCSB)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
--
Colossians 2:9-10 (HCSB)
9 For the entire fullness of God's nature dwells bodily in Christ,
10 and you have been filled by Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.
No comments:
Post a Comment