A friend shared a link to a devotional page on the topic Hope Is which I found really encouraging today and thought that someone here might find this helpful too.
(Here is link to the page she shared (session 7 - about God fulfilling hope):-
Hope Is Always Fulfilled by God | Hope Is | NewSpring Church)
So having seen that that Newspring Church does a 14 day reading guide on 'Hope Is', I've decided to begin the plan from the beginning, and here is the first session:- (I think its aimed for completion over the Christmas holiday, but I decided to go ahead anyway).
Hope Is
We all want to believe something better is in store.
Discover the power of hope and how it changes our view of everything about our lives. Read one passage a day for the next 14 days, and use the prayer starters to talk to God about what you’re learning along the way.
Here is the link to the start of the plan:- Hope Is | Studies | NewSpring Church
SESSION 1
Hope Is Found in Jesus
Read: 1 Peter 1:3-5
Imagine a child getting lost in the mall while Christmas shopping. Even if her parents had to search for hours and hours, would they give up on trying to find her?
Like a child separated from her parents, our sin separates us from God. Romans 3:23 says we have “all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That sounds utterly hopeless, but like a parent who won’t give up, God found a way to repair our relationship with Him.
God loved us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to make a way for us to have a relationship with Him. We could never pay the debt our sin created. When Jesus died on the cross, He took our punishment for us. When Jesus rose from the dead, He proved that He was more powerful than all of the sin, death, and evil in this world. When we ask Jesus into our lives, we are reunited with our Father in heaven, and we receive the power to overcome, just like Jesus did.
Jesus is the object and source of our hope. This is why Christmas is so important. Without Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection, our sins would not be forgiven. We would still be apart from God, like a child lost in the hustle of the Christmas shopping season.
Hope begins with being reunited with God, and once we are, Jesus begins to bring hope to all areas of our life. There is no situation in your life right now that is too bad for the “living hope” promised to us in 1 Peter 1:3. Christmas is all about hope, and that hope would not be possible without Jesus.
Pray:
Jesus, thank you for paying a debt I could never pay. You are the reason I can have hope in all circumstances. Help me to remember that the same power that lives in You lives in me. You overcame the worst the world has to offer, and with You, I can do the same.
Reflect:
What’s one area of your life where you could use some hope right now? Ask God to help you have hope in all areas of your life.
(Here is link to the page she shared (session 7 - about God fulfilling hope):-
Hope Is Always Fulfilled by God | Hope Is | NewSpring Church)
So having seen that that Newspring Church does a 14 day reading guide on 'Hope Is', I've decided to begin the plan from the beginning, and here is the first session:- (I think its aimed for completion over the Christmas holiday, but I decided to go ahead anyway).
Hope Is
We all want to believe something better is in store.
Discover the power of hope and how it changes our view of everything about our lives. Read one passage a day for the next 14 days, and use the prayer starters to talk to God about what you’re learning along the way.
Here is the link to the start of the plan:- Hope Is | Studies | NewSpring Church
SESSION 1
Hope Is Found in Jesus
Read: 1 Peter 1:3-5
Imagine a child getting lost in the mall while Christmas shopping. Even if her parents had to search for hours and hours, would they give up on trying to find her?
Like a child separated from her parents, our sin separates us from God. Romans 3:23 says we have “all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That sounds utterly hopeless, but like a parent who won’t give up, God found a way to repair our relationship with Him.
God loved us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to make a way for us to have a relationship with Him. We could never pay the debt our sin created. When Jesus died on the cross, He took our punishment for us. When Jesus rose from the dead, He proved that He was more powerful than all of the sin, death, and evil in this world. When we ask Jesus into our lives, we are reunited with our Father in heaven, and we receive the power to overcome, just like Jesus did.
Jesus is the object and source of our hope. This is why Christmas is so important. Without Jesus’ birth, death, and resurrection, our sins would not be forgiven. We would still be apart from God, like a child lost in the hustle of the Christmas shopping season.
Hope begins with being reunited with God, and once we are, Jesus begins to bring hope to all areas of our life. There is no situation in your life right now that is too bad for the “living hope” promised to us in 1 Peter 1:3. Christmas is all about hope, and that hope would not be possible without Jesus.
Pray:
Jesus, thank you for paying a debt I could never pay. You are the reason I can have hope in all circumstances. Help me to remember that the same power that lives in You lives in me. You overcame the worst the world has to offer, and with You, I can do the same.
Reflect:
What’s one area of your life where you could use some hope right now? Ask God to help you have hope in all areas of your life.
