WILL IT BE : JOY IN THE MORNING or I'LL CRY TOMORROW? (Videos)

 

[Yellow Protea]

The yellow flowers in my photograph above rather remind one of "sunshine", or at least are a joyful expression of beauty from God.  Actually, all of creation is a testimony to God's love and His majesty and His love for humankind.  Yet, sometimes we humans suffer much adversity, some of our own making, and some from people, and - yes - some adversity from the heavenly Father Himself.  This post will dwell mostly on the good aspects of the "Why" we sometimes suffer trials and the like.

Remember - some of you older folks - that movie made in 1955 starring Susan Hayward titled: "I'll Cry Tomorrow?"  The movie was about the life of a popular Broadway star and singer named Lillian Roth, who later fell on hard times.   You can look more info up about her and the movie on the Web. Even years later, I found myself thinking about that saying "I'll Cry Tomorrow" when I had trouble or hardship. My point, however, is to here stress the attitudes we have -  the choice to either be sorrowful or to be happy.  And, more importantly, God's purpose behind any suffering we might experience.

Now sometimes we just cannot avoid being sorrowful!  Such times as the death of a loved one, or the betrayal of a friend, or extreme physical pain or some type of illness; and just plain being heartbroken!   We all recognize that to be a fact.  

The good Lord knew we would have troubles in this evil world, and told us:

"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me."   -   John 14:1

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you:  not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."   -       John 14:27

The apostle Peter tells us at 1 Peter 5:7,  "Casting all your care upon HIM, for He careth for you."

"For HIS anger endureth but a moment; in His favour is life:  weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."  -   Psalm 30:5

One commentator on the above verse has said : "The return of God's favor to an afflicted soul is like life from the dead -  nothing so reviving. All our bliss is bound up in God's favor; and if we have that, we have an infinite treasure, whatever else we may want."

The above quote is especially true when we have sinned and/or have a tender conscience.  And maybe one has "backslidden", or for some other reason feels as if God has withdrawn His presence from him.   Another commentator has observed that, when God seems distant, "this loneliness of soul, this desolation of spirit, shall be removed, and the light shall again shine." [then joy in the morning will return].

Remember that God is love.  1 John 4:7, 8 makes that clear in these verses shown below:

"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

Psalm 30:5 above tells us that God's anger endureth for a moment.  One commentator says that not only is God's divine anger consistent with His divine love, but that anger is absolutely essential to righteous love.  "Because God is righteous, He is also angry with the wicked, with corruption... falsehood, envy, hatred, strife..."  and God will punish accordingly as a parent does his rebellious child.

A commentator at the "Biblical Illustrator"  explains..." I do not say weeping is the messenger of God's anger, and that joy, on the other hand, is the messenger of His love.  They are both messengers of His will; they both subserve His redemptive purposes; both of them alike may be messengers of His anger, as both of them alike may be messengers of His love.  .....   when the house is hushed and low with grief, when the heart is low, followed - as blessed be God! -they are followed - by days of gladness, by giving "the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness" ....... Through weeping and through joy, through this strangely mingled experience of human life, God is slowly working out that great purpose and toward that great end, the eternal good of all His creatures."

What a wonderful and beautiful explanation above of why we sometimes (or often) suffer!  Many who are Christians already know much about this fact, but some may be reading who are not believers who would benefit from the above comments.

Considering the fact that we are living in the last moments of the end times as prophesied by the Bible, here is a wake up sermon by Pastor Charles Lawson.  Not about prophecy itself, but about the certainty of death and the choice people must make! 

Following is a hymn that has been posted here previously, but here it is once more: 

As brought out in Pastor Lawson's sermon above and many times on this blog, in order to have eternal life, we need to put our faith and belief in Jesus Christ as the Savior, and the only way to find true happiness and eternal life!   Following are some Scriptures for those of you who are not saved and have not believed in the shed blood of Jesus at the Cross to save you --  He paid your sin debt in full by dying in your place at Calvary --  He was the sacrificial Lamb who redeemed you, if you but put your faith in Him.   It is not a head knowledge, not intellectual knowledge.   You will know with all of your being that He is the only way, the truth, and the life!  (John 14:6) --  if you are truly born again ( a spiritual birth from above.)

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.      -  John 3:36

Jesus said unto her,  I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me,  though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me, shall never die.  Believest thou this?"    -  John 11:25,26

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.   -  John 3:16

Recent Video with Billy Crone On Today's Technoloy And How It All Fits In With Bible Prophecy

This is hoping everyone is hanging in there!  We Christians have a joyful hope that soon we will be with the Lord -  When He returns to take us to heaven in the Rapture of the Church (of true believers in Jesus as the Savior) !!

Meantime, we need to make sure we stay close to the good Lord by much prayer and much Bible reading.

"Dance with abandon, sing at the top of your lungs, give a shout of joy!  Jesus has risen and because He has risen, we have risen with Him from death to life!  Hallelujah!"  - author unknown

Many today are full of fear as to what the future holds.  Ponder the following at Psalm 34:4 :

"I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."

Matthew Henry comments on Psalm 34:4 as the following portion of his commentary says: "Because the thing we fear is not our trouble only, but our unbelieving distrustful fear of it is our sin, nay, it is more our torment too than the thing itself would be."

This is a short post mainly to share today's recent 29 minute video by prophecywatchers.com, and a discussion between the host Gary Stearman and his guest Pastor Billy Crone.  It is concerning the technology of today and how it relates to what was prophesied in the Bible, such as the image of the beast and a cashless society.   It is chock full of fascinating and informative information.

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit." -  Romans 15:13

"And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart."  -   Jeremiah 29:13

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."   -  Psalm 16:11

"Then spake Jesus unto them, saying, I am the Light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of Life."  -  John 8:12

"From Darkness To Light" - Inspirational Weekend

My previous post concerned itself with the darkness of a pagan holiday.  This weekend let us consider what is good, and pure, and holy; what can bring happiness and give one a sense of peace.

"Then spake Jesus unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."    -  John 8:12  (KJV)

Christ is truly and aptly compared to and most fittingly represented by light. One commentator has said, "The great end and errand of Christ's coming into the world, was to give light unto poor souls that sat in darkness."

All true believers remember how they were in darkness and sin and misery before they came to a saving faith in Jesus.  To know Jesus loves us and how He died a sacrificial death out of love for mankind, and that our sins are forgiven once we come to faith and belief in Him as our Savior who can wash away all of our sins,  then... and only then... can we find true happiness now and can look forward to an eternity of living in bliss with the good Lord.

No true disciple shall walk in the darkness.  Instead, he shall have as his own the Light of Life.  Light implies knowledge, guidance, safety, and holy purity.  So those who closely, humbly and steadily follow Christ shall have the Divine Light continually shining upon them.  Remember also, when you become a true follower of Jesus Christ and you are born again, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).  The Holy Spirit will guide you and keep you on the right path... the path of righteousness.   

"And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever;  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."  -  John 14:16, 17

It takes faith in Jesus to be saved, to be born again from above.  Charles Spurgeon had it correct when he said,  "Would you be comfortable and happy?  Would you enjoy religion?  Would you have the religion of cheerfulness and not that of gloom? Then have faith in God.  If you love darkness and are satisfied to dwell in gloom and misery, then be content with little faith; but if you love the sunshine, and would sing songs of rejoicing, covet earnestly this best gift, Great faith."

"In Him was life; and the life was the light of men."  -  John 1:4

God is declared to be Life or the Living God because He is the source or fountain of life.  This is also true of Jesus Christ, of course.  The Messiah was predicted as the Light of the world:  Isaiah 9:2, Isaiah 60:1.

Psalm 89:15 tells us, "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of Thy countenance."

One commentator explains Psalm 89:15 by saying, "Being blessed with the light of truth, and being enabled to walk therein, they shall live under the comfortable influences of Thy love and favor."

"For Thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness."  -  Psalm 18:28

"For with Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see Light."  -  Psalm 36:9

Be happy !

Be blessed !  

But what if you are an unbeliever?

Can you see from all the above quoted Scriptures how much the good Lord loves you?!  That He longs to welcome you to the family of God as one of His beloved children?

Turn from sin and darkness !  Be free from the devil's evil plot to keep you in his grasp which suffocates you and renders you helpless to be free and full of joy.  Turn to the good Lord in faith and belief and break free from the devil's hold on you. 

Jesus is waiting with open arms, ready to embrace you in love and forgiveness.

If you have not been born again, turn to Him in true repentance and pray for forgiveness.  Believe Jesus is the Savior whose shed blood at Calvary can wash your sins away, if you have faith in Him.  Also, the Scriptures tell us to believe in Christ's resurrection.

Romans 10:9,10,13 tells us : (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.(10)For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."   -   John 14:6

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."   -  John 3:16

How To Find Joy And Peace" - Inspirational Weekend

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: In thy presence is fullness of joy; At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."  -  Psalm 16:11

This morning my Bible study for the day was Acts 2:28, where Peter quotes from Psalm 16 and says, "Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance."

The word "countenance" is referring to God's "presence."  Knowing that God is truly near and present gives one great joy; as does His answers to  prayer. It gives you a sense of peace and contentment and safety when the good Lord's presence is felt.  And most of all you feel loved.  You are loved.   God is love  (1 John 4:8).

"Joy is not necessarily the absence of suffering.  It is the presence of God."  -  Sam Storms

Nehemiah 8:10 b tells us ".... for the joy of the Lord is your strength."  

One commentator tells us concerning Nehemiah 8:10 b,  "Religious joy, properly tempered with continual dependency on the help of God, meekness of mind, and self-diffidence, is a powerful means of strengthening the soul.  In such a frame of mind no man ever fell, and in such a state of mind the general health of the body is much improved; a cheerful heart is not only a continual feast, but also a continual medicine."

This morning I also read again Psalm 16.  Please turn there and read about not only king David, but how this Psalm also speaks of the prophesied resurrection of Christ.  Pay special attention to verses 8 to 11.  I have already quoted verse 11 and  will now quote  verses 8 to 10 :

(8) I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.  (9) Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: My flesh also shall rest in hope.   (10)  For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."

Some mysteries in the Bible are hard to understand, but if you are a born again believer the Holy Spirit will help and guide you to understand the Holy Word.  Jesus' death and resurrection gives us the assurance that we too will be resurrected and live forever with the good Lord.  That is indeed something to be joyful about, and to live a life of obedience and gratitude towards the Lord. 

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."  -   Hebrews 12:2

"We should concentrate on Jesus, the goal and objective of our faith.  Our faith, which has its beginning in Him, is also completed in Him. "  -  King James Study Bible notes.

Think about how Jesus suffered, bled and died so that those who believe in Him as the Savior might have eternal life !  What love!

We are living in the last "hour" of the last days.  So many prophecies are in the process or the beginnings of fulfillment right now.  Remember, Israel is God's prophetic time clock.  In fact, the entire 7 year Tribulation is to bring Israel to its knees in acknowledgement that Jesus is the Messiah they are looking for.  Isaiah 17:1 could be fulfilled at any time, where it says that Damascus will be destroyed and become "a ruinous heap."  If you look at any photos of present day Damascus, a good portion of it is destroyed already.   Also, the Gog/Magog war of Ezekiel 38 and 39  may happen soon, as Russia, Iran, and Turkey have become "good buddies" and will soon come against Israel as shown in Ezekiel 38.... they as well as other surrounding nations will come against Israel in this war.

We live in the end times.  Now is the time to put your faith and trust in Jesus as the Savior if you have not already done so.  Before the Tribulation period, Jesus will Rapture all true believers to be with Him in heaven.  They will be with the Lord and will escape the wrath of God to come upon the ungodly and unrepentant persons left on earth after the Rapture.   The Tribulation will be a time of destruction and horrors and hell on earth.

Don't be left behind!

Go to the Lord in heartfelt prayer and confess your sins and repent never to return to your sins again; ask God for forgiveness.  Put your faith in Jesus as the Savior and  believe in His resurrection.

Romans 10:9,10,13 tells us:  (9) "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."  -  John 14:6

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."   -  John 3:16

The main thing is to believe with all of your being that Jesus is the Savior and the only way to eternal life.   If you are truly converted, you will bear much fruit and good works will follow.  Works do not save you, but they are proof that you are truly saved and have put all of your trust in the good Lord.  You will want to serve the Lord out of love and gratitude.

BELIEVE !

Jesus is waiting to receive you with open arms full of love and 

forgiveness !

He will give you peace and joy !

Have a blessed and Christ centered life !!

"Don't Fret; Be Happy" (With Videos) - Inspirational Weekend

The above horses on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, look contented and happy.  It made me feel good and downright happy to photograph them the day I was there.  

Some have said that happiness is temporary and fleeting while true joy is from the Lord and is forever.   The truth is, both joy and happiness are very similar in meaning and the Bible gives no such distinction between the two words, as well as the similar word rejoice.   It depends on which translation you have, but the Bible uses the words happy and happiness about 30 times;  but joy and rejoice are found in God's word over 300 times.

As I was thinking about writing on happiness for this weekend, that old song "Don't Worry, Be Happy" popped into my mind and I can't seem to shake it.  You can find the full version of the song on You Tube, but here is a fun version which is a short one minute cartoon-type clip of it:

"If you hope for happiness in the world, hope for it from God, and not from the world."  -  David Brainerd  

"Success is getting what you want.  Happiness wants what you get."   -  Woodrow Kroll

"Happy the soul that has been awed by a view of God's majesty."   -  A. W. Pink

We all know that true happiness does not come from worldly pleasures and selfish ambition and selfish lifestyles that are also full of the ungodly world's poisons.  Those things do not fill the void in our hearts that only the good Lord Himself can fill, Who can thereby give you true joy and a purpose for living.  And, I might add, a wonderful hope for an eternity in bliss and joyfulness.

Having such a hope for an eternity with the Lord is plenty of reason to be happy right now in this imperfect world we live in.  When you are a born again believer, you are sealed and filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), which enables you to obey and follow Jesus and to build a strong relationship with God.   You will be happy when you read and study His Holy Word and when you spend much time in prayer, building a strong relationship with the heavenly Father through Jesus Christ His Son.   You will, in time, grow to spiritual maturity and be even more effective in your walk with Him and in service to others; in particular, to obey the Great Commission found at Matthew 28:19, 20.  All of that will make you happy because you know you will be pleasing God.   It will put a song in your heart, and make your worship more intense and more personal; more devoted and more reverent.  

"I sing because I'm happy" is a repeated phrase in the hymn "His Eye is on the Sparrow" which follows:

In the above song, the lyrics also say that because God takes note of the sparrow, we know He watches over His children as well.  That is enough to make anyone happy and grateful, to know the Lord is watching over us and taking care of us and guiding and teaching and protecting us.

"I believe that the happiest of all Christians and the truest of Christians are those who never dare to doubt God, but take His Word simply as it stands, and believe it, and ask no questions, just feeling assured that if God has said it, it will be so."   -    Charles Spurgeon   

Happiness can be found in admiring the Creator's handiwork on this beautiful earth; it can also be found in simple pleasures and in the love of family and friends.  But true happiness comes from the Holy Spirit of God, which enables you to obey and serve the Lord with joy and with much gratefulness. 

Our salvation itself is a source of joy !  

"Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."  -  Psalm 16:11

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."    -  Romans 15:13

"And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost."   -  1 Thessalonians 1:6

The Scripture above reminds us that we may have afflictions and hardships, but we can still hold on to our joy with the help of the Holy Spirit.   We realize that trials and sickness and the like are but temporary, and soon we will be with the Lord forever and He will wipe away all of our tears and there will be no more crying or death or sorrow.  (Revelation 21:4).

Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

Joy is a gift from God.  

So be happy !!

God's people will be happy forever !

If you are not a believer, not born again, not sealed with the Holy Spirit, then you cannot experience true happiness and the joy of serving the Lord.  You will not know His love and forgiveness and His guidance and the hope He gives to all who turn to Him in repentance.

Stop and think !  By not turning to the Lord you are making a choice.....a choice to spend eternity in the wrong place - hell.   

Time is short!

Jesus will return soon to take all true believers to be with Him forever !   Wouldn't you rather be in heaven where there is no more pain, no more violence, no more evil, no more deceivers?

All you need to do is pray and ask for forgiveness, believe in Jesus as the Savior, believe in His resurrection, and believe that His shed blood on the cross can wash your sins away and wipe the slate clean......you are forgiven if you turn to Him in true repentance and belief. 

Jesus loves you and will welcome you with understanding and pardon.

He is waiting to hear from you.

Don't delay!


Romans 10: 9.10, 13 tells us:  (9)  "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."     -  John 3:16

"Jesus saith unto him,  I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."   -  John 14:6



I pray that you have a happy weekend.... and a happy Christ centered life.

"Comfort And Peace" - Inspirational Weekend

In contemplating the subject for this weekend's post I thought rather than Bible Prophecy, I would dwell on some quotes about comfort and peace.  There is so much violence and chaos in today's world (which, in itself, is a sign of the end times) that perhaps we would do well to contemplate some positive quotes from godly men as well as from the Bible itself.  In my quest to keep up with the signs of the times and the news today as it relates to Bible prophecy, it makes me depressed to see how much distress and evil itself is prevalent in today's mixed up world.  When the world situation affects my mind and disturbs me, the best thing I can do is to take it to the Lord in prayer and also to read His Holy Word.  It does me good to dwell on Scriptures and quotes that stress how there is still hope if you are a true believer in and a follower of Jesus.  Christians know how things will turn out in the end for the Bible tells us that God wins !   He wins the war over the devil and unregenerate mankind. The Lord will usher in a New Heavens and a New Earth  (Revelation 21:1) filled with peace and happiness, or should I say, filled with joy; for true joy comes only from the Heavenly Father.  Happiness depends on temporary, earthly happenings that bring you temporary pleasure.

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."  -  1 Peter 5:7    

"In the midst of the awesomeness, a touch comes, and you know it is the right hand of Jesus Christ.  You know it is not the hand of restraint, correction, nor chastisement, but the right hand of the Everlasting Father.  Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it gives inexpressible peace and comfort, and the sense that "underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27), full of support, provision, comfort, and strength."  -  Oswald Chambers   

"Comfort ye, comfort ye, saith your God."  -  Isaiah 40:1

"Great comforts do, indeed, bear witness to the truth of Thy grace, but not to the degree of it; the weak child is oftener in the lap than the strong one."  -  William Gurnall

Do not hesitate to cast all your cares and burdens on the Lord; go to Him as often as need be; find comfort and love and peace in His Presence.  He will never hurl a true believer from His Presence. (John 6:37). One Scripture that has brought me much comfort and given me peace is Hebrews 13:5b  :  "for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."  With the Lord by your side, you will be able to face adversities and to be strong.  If fear visits you, cast it away in the assurance that you "can do all things through Christ Who strengthens you."   (Philippians 4:13).   This takes faith.

"Assurance is the fruit that grows out of the root of faith."  -  Stephen Charnock

"Prayer crowns God with the honor and glory due to His name, and God crowns prayer with assurance and comfort.  The most praying souls are the most assured souls."  -  Thomas Brooks

"Faith means trusting in advance what only makes sense in reverse."  -  Philip Yancey   

There is just one important thing: in order to have God's Presence and to be assured of His protection and love and of eternal life, you need to be born-again.  Spirit born, that is.   You need to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and King and Master.   To do this, you first need to recognize your need of a Savior and to repent of all known sin; ask God to forgive you and truly believe that Jesus' death at Calvary and His shed blood can wash away your sins.   You must be sincere and from your very heart believe in Jesus and in His resurrection.

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."  - John 3:3

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."    -  John 3:16

"(9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."  -  Romans 10:9,13

Marc Wolfe has said, "Living a Christless life is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic."  You are doomed to eternity in hell if you do not accept Jesus as your Savior.  (John 14:6). If you are an unbeliever and still here and live to see the soon to happen 7-year Tribulation, you will suffer through much pain and wrath and horror the likes of which has never been seen on earth before.   

When you give your life and heart and soul to Jesus Christ, you will have peace in your soul and will be able to experience a close, personal, intimate relationship with Him.  That is what we are called to do.

Live for the Lord.

Be in constant fellowship with Him.

Don't delay !

"Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near:"   -  Isaiah 55:6

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."   -  John 14:6

"All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out."   -  John 6:37

"There Is Always Hope" - Inspirational Weekend

There will be no negative headlines in this inspirational post....just calming and assuring Scriptures that are full of hope and better things to come.  Also there is a sermon here on hope by Adrian Rogers.   

Hope from a biblical viewpoint is not "wishful thinking" but a "confident expectation".  Hebrews 11:1 tells us, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."  In a sense, hope is also wrapped up in faith.   Without hope, there seems to be no meaning to life. I have mentioned previously how a few years ago (1998) I literally lost everything and my life seemed hopeless.  I know what it means to do without many necessities.  But that is not what I want to dwell on here, except to say that through reading God's Word and prayer and strength from the Lord, He helped me to hang on and gave me a sense of direction and purpose.   A hope.  Meaning. A close relationship with the Lord.

A favorite verse of mine is found at Hebrews 6:19:  "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the vail;" .  

Following is commentary by Albert Barnes on Hebrews 6:19:    "Hope accomplishes for the soul the same thing which an anchor does for a ship.  It makes it fast and secure.  An anchor preserves a ship when the wind blows, and as long as the anchor holds, so long the ship is safe, and the mariner apprehends no danger.  So with the soul of the Christian.  In the tempests and trials of life, his mind is calm as long as his hope of heaven is firm.  If that gives way, he feels that all is lost."  Regarding the phrase "And which entereth into that within the vail", Barnes continues :  "The allusion to the "anchor" is dropped, and the apostle speaks simply of hope.  The "veil" here refers to what in the temple divided the holy from the most holy place.  The place "within the veil" - the most holy place - was regarded as God's special abode - where He dwelt by the visible symbol of His presence.  That holy place was emblematic of heaven, and the idea here is, that the hope of the Christian enters into heaven itself; it takes hold on the throne of God; it is made firm by being fastened there.  It is not the hope of future riches, honors, or pleasures in this life - for such a hope would not keep the soul steady; it is the hope of immortal blessedness and purity in the world beyond."

Following is a sermon by Adrian Rogers on how to have a steadfast hope in a shaky world.

The most important thing we can do to hang on during trials and hardships is to keep our eyes on the things above and not on earthly, worldly things and the chaos in our troubled world.   As  Colossians 3:1-2 tells us:  "(1) If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (2) Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."

Also we need to keep looking in expectation for the return of our Lord.   That gives hope.  It also inclines believers to purify themselves, to live a godly life now so as to be found "blameless" when Jesus comes again to take us to heaven.   ( 1 John 3:3)

'Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ ."  - Titus 2:13    

Truly it is a blessed hope and we should always be looking for Jesus' return. And to tell lost souls about it and the Gospel of Christ.  

So when the world is falling apart, turn to the Lord for hope and encouragement.  The power of the Holy Spirit will produce joy and peace within you

Enjoy the following nature video and have a Christ-centered weekend.

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit."  -  Romans 15:13