During the trying time of the year 2020, I recall opening my Bible to 1 Peter, chapter 1, and the words a living hope jumped out at me. My spirit was captured, and I journaled verses 3-8. Later, as I was driving on the highway and thinking again of the living hope, I received a revelation of hope from the Holy Spirit. I’ve read this Scripture before, but this time it came alive within my heart like never before. It was wonderful, and I felt great strength rise up within me as the word hope flowed through my mind. I laughed with great joy. I knew the Lord was telling me to stay focused on HOPE and not on the circumstances around me. When I arrived home later, words flowed from my heart to apply to my life but also to share with others….
Because of God’s abundant mercy and love for each one of us Jesus died and rose again to give us a new life and A LIVING HOPE His word says..
~This Living Hope will not fade away
~Our reservation is in heaven
~Kept by the power of God through our faith
~Ready to be revealed In the day He returns.
An acronym of HOPE to keep us strong believers and no matter what happens here below and no matter how tough life gets…
H- HEAVEN we are heaven bound, Jesus said I go to prepare a place for you John 14:3
O- OVERCOME Jesus said He has overcome the world and so can we. John 16:33
P- PERFECTED we will be like Him, no pain, no tears, new body Rev.21:4, 1 John 3:2
E- ETERNITY we will be with Him for all eternity. 1 Thess. 4:13
Because of this, let’s rejoice, and you may be thinking, how is it possible to rejoice at a time like this? Well, every morning when we wake up, no matter what is going on around us, we have a choice to either rejoice in the Lord or be miserable or fearful. We have a choice to be thankful for waking up to a new day and a living hope the Lord has promised. We need to dwell on our heavenly home that awaits us, keep our minds focused on our living hope that Jesus gives, and even though we are grieved with trials…as His word says, let our genuine faith that is far more precious than gold work through us mightily. When our faith is tested by fire, let’s stand and pull through. We will praise, honour, and glorify the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom we have not seen with our eyes but whom we love with all our hearts. Right now we do not see Him, but by faith we believe, rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory until that day comes. We have every reason to rejoice when we have Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, our Redeemer, and our Healer, and because of our living Hope, we have nothing to fear! The two verses before are, Be anxious for nothing instead; pray about everything… Phil. 4:6,7 are REJOICE in the Lord always and again I say REJOICE! verses 4-5. Think about it with me: if we rejoice in the living hope Jesus gives every day, how can we be anxious or fear anything in this world?
Final Thoughts
The world has their methods of dealing with fears and anxiety through counselling and other techniques… but there is no method like God’s word that far outweighs them all.
I pray this word, A LIVING HOPE, will encourage and empower you today and every day. It is not my word, but it is God’s word and His promise of hope we can cling to till the day He returns and takes us home to be with Him for all eternity! What a glorious day that will be. Let’s stay focused on our living hope. All because of Jesus, we can live with eternal hope and great expectations! Hallelujah!!
Love and blessings, June
© PassionateHeartLFH/06/12/2020
Author June Hodgins 