I seem to have been thinking a lot about hope lately. It is all over the book of Romans, so it is no wonder I have been thinking about it. I am preaching in two different churches in March and one of the things I am thinking about is hope. One of the verses that comes to mind is the one about faith, hope and love in 1 Corinthians 13.
Romans 8:22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Hope is like faith. It is not faith if you see it or have it. It is not hope if you have it. So these things speak of our lives in Christ which are so much rooted in what is not seen and what is still coming. We groan as we wait for the redemption of our bodies. The time is coming when our bodies will be perfect and will no longer let us down. to be continued
What’s your address?
Feb 4
Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty
If your address is “under wings of the Almighty”, then you are at the right place. The thought is repeated a couple of time in Psalm 91, where IF you make the almighty God your dwelling place (address) THEN you will not fear, you will have protection and God will even command his angels over you.
There is a theological debate that rages about protection and whether or not we can pray for God’s protection.There is a stream of thought which says that bad stuff happens so it is just too bad, and God cannot be expected to protect us. Well after reading this, it would be tough to argue that. Maybe the onus is on us to make sure we live at the right address and then we will enjoy the protection of the Lord.