And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

Genesis 6-9

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” Genesis 9:12-16

I continue with my study of - Ten Men of the Bible: How God Used Imperfect People to Change the World - eBook by Max Lucado (for purchase). This morning, in preparation for leading my Friday morning men's Bible study peer group, I am going to summarize my key takeaways from a review of Genesis 6-9 and the story of "Noah: Hope When the Floodwaters Rise*".

*Title of lesson one from the Max Lucado study.

The overarching theme of the study is one of hope, and how God provides this hope.  Our story starts in Genesis 6 where we see that a relationship with God is a basis for supernatural and eternal hope.  God is very disappointed in what He created with humanity (and humanity's wickedness) and so He set in motion a plan to wipe out all of humanity through a flood - except for one man and his family: Noah.  The first question we must ask ourselves at this point is why did God choose Noah?  Well, scripture tells us that "Noah pleased the Lord" (Genesis 6:8).  It also tells us that "Noah did everything that God commanded him" (Genesis 6:22, 7:5, 7:16).  God chose Noah and his family to be the basis for humanity after the flood because Noah "was a good man, the most innocent man of his time" AND he "walked with God" (Genesis 6:9).  Yet at the same time, we know Noah did not lead a perfect life because at least on one occasion (Genesis 9:20-21) he became drunk and the Bible is clear that this is a sin. We don't know the extent of Noah's sin; for example, whether he was an alcoholic; and we also don't know what OTHER sins Noah had.  We only know that he was "the most innocent man of his time". But it is fair to say that Noah is a great example of how God uses broken and sinful people to accomplish His will.  This should serve to both humble and encourage us.  We can all be used by God in ways that our human minds cannot even begin to fathom - all starting with a relationship with God and a desire to glorify and please Him. 

As the story unfolds, we see that the flood is not just overwhelming in terms of destruction but one can sense that it was overwhelming emotionally.  Scripture tells us "[a]ll that was left was Noah and what was with him in the boat" (Genesis 6:23).  We get this detail so that we can place ourselves in Noah's shoes - so that we can feel his isolation and loneliness.  Noah was probably isolated and lonely as he built the ark - likely mocked by those around him during this time who saw his building activities as foolish and laughable. Even though Noah had his wife and family (and a veritable zoo!) during the flood and its aftermath, the flood itself lasted more than a year (see Genesis 7:11, 8:3-5, 8:6, 8:13-14 for more hints on the timeline)! During this time of a pandemic we can both sympathize and empathize with Noah - this must have been rough!  We know (and scripture tells us) that we are designed to live with others together - supporting and encouraging one another.  Now, how did Noah get through the flood emotionally?  God gave Him hope.  After 150 days of flooding, "God remembered Noah and all the wild and tame animals with him in the boat" (Genesis 8:1).  He made a wind, made the water go down, and rested the ark on top of a mountain so that Noah had perspective and could actually see MORE of the land as the water receded (Genesis 8:2-5) - by giving Noah perspective, this in and of itself is encouraging as often just taking a step back and having perspective provides hope.  Also, after initially releasing a raven that eventually returned because it found no place to land (Genesis 8:6-9), Noah sent out a dove and this time it returned with an olive leaf, and then he sent the dove again, and then it did not return as it likely found a place to land and live on its own (Genesis 8:12).  In between rounds of sending the dove out, we see that Noah gained encouragement by what God was doing as it says "[t]hen Noah knew that the ground was almost dry" (Genesis 8:11). We see God providing hope as well when Noah and his family leave the ark and step onto dry land after the flood waters receded. Noah builds an altar to the Lord (Genesis 8:20), offers sacrifices, and God is pleased (Genesis 8:21-22).  Yet even as Noah and his family left the ark, their future was far from certain and this must have been lurking in their minds.  So God once again offers encouragement and hope as He blesses them and makes a covenant with them (Genesis 9:1-17). 

 Questions for discussion:

1. For those of you who became a believer later in life (and did not grow up in the church), can you share where you placed your hope and how this did not provide supernatural and eternal hope?
   
2. Assuming you agree that obedience to God is key to pleasing Him, are their commands that you find burdensome or harder than others?  Read 1 John 5:3
   
3. Can you share times in your life when you were overwhelmed in your circumstances but God gave you hope?
4. What other stories in the Bible give you hope and why?
5. What verses give you hope and why?
6. How have you used the hope God gave You to give hope to others?
7. Anything else you would like to share about Noah's story or about what we have discussed?

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who both gives me hope and who has given me hope when I have been overwhelmed in my circumstances.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the supernatural and eternal hope that only You provide.  I have sin...daily, including worry, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your messages for me today and every day.

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord....Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.

Genesis 6-9

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord....Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Genesis 6:8-9

This morning I align myself with the study chosen by my fellow men in my Friday morning Bible study group - Ten Men of the Bible: How God Used Imperfect People to Change the World - eBook (for purchase). Day one of this study focuses on Noah and the overarching theme of how God provides hope and how those of us given this gift of hope must use this hope to provide hope for others. 

The scripture reading this morning starts with God's disappointment and regret for what He had made with the human race:

The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” Genesis 6:5-7

But the story quickly pivots to Noah and how one man living a righteous life stands to provide a basis for power and hope for all of humanity.  Late in scripture, we see how Jesus becomes this hope for all of humanity for all of eternity.  

Scripture also tells us how Noah was righteous and how he found favor in the eyes of the Lord.  Three times in Genesis 6-7 it says Noah "did everything just as God commanded him" (Genesis 6:22, 7:5, 7:9). I am going to refer to this as "hopeful obedience".  Hebrews 11 - often referred to as the "Hall of Faith" as it emphasizes great Biblical figures who lived by faith but did not "receive what was promised" under the First Covenant (Hebrews 11:39-40). In Hebrews 11 it says this about Noah:

By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. Hebrews 11:7

It took one year and ten days (see Genesis 7:11, 8:14) for the flood to completely recede and for God to call Noah and his family to come out of the ark. Noah then builds an altar to the Lord (Genesis 8:20), and offers sacrifices to God. God finds this pleasing and promises (to Himself): 

Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” Genesis 8:21-22

God then blesses Noah and his family, and then makes a covenant with them (Genesis 9:1-17). Unfortunately, we end Noah's story with his drunkenness - not a particularly hopeful way to end his story but we still can clearly see how Noah was both faithful and hopeful.

Faith and hope go hand in hand - we cannot have one without the other. 

For me, the first key to Noah's story is how believers can remain hopeful because we find joy in obedience to God. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who gives me hope - an abundance of hope in this life and hope in the eternal rewards that await those in Heaven as God has saved a room for all of us.  Hope indeed!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of this hope by a long shot!  I have grave sin in my life, from murder (actual and in my heart) to worry and a host of other sins!  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sins to You Jesus!  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

[W]e rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope[.]

Romans 5:1-11

[W]e rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope[.] Romans 5:2b-4

This morning, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I continued my study of chapter six The Blessings of Justification By Faith, which covers Romans 5:1-11.  My focus today is the back half of Romans 5:2 through verse 4.  I continue to explore how, as a result of my justification by faith I am blessed and specifically this morning, blessed with hope.  I am to rejoice in not only this hope but in any challenges/trials/suffering I may experience as God is shaping me into more of his image and also keeping me focused on not just my time here on earth but what awaits in Heaven. 

My commentary encourages me to not forget how I am undeserving of this blessing of hope as it was faith alone that justified me not any of my or the totality of my works. I am also encouraged to see three applications from verses 3-4:

1. God's priority is not to take away all of your problems; it's to make you like Jesus; suffering refines us and makes us more like Jesus.  It weans us off the pleasures of this world and reminds us of the ultimate realities. 
2. God's purposes can be trusted.  God is working all things together for our good as he conforms us to the images of his Son.
3. God's pattern can be anticipate: afflictions-endurance-character-hope; trials and suffering build character and give us confidence in God as we ensure more trials to come.

I am encourages to look at how suffering produces hope by looking at Mark 4:14-20 (Parable of the Sower):

And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. Mark 4:17

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are indeed amazing and You give me hope - and I rejoice in this hope and I am grateful how You have molded me through suffering and trials.  I can reflect on these trials now and see the blessing and have confidence that I am more prepared for suffering as I know there will be more.  Thank You Jesus for being full of grace and that You never leave or forsake me.  I am not deserving of how You justify me nor am I deserving of my salvation or any blessing You pour out for me.  My sin continues - daily...of many kinds.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 6

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:19-20

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 6:9-20, and my initial unaided observations of this text. The author of Hebrews pivots from an admonishment to grow in spiritual maturity and an ominous warning to those who don't, to hope and encouragement.  V9-12 expresses the author's hope that the Jewish believers focus on the hope that comes from loving and serving God, as this hope will carry them through the ups and downs of life, prevent them from being "sluggish" in their faith, and help them finish the race of faith.  In v13-20, the author then pivots to "the certainty of God's Promise."  This promise, first made to Abraham by God, who in Genesis 12:1-3, then again in 22:17-18, is that Abraham's descendants will be blessed and become a great nation.  The author of Hebrew's describes how the promise itself is made by God, including an oath to Himself, is something in which we can have faith because when God promises something we can be assured that it will be done.  In v18, readers are encouraged, because of how God is faithful, to "have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us."  V19-20 then describe this hope and encouragement as "a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul[.]"  Thank You God for giving us this "anchor of the soul"!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Heavenly Father - what a great God You are, that You are faithful and You give me and my brothers and sisters in Christ and anchor of the soul!  I am not deserving of such a blessing.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my faith towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

Revelation 22:6-21

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. v14

Session #13 of David Platt - Revelation: The Hope of Glory (requires login which I have though my church) focuses on Revelation 22.  The title of the session is The End of the Beginning - this is the final session of the series.

The end of Revelation is just the beginning of a story where every chapter is better than the one before. Recap of Revelation:

• Not intended for hopeless speculation about the future; purpose is to fuel hopeful obedience in the present - 2 Peter 3 is another example of an exhortation of hopeful obedience.  We should undergo major examination of our lives.
• See the world in all of its deception; do not put your hope in government (the beast); do not put your hope in religion (false prophets); do not put your hope in material affluence and social acceptance (the prostitute) - don't base your life in things that don't matter!
• See the Christ in all of His glory; fully human and fully divine; fulfillment of prophecy and the final high priest; infinitely old and wise; sees all knows all and reigns over all; cannot hide anything from Him; purity has no error and His power knows no equal; His voice resounds with authority and His face radiates with light; He was dead for a time but He is alive for all time; He is the conquering Lion and the slaughtered Lamb; His worth is undisputed, His work is unforgettable, and His worship is universal; his birth declared the death of ancient serpent, His death deranged the adversary, and His resurrection demolished every accusation against the church; He is faithful and true; He is the righteous Judge and Messianic warrior;many crowns adorn His head and much mystery surrounds His name; He conquers God's enemies and He reveals God's Word; His grace is free and His joy is full!  He is the Savior who came once, and He is the Sovereign who is coming back soon (mentioned 3x in this chapter and time is near); He is the King of kings and Lord of lords; no one and nothing compares to Him.
• See the church in all her beauty; we are His body and bride.
• See your life in proper perspective; fight against sin! resist compromise; refuse complacency; God promises blessing for faithful and judgment for those who fall away; endure amidst suffering - do not be surprised by it; do not be overcome in it; Jesus is present with you, possesses you, has a purpose for you; proclaim gospel is Christ to everyone You know, to ends of earth; hasten the coming of Christ - give us unwavering holiness in this world with unshakable hope in the world to come!

My Prayer: Lord Jesus - You are unshakable hope - thank You Jesus for the hope that You provide.  I am not deserving for the blessings You pour out for me, including the hope and peace You provide.  Please forgive me for my sin...it is daily.  Help me turn from my sin towards You and help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Many are saying about me, “God won’t rescue him.” But, Lord, you are my shield, my wonderful God who gives me courage. I will pray to the Lord, and he will answer me from his holy mountain. I can lie down and go to sleep, and I will wake up again, because the Lord gives me strength. Thousands of troops may surround me, but I am not afraid.

Genesis 6-9

Many are saying about me, “God won’t rescue him.” But, Lord, you are my shield, my wonderful God who gives me courage. I will pray to the Lord, and he will answer me from his holy mountain. I can lie down and go to sleep, and I will wake up again, because the Lord gives me strength. Thousands of troops may surround me, but I am not afraid. Psalm 3:2-6 (NCV)

I continue with my study of - Ten Men of the Bible: How God Used Imperfect People to Change the World - eBook by Max Lucado (for purchase). 

Today I want to focus on how God provides believers with security, refuge and hope and how He wants us to share with others this security, refuge and hope.  When God was to flood the earth, He instructed Noah to build an ark to serve as a means to preserve Noah and his family.  There are many places where people place their security, refuge, and hope: homes, money, jobs, people, government, etc. Yet these things come and go and do not provide spiritual security, refuge and hope; and they do not last, certainly not for eternity.  We all need to place our security, refuge and hope in Jesus Christ so that we can weather the storms and flood in this life, and to provide for our eternal life as we must all be ready for either our own passing or for when Jesus returns both of which we don't know the timing.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Matthew 7:24-27

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:36-39

For those of who have this security, refuge and hope we must give it away to others who need it.  God even helps us with the words to say - straight from scripture.

For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT)

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:1-3 (NIV)

Now we hope for the blessings God has for his children. These blessings, which cannot be destroyed or be spoiled or lose their beauty, are kept in heaven for you. God’s power protects you through your faith until salvation is shown to you at the end of time. This makes you very happy, even though now for a short time different kinds of troubles may make you sad. 1 Peter 1:4-6 (NCV)

My highlighted verse for today comes from Psalms where David writes about how he feels refuge in God during a period of great fear when he fled from the persecution of his son Absalom (2 Samuel 15-18).

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You give me security, refuge, and hope - an ark - during times of great turbulence and distress.  You have seen me through periods of great pain.  I am grateful Jesus!  Yet I am not deserving.  I have grave sin in my life and it continues....worry, harshness of others, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. John 16:33b-c

I continue my study of The Character of Jesus.  For this morning, I focus on chapter 13: The Optimism of Jesus where I highlighted in my Kindle version the following excerpts:

• Ever since the Fall (Genesis 3), the world has known pain, sorrow, etc. These are all the consequences of sin and separation from God.  We all sin and need a savior who can both save us the condemnation of sin and reconcile us to God. 
• Jesus is this Savior.  "Jesus of Nazareth was not a man who could shut his eyes to the sorrow and the heart-break of the world. Never were eyes wider open than his. He saw everything. He saw things which the world had passed by unnoticed. He saw suffering in its every form — it tugged at his heart strings. The tired, sad faces of human beings haunted him, they spoke to him of the tragedy of the world's disordered heart. He had ears which caught every shriek of agony, every cry of distress, every sigh of want. He saw with eyes which pierced."
• "Underneath the tragedy of suffering he saw the blacker tragedy of sin. Down underneath the surface of the world's life he Saw the cancer which was eating up its strength and its hope and its joy. He recognized as none other the tremendous power of evil. He saw with open eyes the roads which lead to death.  He knew, as no other has ever known so well, that evil must be resisted, that sin must be faced and grappled with, that it is only by struggle, suffering, and death that the victory can be won. But he remains nevertheless undaunted. He never loses heart. He sees all, and he hears all, but he never gives up hope."
• "The New Testament is a gospel, a bit of glorious news, because at the center of it there lives and works the world's greatest optimist....Jesus is the prince of optimists — his optimism is the optimism of God Himself."
• "Let us try to find the secret of Jesus' optimism. The secret is written large across the pages of the Gospel. It was a secret too good to keep — he gave it to everybody who had ears to hear. It was an abiding confidence in God. We are sure of Him — sometimes. Our faith is clouded and it is intermittent. It floods and ebbs like the tide, Jesus never doubted. His vision was unclouded. His trust was absolute. To him God was an ever-present Father. This was his new name for God. The prophets and poets of Israel had only seldom ventured to think of God as father, and then only by way of dim surpise. With Jesus, God was always Father. This is the name he carried on his lips when a boy of twelve, it was on his lips when he passed from this world into the other. He placed it on the lips of every man who followed him. It constantly amazed him that men had so little faith in God. "Have faith in God!" This was the exhortation with which he braced the hearts of those who wished to live his life and do his work. The words came with the power of a revelation, because warm with the blood of a heart which knew the secret of perfect trust."
• "Along with unswerving trust in God there went an unshakable confidence in man. Jesus believed in human nature.  He saw the possibilities and capacities of the human heart. He saw men's littlenesses, frailties, vices, sins, but underneath all these he saw a soul created in God's image....He called Simon the son of Jonas a rock, when Simon was counted the most fickle and fluctuating man in all the town. Jesus saw that which was deepest in him. He had confidence not only in people who went to church, but also in people who never went. He had hope of the Publicans and sinners. He knew that Zaccheus could repent and that Matthew could become a preacher."
• "Can eternal foundations be laid in human hearts? Yes, says Jesus, and without a doubt of the fidelity of his apostles, he rolled the huge world upon their shoulders and went away. Nor could any experience break down this trust in the divine capacities of human nature."
• "Jesus trusted men. He did this in the teeth of experiences which swept over him like a dark and devastating flood. His entire career was a tragedy. He was suspected, misrepresented, hated. He was surrounded by liars wherever he went. No matter what he said his sentences were twisted, and no matter what he did his motives were impugned. Such treatment is apt to sour the heart of any one who is long subjected to it. Jesus was mistreated all the way....[But] he never gave up faith in human nature."
• "There are in every community men and women, soured on the world, suspicious of everybody, clinging to the conviction that there is nobody in whom one can trust. Would that all such cynics might come to Jesus and learn from him to expect large things from human nature everywhere. He sees the shallowness, the paltriness, the frailty of the heart; but he also sees its capacities, its possibilities, the mustard-seed germs of virtues and graces which the Spirit of God can unfold. We measure men too much by their powers, and not enough by their capacities, by what they are to-day and not by what they may become later on. It was because the eyes of Jesus swept the future that he could stand around the wreckage of a race in ruins and say, 'Be of good cheer!'"  
• "This indomitable Optimist has confidence in you. You have no hope for yourself. He has. You see your weakness, sordidness, vileness; he sees deeper, and seeing deeper he has hope for you. He sees you: capacity of God. He knows what you can do when you have come to yourself. He sees deeper also into God. You have no adequate conception of the patience or the mercy of the Infinite Father. He has. You do not know what Infinite Love can accomplish. He does. Because of your transgressions you have lost faith in yourself. He has not. Because you have failed a thousand times you say there is no use trying any more. He says, 'Try again!' If you give yourself to him, he will make of you an optimist!"

Similar to my post on chapter 8: The Originality of Jesus, we have hope in Jesus.  Paul viewed himself the "foremost" of sinners (see 1 Timothy 1:12-16), yet on the road to Damascus, Christ revealed Himself to Paul, and his life was transformed in an instant - from the foremost of sinners to biblical hero who was used by God to start churches and save many for Him.  Similarly, Jesus healed lepers facing death, blind men, those unable to stand or walk, etc.  Such miracles are real and Jesus' transforming power is undeniable - start by confessing Your sin and surrendering Your life to Jesus.  There is hope - it is found in Jesus.   

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My Prayer: Jesus, what an awesome God You are that You save and give new life that is transformed through sanctification.  We find hope in You - hope that is eternal.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such hope and salvation.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from such sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Isaiah 33-36:10

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 35:10

I continue my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series. Today, I wrap Lesson 13 by moving to Day 5, which focuses on Isaiah 35. My commentary describes this chapter of Isaiah as one being of great hope and encouragement for the faithful as it portrays a messianic prophecy of "[t]he cursed universe restored to God's original purposes."  God created Adam and Eve and the garden, yet the introduction of sin with the Fall broke the unity humanity had with God, and ushered in brokenness in all of its forms, including disease, decay, corruption...the worst of course being death itself.  The commentary describes several divisions:

1. Creation transformed: from sterile desert to fruitful garden (35:1-2)
2. People transformed: from cursed wickedness to blessed strength (35:3-7)
3. The transforming event: "Your God is coming to save you" (35:4)
4. The journey of the transformed: a highway of holiness (35:8-10)
5. The destination of the transformed: glorious Zion (35:10)

This message brought joy to not just Isaiah's audience of the time but to believers today who are groaning as Paul wrote about in Romans 8:

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Romans 8:20-25

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My Prayer: Heavenly Father - You are a God of hope as You save and You save for eternity!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation - the greatest gift of all time.  Yet me sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.

Psalm 119

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. v114

Where is my hope?  Too often I place my hope in financial security, or in my own abilities, or on the actions of others.  Instead I should place all of my hope in God.  He is the only one who can do anything, at any time.  He is all knowing.  And His motives are pure - He loves me and He promises me that He will never harm me and that He will "prosper" me  and to give me "hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).  And God always keeps His promises (Luke 1:37).

What an awesome God we have!

My Prayer: Lord You are my hope and my shield.  You encourage and protect me from harm - thank You Jesus these blessings and many more!  I am undeserving of such blessings - I worry far too much.  That I do it at all is a sin.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from my sin.  Help me turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

Hebrews 6

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. Hebrews 6:17-18

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which uses Hebrews 6:17-18 to encourage believers to "hold fast to the hope set before us."  Ultimately, the hope set before us refers to how Christ has already defeated sin and death and how he is saving a place in Heaven for believers - for eternity.  We should be hopeful about this - and this hope should carry us through all of the trials and challenges we will experience in life - and we will experience trials and challenges (John 16:33).  However, John Piper reminds us that even though Christ has already secured the victory we all need, we still need power and a will to hold fast - we cannot do this alone.  We need Christ while we remain in this life to hold fast.  Piper uses Philippians 3:12 to underscore his point - in this text Paul writes how he presses on and endures (just as Jesus did on the cross) to own and claim the life God has given him (regardless of the trials and challenges), and to place his hope in the cross "because Christ Jesus has made me his own."  Take hold of this hope!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a good, good Father - and I know You will never leave or forsake me and You will help me through the ups and downs of life - all the way to the end.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and blessings.  My sin is great and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

Hebrews 6

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. v19

Regardless of what we are experiencing, we have hope...and this hope comes from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Similar scriptures:
James 1
Philippians 3
 2 Corinthians 1
Romans 8

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God.  Through trials and suffering you train and equip us - giving us hope that You are always there and using us and our experiences for Your glory and our good.  How awesome are You!  I am in awe that, knowing everything about me, including my sin, You came to earth to suffer and die for me.  I am not worth such an act - while I am deeply grateful I am broken and sinful.  Lazy, impatient, full of anger and impatience, harsh with my thoughts, words and actions.  Please forgive me Jesus!  Help me turn from such sin and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me appreciate the hope that I have.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa comfort, strength and comfort.  Please heal and cure her of this cancer.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach and Dustin.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

Hebrews 3

For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. Hebrews 3:3-6

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which examines why Jesus is worthy of greater glory than Moses, and how He is the builder of the house (which is a reference to God's people or the church globally), and believers are the house.  John Piper writes: "[s]o if we boast in Jesus and hope in Jesus, we are the house, and Jesus is our Builder, and Owner and Ruler and Provider. He does not let his house be destroyed or fall into ruin."  This is a hopeful and encouraging statement.  This DesiringGod.com post goes deeper into this text and shares: "[a]nd the text concludes by saying we are his house—we are his people, we are partakers of a heavenly calling—'if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.' The evidence that we are part of the household of God is that we don't throw away our hope—Hebrews 10:35 says, "Do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward"—we don't drift into indifference and unbelief. Becoming a Christian and being a Christian happen in the same way: by hoping in Jesus—a kind of hoping that produces confidence and boasting in Jesus." Let us not throw away our hope!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and whose church will never be destroyed or fall into ruin.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of God who never leaves or forsakes me and provides for all of my needs.  My sin is great and it continues...daily...impatience, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven[.]

 Matthew 5

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven[.] Matthew 5:11-12a

Today, I pause both on my study of 1 Corinthians and on my study of 2 Thessalonians that is week 3 of my men's discipleship group (d-group) at my church.  Today, my focus is the Solid Joys daily devotional on DesiringGod.com which is entitled "Rejoicing in Pain."  Sin and difficulties of all kinds entered the world in Genesis 3 where Adam and Eve disobeyed God's command to not eat fruit from "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:17).  A reading of the Bible, a review of the daily news, and reflections on our own lives confirm John 16:33 where Jesus tells his disciples that "[i]n the world you will have tribulation." In this same verse Jesus says "take heart; I have overcome the world," and it is here where John Piper focuses in this devotion - that we should have hope in our difficulties.  To be clear, Piper not only wants us to have hope, but he wants us to follow Jesus's command from today's verses to rejoice and be glad in light of these difficulties.  Piper shares two ways to rejoice in suffering: (1) "fixing our minds firmly on the greatness of the reward that will come to us in the resurrection. The effect of this kind of focus is to make our present pain seem small in comparison to what is coming[.]" (see also Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18). This suffering then becomes tolerable which in turn makes love possible (see also Luke 6:35, 4:14) as Piper describes that "[c]onfidence in this promised reward cuts the cord of worldliness and frees us for the costs of love." (2) find joy in the "effects of suffering on our assurance of hope...[as] suffering itself works to deepens that hope." We are referred to Romans 5:3-4 as Piper shares that "Paul’s joy is not merely rooted in his great reward, but in the effect of suffering which solidifies the hope of that reward. Affliction produces endurance, and endurance produces a sense that our faith is real and genuine, and that strengthens our hope that we will indeed gain Christ."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good as I know You will never leave or forsake me in any circumstances, particularly the difficult ones.  Thank You Jesus for working in all things at all times. I am not deserving of how You work in my life.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.            

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Romans 15

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4

This morning, I focus on John Piper's Solid Joys devotional, where Piper seeks for us to experience an "outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our church and ourselves that fills us with indomitable joy and frees us, and empowers us, to love those around us in ways so authentic that they are won to Christ[.]" Piper writes how God's Word (authored by the Holy Spirit) and the promises contained in them are to be claimed and captured in our hearts as the basis for this joy and hope. We know that God is with us...until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).  We also know that although in this life we will experience challenges, we can take heart because God overcame the world (John 16:33), and our experience in this life is not the end because God give us eternal life (John 3:16).  These are, of course, just a few of the many, many promises God gives in Scriptures so "we might have hope." One more that I have claimed and keep in my heart is how believers are "filled" through a "hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6).

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who loves me and who has filled me with hope, joy, and encouragement.   I am blessed indeed with how You have given me Scriptures that are the basis for my hope - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin of worry and other sins are great - please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

We have [the hope of God's promises] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain[.]

Hebrews 6:13-20

We have [the hope of God's promises] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain[.] Hebrews 6:19

I continue my study of Hebrews, and in the text today - Hebrews 6:13-20  - the author of Hebrews builds on v12 (which shares how believers inherit God's promises) by describing how solid God's promises are - that He is faithful. Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.  

• What do we learn from the text about God?: God is so good and gracious.  He knows that people are prone to be weak in their faith.  So He gave Abraham (see also Genesis 22:16-17) not just a promise but also an oath to reassure him (and his descendants, including all believers) that He is faithful - vv13-18.  It seems as if God is distributing grace in advance by sharing this reassurance.  We know Abraham needed reassurance.  He was not perfect and his faith wavered. Vv17-19 also share how it is "impossible for God to lie," how this gives us "strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us," and how this hope serves as "a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul." 
• What do we learn from the text about people?: People waver in their faith and the only way to not waver is to abide, to walk continuously and closely with God.  God then transforms our hearts, minds, and lives to think and live more in His image (Romans 12:2).  We are then encouraged and hopeful as we rest in the certainty of God's promises (2 Corinthians 1:20), particularly how the victory over sin and death - for every believer - is already assured. 
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?):   

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves and You are faithful!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You love, save and deliver faithfully on all of Your promises.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

Hebrews 6

God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. v18-19

If we are to endure and persevere in this life (see post yesterday), we need encouragement - for some of us this is particularly difficult this time of year.  Writing to us on "the certainty of God’s promise", the author of Hebrews writes of "two unchangeable things" that give us this certainty we should have in Christ.  God first makes a promise to Abraham (and to us  - note also that God makes many promises to us), then He makes an oath.  John Piper refers to this as "double security".

We DO "have this this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure".

For no word from God will ever fail. Luke 1:37

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You give me hope and GREAT encouragement!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love.  I worry and I have other sin.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from and overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.

Lamentations 3

For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. v31-32

After the Lord lays siege on Jerusalem (as He said He would through Jeremiah), there is much suffering and moaning.  Yet even in the depths of despair, the Lord appears:

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. 20 I well remember them,

and my soul is downcast within me. 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. 27 It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.

28 Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him. 29 Let him bury his face in the dust—

there may yet be hope. 30 Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace. 31 For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. 32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. 33 For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone. v20-33

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, I know that even in the darkest moments, there is hope.  That hope is You.  Hope for comfort, strength, provision, healing, etc. - the Lord Jesus will provide as only He can do.  Lord Jesus You are the one and only God.  My God.  I try to love You with all of my heart, mind, and soul, yet I am often lacking with this - thank You Jesus for patience and compassion.  I know You love me anyway but please please forgive me.  Help me grow in my love for You.  Help me so that Your desires are my desires.  Help me please You Jesus.  Give me strength.

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Revelation 4-8:1

And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped. Revelation 5:13-14

I resumed my D-Group's study of Revelation using Stephen Witmer's commentary and study guide.  My focus tonight is the memory verse for this week - Revelation 5:13-14.  In Revelation 4-5 John is given a vision of Heaven where God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all present and God is seated on the throne and Jesus is represented by the slain lamb who has the authority to open the scroll and seven seals that reveal God's plan for the end times. In 5:11 Jesus is worshiped and in 5:13-14 both God the Father and Jesus are worshiped using nearly identical words used in 5:11. John Piper, in a sermon where series where he explores hope, he ends the series by summarizing it, and in this summary he highlights three truths about hope: 

1. "First, the glory of God is very great.
2. Second, the glory of God is a sure hope in Jesus Christ.
3. Third, the hope of the glory of God fills the heart with joy and exultation."

 In looking at (1) specifically, Piper highlights ten ways the Bible (New Testament) gives us glimpses of the greatness of God's glory, including Revelation 5:11-14, where he uses these verses in Revelation to indicate: "[s]urely the purpose of giving us a glimpse into this heavenly worship is to make us feel the greatness of the Lord and the tremendous worth of his glory."

Finally, Piper wants us to, as Paul writes in Romans 5 to "rejoice in [the] hope of the glory of God."

Indeed - I am grateful for the blessing of Revelation to see God's glory and the greatness of God's glory, how it is a certainty, and how I get to share in the hope of the glory of God - and of course for this I am certainly joyful!  Thank You Jesus!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, Your glory is great indeed, as it sure, and I get to share in it and be joyful because of it - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues daily - worry, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 6

We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:19-20

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. This morning, I maintain my focus on Hebrews 6:9-20, as I lean on my commentary, and how it unpacks the third division "The Hope Behind the Curtain," which refers to Hebrews 6:19-20.  Here, the commentary highlights how, in the midst of the ups and downs of life, we all need "an anchor for the soul...The promises of God are firm and secure enough to hold us steady in a storm."  The commentary then highlights (and wraps on this note) how Jesus's death on the cross "accomplish[ed] all that God’s justice required [for our sin]....As our great high priest, Jesus has purchased our salvation and assured us of the promises of God."  This assurance provides a supernatural confidence, hope, and peace that only Jesus offers - believe!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for this assurance, and the supernatural confidence, hope and peace that it provides.  I am not deserving of such assurance.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:2

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, and John Piper discusses how seeing the glory of God is believers' "ultimate hope".  He provides the following texts for us to understand and appreciate God's glory:

• Jude 1:24
• Romans 9:23
• 1 Thessalonians 2
• Titus 2:13
• Hebrews 1:3 
• John 17:24
• 1 Peter 5:1
• Romans 8:21
• 1 Corinthians 2:7 
• 2 Corinthians 4:17
• Romans 8:30        

Through these texts Piper wants us to "[s]ee and shar[e] in God’s glory[, as it] is our ultimate hope through the gospel of Christ." He writes that [s]uch a hope, that is really known and treasured, has a huge and decisive effect on our present values and choices and actions."  Piper wraps the devotion with the following exhortation: "Get to know the glory of God. Study the glory of God and the glory of Christ. Study the glory of the world that reveals the glory of God, and the glory of the gospel that reveals the glory of Christ. Treasure the glory of God in all things and above all things. Study your soul. Know the glory you are seduced by, and know why you treasure glories that are not God’s glory." Amen!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and I have seen and experienced Your glory in the written word - I am in awe of You.  I am not deserving of how You display the works of Your glory in my life.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.