Our Hope
Isaiah
{26:4} Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength
{26:5} For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.
{26:6} The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
{26:7} The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.
{26:8} Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
{26:9} With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
{26:10} Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.
{26:11} LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.
Everlasting strength.
The Lord brings down them that dwell on high.
The lofty city he lays low to the ground, to dust.
The poor, the needy will walk on the city tread to the ground.
The way of the just is upright.
The most upright weighs the path of the just.
In the Lord's judgement we wait for Him.
Our desire is for the Lord, to remember Him.
With our souls we desire the Lord in the night.
Early our spirits shall seek the Lord.
When the Lord's judgments are here upon the earth all in the earth will learn righteousness.
Even when favor is showed to the wicked he will not learn righteousness. With uprightness all around him he will deal unjustly, he will not behold the majesty of the Lord.
When the Lord's hand is lifted up- they will not see, but they shall see- they'll be ashamed for their envy towards God's people. They will be destroyed.
*
Early we need to seek the Lord.
In the night we need to desire the Lord.
All those who look to themselves, all those who turn from God will be brought low, they have no choice.
God is God over all.
People fool themselves if they some how imagine being above or beyond God's judgement. The just and the unjust. There will be no inbetween the two. No one will be claimed to be a little unjust, or mostly just. Just and unjust.
May God bless us and keep us. We need to seek Him morning and night. We can't neglect to seek the Lord, our Savior. We can't neglect to seek Him always.
We can't allow ourselves to believe that we won't be accountable for our lives, our actions.
Yes, we are saved by grace through our Lord and Savior, He alone won salvation for us and is our HOPE. Having Hope we need to look to that Hope always. We can't lose sight of that Hope ever. When we lose sight of our Hope there is nothing left-- nothing.
We need to seek the Lord our Hope early. We need to desire the Lord our Hope in the night. Our Hope needs to remain before us now and forever.
Please Lord, help our weakness that would have us take our eyes of our only Hope, You. Forgive us our sins that would keep us from You.
Lord, by Your grace and mercy now and forever.
Amen.
3/10/10
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
This was said approximately 2000 years or so ago and it's still very revelant to us all today. In our flesh dwells nothing good. Our flesh is weak and corrupted by years of sin. Only Christ overcame the flesh and it's through Christ we overcome. Does this mean we get some magical power that does away with our flesh desires? No. Many, many men and women of God get caught up in the trap of begin supposedly able to overcome their sins and they feel good when that happens. It might last for one, two, ten years but more often than not there are set backs and slips into that same sin and it becomes depressing to succumb to something you thought you'd overcome. The key there are the words - you'd overcome. We get to this place where we believe we are doing the necessary overcoming and we begin to rely on ourselves for that overcoming.
I've never been in a 12 step program but what I know of it from tv and whatnot I think a person is taught to take one day at a time and the famous serenity prayer is recited-
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr
The first part of that is known more widely than the rest but read the rest...
Living one day at a time.
Enjoying one moment at a time.
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as HE did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that HE will make all things right
if I SURRENDER to HIS will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Now while I agree with most of this prayer the bit about being reasonably happy in this life is a fallacy. We can't even expect that as much as we might want to.
We do have to surrender to God's will. We do have to trust that God will make all things right. We can't believe in ourselves or our own goodness, we have to trust in God fully. When we start to believe we are good in and of ourselves we start to get caught in a trap of Satan's making. We need to have Christ before us always. We need to fall at His feet in surrender. It's not pitiful to surrender, to admit our weakness in the face of God's strength. Yes, we to believe this--
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
And to understand this--
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
And believe this--
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
We have to thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord that we can serve the law of God, we can. Trusting in Him fully that HE overcame the flesh and we through Him will overcome. Our hope is in Him and Him alone.
May God help us to place our trust fully in Christ now and forever. Life will give to us through Satan any and all challenges to snare us and we have to trust solely in Christ, not even in ourselves.
By the grace and mercy of our Lord, our Savior, may we hold fast to Him now and forever, trusting in His ability to overcome the flesh.
In Him always.
Amen.
3/10/11