Faith and Hope

Romans 4:16-25

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. ¹⁷ As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”^[a] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
¹⁸ Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”^{[b] 19} Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. ²⁰ Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹ being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. ²² This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” ²³ The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, ²⁴ but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵ He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Footnotes:

1. Romans 4:17 Gen. 17:5
2. Romans 4:18 Gen. 15:5

Father God when we feel our situation is hopeless, you want us to continue to have hope. Sometimes our situation appears to us as if it is beyond hope. We feel we have to settle for what is presented before us, but faith in God's promise keeps us rooted in hope.

 We hope for a better tomorrow. A brighter future. Awakening each day with the thought that, today will be different because I will believe there is hope for my situation.

We can face insurmountable obstacles that seem to force us into despair and depression but God says to our spirit, have hope. Keep hoping. Keep believing. We all face hopeless situations.

We all fall short of being the constant cheerful believer. But God says even in those times, keep the faith. Believe that I am working it out for your good. Our faith is restored when we are able to believe there is hope for us.

There's hope for you still, in whatever obstacle you face today, there is hope. Know that God wants you to have hope. Be reassured with that knowledge, God wants you to believe and hope.

God wants to reassure you that justice is still working it out. Glory to God. Whatever the situation is, show God that you have faith and hope in that situation. Win God over with your loyalty to him. God loves us. Let's love him back. I believe in love. Love conqueors all. Let's show some faith and love today. Be Blessed and be a blessing to someone. I love you.

Accepting Others

Galatians 2:11-21 NIV

Paul Opposes Cephas

¹¹ When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹² For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. ¹³ The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

¹⁴ When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

¹⁵ “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles ¹⁶ know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in^[a] Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

¹⁷ “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! ¹⁸ If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker.

¹⁹ “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”^[b]

Footnotes:

1. Galatians 2:16 Or but through the faithfulness of … justified on the basis of the faithfulness of
2. Galatians 2:21 Some interpreters end the quotation after verse 14.

Father God, help me to not be so discriminatory towards others. Help me to not hate them when they are judgemental towards me. I know they are talking about me behind my back. Making judgements about me. Let me not be hateful towards these folks. I will try not to conform to their way of thinking just to fit in. No matter how old we get, we still have peer pressure. Keep me strong. If I isolate myself, then I am stuck up. If I sit with them then I subject myself to their gossip and opinions. Help me Lord to find the balance. Lord, I am staying steady with my three requests, my demands, my needs. I think I need these to keep me sane. I don't ask for much. I am just a girl, wanting a boy to love me. I don't see any harm in that. Wanting a new job that is better suited for my temperment and skills, there's no harm in asking for that. Needing to keep myself in better health, that's a good thing. I know I have been under a lot of stress and so have others. I am not the only one going through things. I just have to find a way to cope with my stress. Lord I cannot speak for everyone, but I will try to be the best I can be. If I am not serving the Lord then my mission has failed. Time to get ready. Be blessed.

Make Me Bold

Romans 2:17-24

The Jews and the Law

¹⁷ Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; ¹⁸ if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; ¹⁹ if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, ²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— ²¹ you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? ²² You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? ²³ You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? ²⁴ As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”^[a]

Footnotes:

1. Romans 2:24 Isaiah 52:5 (see Septuagint); Ezek. 36:20,22

Father God I pray that I am an example of your goodness. Lord clean my heart and search my desires so that they are in line with your will. When I am in the world, help me to make the right decisions that lead me closer to you. When I desire a covenant relationship that includes public acknowkedgment of a relationship, am I wrong to want that? I want a ring, and announcements of a commitment to love, honor and cherish. Lord, I know I have sinned and I am a sinner. I walk with the knowledge of your grace and love everyday. I have to be true to my self and not deny my problems. What concerns me the most is of little consequence to others. Lord, I see how a ring establishes your covenant with a couple. I ask for nothing more than what is already established. My miracle is within me. I will walk with faith knowing that God hearsmy prayers and will judge me accordingly. My love is strong and forever. Be Blessed today. Know that you are loved and cherished.

Good Morning World

Jonah 4

The Lord Shows Concern for Nineveh

4 But Jonah was very upset. He became angry. ² He prayed to the Lord and said, “Lord, isn’t this exactly what I thought would happen when I was still at home? That’s why I was so quick to run away to Tarshish. I knew that you are gracious. You are tender and kind. You are slow to get angry. You are full of love. You are a God who takes pity on people. You don’t want to destroy them. ³ Lord, take away my life. I’d rather die than live.”

⁴ But the Lord replied, “Do you have any right to be angry?”

⁵ Jonah left the city. He sat down at a place east of it. There he put some branches over his head. He sat in their shade. He waited to see what would happen to the city.

⁶ Then the Lord God sent a vine and made it grow up over Jonah. It gave him more shade for his head. It made him more comfortable. Jonah was very happy he had the vine. ⁷ But before sunrise the next day, God sent a worm. It chewed the vine so much that it dried up.

⁸ When the sun rose, God sent a burning east wind. The sun beat down on Jonah’s head. It made him very weak. He wanted to die. So he said, “I’d rather die than live.”

⁹ But God said to Jonah, “Do you have any right to be angry about what happened to the vine?”
“I do,” he said. “In fact, I’m angry enough to die.”

¹⁰ But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this vine. But you did not take care of it. You did not make it grow. It grew up in one night and died the next. ¹¹ Nineveh has more than 120,000 people. They can’t tell right from wrong. Nineveh also has a lot of cattle. So shouldn’t I show concern for that great city?”



Thank You Lord for showing concern for us. You know we are a great nation with many sins, but we will continue to turn to you Lord and repent. Your compassion for us is amazing. Like Jonah, we wonder, why care sometimes, we have messed up so badly. Will God forgive us for the violence and evil against our people? Will we ever show compassion for the poor? Are we destined to always learn the hard way? Can't we do better? God has faith in us. If we know better, we do better. We have to continue to reach out to those who don't know better. We don't get to feel superior over them. We don't judge them for their mistakes because we are never blameless in the situation. Our faith in God to prevail in all situations is a must. We must remember that we placed nothing here. Not the home, job, car, nothing. All of it is by the grace of God. I thank God for the good things in my life. For the constant things that are steady and continually god for me. The knowledge that I have absolutely no control over any of it is comforting and frustrating. Nothing I do will change the course of events that are in my present and future. I must live in the present and thank God for any and every comfort and joy that has been placed in my life. Thank you Lord for your blessings. Thank You Lord for keeping me focused on my love. You won't let me turn away, even when I try. I think, there's no way this is going to happen, and Lord you seem to say, just stay and do what I am telling you to do. What exactly I can do, I just don't know, but stay I will and do what I can. I may think there is nothing that can be done in this situation, but obviously Lord, you see it differently. I love you Lord for seeing worth in me. I will do my best to make you Proud of Me. Blessings are abundant from the Lord. I Love You.

I Just Love You

You can't tell the heart who to love.
The heart loves who it loves.
God matches us with the one that is right for us.
Whether we are able to have that person in our lives or not, love is still there.
I thought I could settle for someone else.
 But I can't. It's you.
 Until you do something callous, thoughtless and hurtful again.
Then  I have to protect my feelings again.
Please be nice to me if you can find it in your heart.

Dreaming of Love

Love is in the air. Dream Big. Believe that my DREAM IS POSSIBLE.

Friendship With Jesus Cost

John 15:18-21

The World Hates the Disciples

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.²⁰ Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’^[a] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name,for they do not know the one who sent me.

Father God, thank you for today. Thank you for my healing and my grace and new mercies. Lord if love is to characterize our relationship with other believers, then the opposite must be true for non believers. Hate is such a strong emotion. When others hate us and not even know us, or not even care to know us then the world has succeeded in its persecution. Lord I pray for those who walk by faith and love and are constantly thought to be weak and inadequate. The world hates what it doesn't understand. If Jesus was persecuted, what makes us think that we won't be persecuted. We can't please everyone, so our goal, my goal, is to please God. Keep me on the path of righteousness, Lord. Don't let me go astray trying to please the world. Let  the truth be my focus. I know I have weaknesses and faults, but I look to  Jesus who had none and was still persecuted. He was blameless, innocent, and he suffered and was killed. My complaints are minor and insignificant  compared to what he went through. Lord, I know that you love me and you are forever with me. Keep me strong in my faith. I believe in you and know that my trust in you is not wasted. You are my rock. I will believe in you and cherish the relationship. Our relationship Lord is a gift. I will never let it go. I may be challenged to turn my back or to just stop believing in the truth, but I will not walk away. Lord, we are stuck together. Through the good and the bad. You said you will never leave me nor forsake me and I am taking you at your word. Your word is your bond. As I struggle daily to stay a disciple, I know your word is true. I know that will always be a believer, I just pray that my faith walk will be strengthen each and every day with my constant reinforcement of your word. Thank You Lord for your Comforter. You said I would not do this alone and you have sent your Comforter which I desperately need. You look out for me Lord, you protect me. Thank you Lord. May God Bless all of the Believers today and encourage them to stay faithful.