A Reason Of Hope

KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus In Every Chapter
Date: Saturday, December 19, 2015
Chapters: 1 Peter 3-5
Message Title: A Reason Of Hope

Hello My Friend,

Hope, a desire of some good, accompanied with an expectation of obtaining it. Hope is not the same as a wish. Hope implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. Hope always gives pleasure or joy, whereas a wish may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety. Hope never leaves us in fear, it gives us the courage to keep going, expecting a good outcome. Now, add God to that hope, and there is nothing that can stop us from obtaining the things we desire. “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” - Jeremiah 17:7,8.

We all set a course in this thing called life, we make goals, work at them, accomplish some, fail some, we mess up, make u-turns, completely change the course, yet this thing called life in never really what we imagined it to be. Most of us do not have things just handed to us, we have to work hard to get the things we desire, and even then we struggle. As Christians, the struggle becomes a little bit easier as that hope to finally achieve what we desire becomes more achievable. As Peter winds down his letter, he reminds us to keep working and doing what God wants us to do, and be ready to tell the world what reason of hope you have because everyone is watching.

“Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” - 1 Peter 3:8-15.

“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous,” God knows exactly what's going on with us, He knows what we need and want, He knows the things desire and what we have done to achieve them, even the not so great things we did in an attempt to rush things. Yet, He's rich in mercy and full of grace to keep us from too much evil, and to carry us through when the road gets a little rough. “Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name.” - Psalms 33:18-21.

Christ suffered more than anyone on earth ever will, He endured the stripes, the humiliation, the mocking, the pain, and shed His blood on the cross until His dying death. He died so that we can live, not according to the worlds standards, but God's. When He found you, He found you in the deepest whole that you were in, pulled you out, cleaned you up, and made you a part of His family. Since you are God's, you are going to face some suffering even when living right. No matter how strong our faith in God, there are times when we are going to feel defeated. That's where Jesus comes in, He will give us peace, that hope we need to keep going, and not only give us an end to our suffering, but see those goals accomplished.

“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” - 1 Peter 4:1-7.

“Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot,” The world never understands why we do not think like them and do the things they do. As much as we would like to personally get even with our offenders, the best thing we can do is give it over to God, trust Him, pray often, keep following His will, and eventually we will see that it was the best decision we made. The culprit for our suffering is actually the devil, he sees our faith, our hope, and will try anything to get us to lose it. However, we get more than what we desire when we put the devil in his place and keep trusting God.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” - 1 Peter 5:6-11.

“knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” Everyone faces affliction, saved or not. As Christians, sometimes it's simply for our faith in Christ, but we do not have to let it get the best of us. Just think about what we faced without Him, all the stress of trying to figure things out that have no end. At least with Christ with us we have some hope, not only in finding joy and an end to the affliction, but in knowing that one day we will finally see Jesus face to face. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”- Revelation 21:4. Praise God!

Today's Prayer: God, Thank you for giving me the strength to never give up hope. Things may not go as I plan, but You have a greater plan for me, and as long as I follow You and wait for You I know that everything I need and desire will come. When I am weak and weary, and want to give up, remind me that You are always with me, even when I mess up, and You will see me through and out of every affliction I go through. I love You Lord and Father, and pray in the name of Jesus, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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