"π½ππ πππ’ πππ πΆππ ππ ππππ ππππ π’ππ π πππ πππ πππ’ πππ πππππ ππ πππππππππ, ππππ π’ππ πππ’ ππππππ ππ ππππ ππ’ πππ πππ ππ ππ πππ π·πππ’ ππππππ." ~ ππππππ 15:13 (π½πΊπΉπ )
π±πΎπΊπ½ πΏππ π πΌππΊπππΎπ
This was Paul's prayer for the believers he wrote to and it's our prayer for you as you go forth in the New Year. May the God of your hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in that hope by the Spirit's power. There's so much to meditate on in this verse, but I want to focus on thisΒ hope.
This hope is the same hope that Peter talks about in his letter. In 1 Peter, we read that we have a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading inheritanceΒ (1 Peter 1:3). This hope is a sure and steadfast anticipation for the inheritance we will receive when we cross death's shore into eternity - Christ. We look forward to that better land whose founder and maker is God (Heb. 11), but more than that, our hope is Jesus Christ, who we shall be with forever and ever. Imagine that. One day, we will be with our precious Savior. I love the last line in the hymnΒ Emmanuel's Land:Β "The Lamb is all the glory of Emmanuel's Land."Β It's our Lord and Savior we look forward to seeing face to face in allΒ HISΒ glory. I remember hearing it said once that when we receive glory - the crowns we read about in places like 1 Peter 5 and the Pauline epistle - we won't hesitate to cast them back to the One who deserves all the glory - who is ALL our glory. And we read that in Revelation, that we will cast our crowns before the Throne.
Another year has passed, and we may begin to wonder where is the promise of His appearing? Hold fast. Our hope is not wishful thinking; it is grounded in the Word of Truth and is sure and steadfast. The Lord is not slacking but is unwilling that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Rather than getting discouraged that He hasn't returned yet, we ought to be thankful and praise Him for the age of grace we are in.Β Imagine if the Lord came before you got saved. That would have been sad, wouldn't it? If you're thankful you were given a chance to come to repentance, think of the billions of lives on this planet that are still lost.Β He's not only giving a chance for others to be saved, but it gives more time for His children to "press on toward perfection."
May the God of this hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may about in that hope by the power of the Holy Spirit in this New Year and the years to come - should God grant us more years.