hope Archives - Page 6 of 16

Every Spiritual Blessing {No Matter What Monday}

September 11, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

I’ve watched more news and Weather Channel footage in the past couple of weeks than I’ve seen in months. The devastation brought by Harvey and now by Irma is heartbreaking, shocking, and overwhelming. As I sit in my intact home in Arkansas, which will never see a hurricane, as I shop in grocery stores with fully-stocked shelves and pump gas from stations with higher prices but no long lines . . . I’m reminded of how blessed I am.

And yet, catastrophes such as hurricanes remind us that our material blessings—which are all gifts from God—can be taken from us. If the worst happened and disaster struck, would I still consider myself #blessed?

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 1:3)

My greatest blessings on are not on this earth. Yes, I love and cherish many of the gifts God has given me here—my family and friends, my home, my life. I grieve with those who suffer the loss of these precious gifts, and my purpose in sharing this verse isn’t to minimize or dismiss their pain.

But when we suffer loss or fear potential loss, Ephesians 1:3 reminds us that we have been blessed with something even greater than earthly blessings—we have been given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

These spiritual blessings are freely given, fully paid for, and forever secure.

They are freely given by God’s grace—since we didn’t earn them, our failures don’t cause us to lose them (Ephesians 2:8-9).

They have been fully paid for by Christ’s sacrifice (Romans 5:6-8, 8:1; 1 Peter 2:24).

They are forever secure, kept for us in heaven, where nothing can destroy them (Matthew 6:20, 1 Peter 1:4).

For the next few weeks, we are going to explore the spiritual blessings God gives us in Christ. I can’t wait to dig into Ephesians 1 with you and be encouraged by the blessings of God’s glorious grace.

No matter what you face this week, God has blessed you in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

Hold Fast to the Faithful One {No Matter What Monday}

August 14, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

My husband and I spent most of the 1990’s watching Seinfeld. (Anyone else?!) In one of my favorite episodes, Jerry arrives at the rental car counter and learns they ran out of cars. He is baffled that, despite his reservation, the company doesn’t have a car for him. He tells the employee, “You know how to take the reservation, you just don’t know how to hold the reservation. And that’s really the most important part of the reservation – the holding.”

We can sometimes fall into similar thinking about our faith. We’ve seen the Lord work in our lives, and we know His salvation – but will it stick? Will our faith hold until the end? How can we have an enduring faith?

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23, NIV)

In this verse, the writer of Hebrews encourages us to hold on to the hope we profess. This hope isn’t wishful thinking, the way we often use the word “hope” in English. For a Christian, hope is confidence in the rock-solid promises of God. We can hold unswervingly to this hope because—and only because—the One who makes these promises is faithful to keep them.

Our assurance doesn’t come from the strength of our faith, but from the object of our faith – the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. God can be trusted to always complete what He started (Philippians 1:6). His faithfulness is the reason we can grab on tight to hope and never let go.

When you wonder if your faith is enough, hold fast to the faithful One who keeps all His promises to you . . . the One who will hold you until the end.

No matter what you face this week, hold on to your hope, because He who calls you is faithful.

Anchor Your Faith in God’s Faithfulness {No Matter What Monday}

August 7, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

I used to think I was good at keeping promises, and then I had kids.

I want to be faithful to my word, and I try to not make promises I can’t keep. But sometimes, I start the day saying, “Sure, I can play chess with you today.” Then each of the day’s tasks takes longer than I expected. The afternoon gets longer, and my temper gets shorter. All of a sudden, it’s 5:30 pm. I should be fixing dinner, but I’m fighting the temptation to hide in my closet with a pint of Halo Top ice cream. The last thing I want to do at that moment sit across a chess board from a chatty 11-year-old.

As I strive to be faithful to my promises, my trust is not in my own faithfulness – and this is great news! My faith is in the faithfulness of One who always keeps His promises.

“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19)

God is not like us. He doesn’t lie; He doesn’t change His mind. If He says it, He will do it. Each and every one of His promises will be perfectly fulfilled. What a beautiful anchor of hope for our souls!

When God promises to help us, we can depend on His help (Psalm 121:2). When He says He will strengthen us and hold us, He can and will do it (Isaiah 41:10). When He says He will wipe every tear from our eyes, we can count on a glorious future with Him (Revelation 21:4).

In each Monday devotional this month, we will read about God’s faithfulness to us. As we look ahead to a new school year, make commitments, and see the potential of a fresh start, let’s rejoice that God is faithful even when we’re not. We can trust Him to keep all of His promises us.

No matter what you face this week, anchor your faith in the faithfulness of your Heavenly Father.

Your Imperishable Inheritance is Waiting {No Matter What Monday

May 22, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

My hairstylist and I chatted as I sat in her chair, discussing my next appointment and whether it was time to refresh my salon-induced highlights. That’s when she first mentioned the “fair hairs” that were starting to show near my scalp. It took me a minute to realize what she meant. Those aren’t fair hairs, they’re gray—and they’re popping up everywhere.

I’m forty years old, which is exciting for a cancer survivor like me. But there’s no denying the unstoppable force of aging. I can cover the evidence with anti-aging face cream, hair dye, and strategic wardrobe choices, but the truth is that this body is fading.

As my body deteriorates, there’s one thing I can count on: God’s given me an inheritance in Christ that will never diminish.

According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. (1 Peter 1:3b-4)

We saw last week in verse 3 that by faith, we’ve been given a living hope: Jesus Christ, who is risen from the dead. In addition, verse 4 tells us that we’ve been given an inheritance in heaven.

Your inheritance is imperishable. It’s not like the rotting bag of lettuce in your refrigerator produce drawer that you never got around to eating.

Your inheritance is undefiled. It’s perfect and pure, and no one can taint it.

Your inheritance is unfading. It can’t be diminished in any way.

Your inheritance is kept in heaven for you—because of Christ, your living hope, you can look forward to a glorious future!

No matter what you face this week, you have an imperishable inheritance waiting for you.