"COLORS OF HOPE"

Good Evening to All!

I'm sure we all are familiar with rainbows. We all know the definition according to the dictionary.
It is: (1) a bow or arc of prismatic colors appearing in the heavens opposite the sun and caused by rain. (2) a similar bow of colors, especially one appearing in the spray of a waterfall. (3) any brightly multicolored arrangement or display. (4) a wide variety or range; gamut.

It was appointed as a witness of the divine faithfulness (Gen. 9:11-16). It existed indeed before, but it was then constituted as a sign of the covenant. Others, however (as Delitzsch, Commentary on Pentateuch), think that it "appeared then for the first time in the vault and clouds of heaven."

It is argued by those holding this opinion that the atmosphere was differently constituted before the Flood. It is referred to three other times in Scripture (Ezek. 1:27, 28; Rev. 4:1-3; 10:1).

(11) I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." (12) And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: (13) I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will b e the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. (14) Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, (15) I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. (16) Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." (Genesis 9:11-16) NIV)


Not only is this phenomenon a beautiful thing to look at, but it springs Hope Eternal. Every time I look at one I am reminded of God's promise and feel like He is speaking to me.

As in the weather, our lives are full of clouds and storms as well. No matter where we are in life or what we do. No matter whether we are rich or poor sick or healthy, we all have troubles and situations come up in our lives. We can rest assured though that a rainbow is sure to follow. As long as we have God in our lives and God's promise, the clouds will dissipate and the storms will dry up.

As I have told people before when we have had discussions, God created good and evil. He created rain and sunshine. We cannot have one with out the other. If good was all we had, we wouldn't know it was good, because there would be nothing to which to compare it. If the weather was always dreary, we wouldn't know what sunshine is like. Therefore, into each life a little rain must fall so the saying goes. When the rainbow comes in our lives we need to embrace it, appreciate it and acknowledge where it came from.

The next time you see a rainbow, look at it, thank God for it and think of it as the "Colors of Hope".

Good Night to All and May God Bless!
May you dream of beautiful rainbows of hope tonight.

"HOPE"

Good Evening to All!

Today's Seed: "May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." Psalm 33:22

Even though cedar-lined hope chests are not as popular as they once were, every girl dreams of the way things will be when she grows up. In her heart, hope has a home.

Christian hope is found in Jesus Christ. In Him we find evidence that God loves us. In Him, there is confirmation of God's plan for our salvation and our lives. Because of Him, we can face the sunrise tomorrow and the dark clouds that may come into our skies.

Because of Jesus we have reason to hope. When He makes a promise, our hearts believe it. Then our hope watches for it to happen. Doubting would be easier, but hope in Jesus overcomes doubt.

Your hope in Jesus will become more important to you when tragedy strikes. A great Scottish preacher said that the most profane words we use is hopeless because it slams the door in the face of God. When you face a crisis with your hope held high, your fears and panic will fade in its shadow. Clinging to hope is the ultimate act of faith.

One of the reasons for our hope is that Jesus never gives up on us. Paul was confident in Jesus when he said, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). What Jesus begins he also finishes.

Dig Deeper: The Hebrew word for "hope" is yachal, which is also one of the Hebrew words for patience. Our hope is damaged when we fail to wait.


Background Bulb: The other verses of Psalm 22 list some of the reasons that we have hope in God. They tell us that He is faithful in all He does. He created the world and is still in control. He looks down from heaven and considers everything we do. He has great strength. His plans stand firm forever. He is our help and our shield. we can trust in Him because He is in control.

Sprout & Scatter: Presenting Jesus to nonbelievers is difficult because they have already heard about religions, doctrines, and philosophies. Most people reject our attempts to convince them of our beliefs. But when you tell them about your hope, many will listen. Tell others what God has done for you in the past and why this gives yo hope for the present and the future. Every heart yearns for hope.

Think about it: List some characteristics of God that you hope.
How can you share your hope with a friend?

Prayer Pot: Lord, help me trust you in . . . (Insert your thoughts)


Take-Away Idea: Hang on to your hope especially in hopeless situations.


Good Night to All and may God Bless!

"HOPE"

Good Evening to All!

Today's Seed: Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope you thee.
(Psalm 33:22 KJV)

Even though cedar-lined hope chests are not as popular as they once were, every girl dreams of the way things will be when she grows up. In her heart,hope has a home.

Christian hope is found in Jesus Christ. In Him, we find evidence that God loves us. In Him, there is confirmation of God's plan for our salvation and our lives. Because of Him, we can face the sunrise tomorrow and the dark clouds that may come into our skies.

Because of Jesus we have reason to hope. When he makes a promise, our hearts believe it. Then our hope watches for it to happen. Doubting would be easier, but hope in Jesus overcomes doubt.

Your hope in Jesus will become most important to you when tragedy strikes. A great Scottish preacher said that the most profane word we use is hopeless because it slams the door in teh face of God. When you face a crisis with your hope held high, your fears and panic will fade in its shadow. Clinging to hope is the ultimate act of faith.

One of the reasons for our hope is that Jesus never gives up on us. Paul was confident in Jesus when he said, "He who began a good work in your will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). What Jesus begins, he also finishes.

Dig Deeper: The Hebrew word for "hope" is yachal, which is also one of the Hebrew words for patience. Our hope is damaged when we fail to wait.


Background Bulb: The other verses of Psalm 22 list some of the reasons that we have hope in God. They tell us that he is faithful in all he does. He created the world and is still in control. He looks down from heaven and consider everything we do. He has great strength. His plans stand firm forever. He is our help and our shield. We can trust in him because he is in control.

Sprout & Scatter: Presenting Jesus to nonbelievers is difficult because they have already heard about religions, doctrines, and philosophies. Most people reject our attempts to convince them of our beliefs. But when you tell them about your hope, many will listen. Tell others what God has done for your in the past and why this gives you hope for the present and the future. Every heart yearns for hope.

Think about it: : List some characteristics of God that give you hope.
How can you share your hope with a friend?


Prayer Pot: Lord, help me trust you in . . . . (Insert your own thoughts)



Take-Away Idea: Hang on to your hope especially in hopeless situations.



Good Night to All and May God Bless!

Hope

Image by evelynishere via Flickr

Good Evening to All!

I have started this post over several different times because I would start typing something, and for some reason, it just didn't feel right. I literally had no feelings about it, so I knew it wasn't what God wanted me to tell you tonight. I happened to come upon this Devotion and it popped out at me , so I can't help but feel that there is someone out there tonight to whom this message or devotion will speak.
Today's Seed: "May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you."
Psalm 33:22

Even though cedar-lined hope chests are not as popular as they once were, every girl dreams of the way things will be when she grows up. In her heart, hope has a home.

Christian hope is found in Jesus Christ. In him, we find evidence that God loves us. In him, there is confirmation of God's plan for our salvation and our lives. Because of him, we can face the sunrise tomorrow and the dark clouds that may come into our skies.

Because of Jesus we have reason to hope. When he makes a promise, our hearts believe it. Then our hope watches for it to happen. Doubting would be easier, but hope in Jesus overcomes doubt.

Your hope in Jesus will become most important to you when tragedy strikes. a great Scottish preacher said that the most profane word we use is hopeless because it slams the door in the face of God. When you face a crisis with your hope held high, your fears and panic will fade in its shadow. Clinging to hope is the ultimate act of faith.

One of the reasons for our hope is that Jesus never gives up on us. Paul was confident in Jesus when he said, "He who began a good work in your will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:6) What Jesus begins, he also finishes.

Dig Deeper: The Hebrew word for "hope" is yachal, which is also one of the Hebrew words for patience. Our hope is damaged when we fail to wait.


Background Bulb: The other verses of Psalm 33 list some of the reasons that we have hope in God. They tell us that He is faithful in all He does. He created the world and is still in control. He looks down from heaven and considers everything we do. He has great strength. His plans stand firm forever. He is our help and our shield. We can trust in Him because He is in control.

Sprout & Scatter: Presenting Jesus to nonbelievers is difficult because they have already heard about religions, doctrines, and philosophies. Most people reject our attempts to convince them of our beliefs. But when you tell them about your hope, many will listen. Tell others what God has done for you in the past and why this gives you hope for the present and the future. Every heart yearns for hope.


Think about it: What are some of the characteristics of God that give you hope?

How can you share your hope with a friend?


Prayer Pot: Lord, help me trust you in....


Take-Away Idea: Hang on to your hope especially in hopeless situations.


In today's time and the events that are taking place, we cannot afford to be without hope. I know that it is easier to "give up" and say "whatever happens, happens, but we cannot allow ourselves to feel that way, for "Faith is the is the substance of things HOPED FOR, the evidence of things not seen. Without hope, there can be NO FAITH. Without Faith, we cannot please God, and without God, there is NO HOPE.

Good Night to All and May God Bless!

Bible Challenge Answers and Faith, Hope & Wishing

Good Evening to All!

As promised, below are the answers to the Bible Challenge of last night's post.

1. b) ram (Gen. 22:13)
2. d) cows (Gen. 41:1-4)
3. c) bees ( Deut. 1:44)
4. a) to destroy the Philistines' crops (Judges 14:4-5)
5. c) ravens (1 Kings 17:2-6)
6. b) female bears (2 Kings 2:23-24)
7. d) great fish (Jonah 1:17)
8. a) donkey (Numbers 22:22-31)
9. b) doves (Matt. 21:12-13)
10. b) locusts (Revelation 9:3-11)

I hope y'all are enjoying these challenges and are doing well on them. I love learning and recalling what I have already learned but "put in the back of my memory.

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Daily Inspiration from the NIV

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible....

Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Hebrews 11:1-3, 6

The Differences between Faith, Hope and Wish

According to Webster's Dictionary


Faith: Belief in something without Proof. In my opinion, we use the word faith too loosely. I'm as guilty as the next person. I am always saying " I have faith" in you, meaning a person's ability to do something, when in reality, I'm thinking I "hope" she can do it, or I think she can do it. Faith does not actually enter into the equation unless I trust this person blindly without proof of their abilities. Actually, the only one if have faith in is my God. I know this because "He Is Truth" therefore He cannot lie. Whatever He says, He Will Do.

Hope: The feeling that what is desired is also possible, or attainable. Yes, it is good to Hope. I have always heard if we lose hope, then we have nothing. That is not necessarily true. The most important thing we can have in our heart is Faith in our God. For with God All things are Possible.hat events may turn out for the best. To look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence.


Wish: To feel an impulse toward attainment of something, to want, desire, or long for. In my opinion, I feel that wishing is a child's game, throwing pennies into a wishing well, or fountain and making a wish, making a wish and blowing out birthday candles and such.

Don't get me wrong, I have done all three, but the only one I "hold stock in is Faith. Hoping is not going to bring anything to pass, nor is wishing, but Faith, that is another matter altogether. God truly acts on Faith. When Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood, He told her, her faith had made her whole. Every time He healed someone, this is what He told them. It was their faith in Him that healed them. So while hoping and wishing may be good for our outlooks, faith is what will bring things to pass.

Good Night to All and May God Bless!

Love & Prayers,