For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and
gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall
arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come
to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. (Isaiah 60:2-3 KJV)
*A special time of year is upon us—the
season of Advent. On November 29, 2015,
we marked the first Sunday of Advent; this post takes a look at the first
candle. To read the first post in my
Advent series please see: Advent.
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| From http://thevillagechurch.net/mediafiles/uploaded/b/0e2647577_1384444032_blog-advent-2013.jpg |
The dictionary defines hope simply, as: “to want something to happen or be true and think that it
could happen or be true”.[1]
The biblical definition of hope differs from the secular
view of hope. Seen from the eyes of
faith, hope is: “…a confident expectation…regardless of temperament or
circumstances, where there is a belief in the living God who intervenes in
human life and who can be trusted to keep…promises…Hope is therefore
inseparable from faith…”[2]
This is the type of Hope we celebrate at Christmas. A Hope that is solid and lasting—it never
fails. The Hope I am referring to is
Jesus. Click here to Tweet.
Which type of hope do you experience in your daily life?
The people that walked in
darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of
death, upon them hath the light shined.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government
shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:2,
6 KJV)
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| From http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs110/1102474607187/img/227.jpg?a=1115779995146 |
On the first Sunday of Advent are reminded that Christ is our
Hope.
Jesus is our Hope; without Him, we are lost and destined for
an eternity that no one should desire. Click here to Tweet.
Why art thou cast down, O
my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet
praise him for the help of his countenance. (Psalm 42:5 KJV)
On the first Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of Hope
(or in some traditions it is the Prophet’s Candle). The Bible is full of prophecies about the
Messiah—giving details about both comings.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will
perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to
the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of
righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and
righteousness in the land.
In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall
dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.
(Jeremiah 33:14-16 KJV)
Hope came to our world—dark with sin—in the form of a tiny, vulnerable baby. This child grew and developed like a normal human child; yet He lived a sinless life. Eventually, He suffered, bled, died, and rose again to save us from our sins.
As Christians, we are indeed blessed with Hope—hope that the world does not have and does not understand. Click here to Tweet. To have hope, means that we can see more than what is right in front of us. This hope gives us great confidence—confidence that strengthens and encourages us. It is also something that the world cannot understand. This hope allows us to praise God in the darkest times of life. Click here to Tweet.
How have you experienced this type of hope? How have you seen this in the lives of others?
What will your response be this year to Jesus? He stands ready to come into your heart; He has already said yes to you. What is your response?
Take some time this week to consider the following
questions:
What does it mean to have hope?
Where does your hope lie—in Jesus or in something or someone
that cannot save?
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| From http://s7d9.scene7.com/is/image/LifeWayChristianResources/005588856?$Product$ |
Therefore, as we commence this season of Advent let us
prepare our hearts to welcome in Jesus our Savior and Lord! Jesus the One who is our Hope! Click here to Tweet.
Please do not forget your single
friends, family, neighbors, or those in your church who will be alone on
Christmas Day—consider inviting them to join with your family (no matter how
simple and informal the gathering is)—the blessings will flow both ways! Whatever you do, please do not tell them, “Oh, God is with you…” and then walk off,
ignoring their hurting heart and heart-felt desire to fellowship with others on
Christmas Day. Do not assume they want
to spend the day alone. Your family may
be the only family they will get to experience…EVER.
Please join with me in prayer:
Dear
Heavenly Father, thank You for the hope we have through Jesus Christ—our Lord
Immanuel—God with us. Help us to
remember that Hope; particularly as we wait in expectation for Christ’s
coming. Guide our thoughts when we
struggle to find Hope in the various challenges of life. We are encouraged through Your Hope; direct
us in sharing that Hope with others. In
Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
From
My Heart to Yours,
Kim
Wonderful post, as always, Kim!
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings!
Thank you Martha! I'm so thankful for Jesus and the HOPE that He is and brings.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Where would we be without that blessed HOPE that we have in Jesus? We would be hopeLESS. Praise God for giving us His Son...our HOPE for all eternity. Thank you for this very insightful and inspirational post for the first candle of Advent. I love your perspective on this. Blessings dear friend.
ReplyDeletePam, Thank you so much for stopping by and for your kind comments. Yes, life without Jesus is hopeless! I'm so very thankful for Jesus and all He did for us.
DeleteBlessings, dear friend.