Tag: hope

Romans 8:17 BSB, “And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

With everyone confined to their homes, there has of course been an increase in activity on social media. I guess people are looking for an outlet. Yesterday I was noticing that there is a challenge on Facebook called, “The 1st Born Challenge”. People are posting pictures of themselves with their first born child and posing the question, “Do we look alike?” Everyone is supposed to comment and say rather or not the person and their firstborn child look alike. I even saw a few people repeat the challenge with their second born child. While some of these facebookers did look like their children, some did not.

After viewing quite a few of these posts, the thought popped into my head, if we as Christians could place our hearts next to the heart of Jesus, “Would they look alike?” Would the love of Christ be evident in our hearts? Would others be able to tell we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ? Our earthly bodies can easily resemble our earthly parents on the outside, however our relationship with the Lord goes beyond the surface. Our lifestyles must show others that we are His children. People look at the outside, but God can see what is inside of our hearts.

Psalm 139:1, “O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.”

1 Samuel 16:7, “…People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

As Christians, may our hearts be a true reflection of the heart of Jesus in all we say and do. Even when we fall short, may we be so close to our Savior, that we respond to the convictions of the Holy Spirit, quickly repent and choose Jesus above all else.

We can ask ourselves these questions daily… “Does my heart look like the heart of Jesus?” “Is my lifestyle a reflection of who Jesus is and does it show my commitment to Him?”

1 Peter 5:8 NLT, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

Several years ago, I was living in an apartment where the landlord refused to do pest control. So I called a pest control company and had it done myself. I remember before the pest control technician left, he said that any bugs I saw from now on, would be dead and on their backs. It was true, every bug I saw after he exterminated was dead and on their backs.

I recently thought about this, and I realized it works the same way for us in our walk with Christ. If we are properly prepared when the enemy comes against us with his evil tricks, he will end up defeated, like those bugs. We must take responsibility to ensure spiritual readiness so that we can win the spiritual battles we face.

In Christ we are more than conquerors, however we must do our part by acknowledging Him in all of our ways. We must also put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand firm in our faith and be victorious against the enemy of our souls.

I remember back when I was in the army, one of the phrases they taught us was, “Stay alert, stay alive!” We must stay alert so we don’t fall prey to the sinfulness and deception that is all around us. Blessings to you as you continue on your journey of trusting in the Lord with all of your heart. Let’s continue to pray for and encourage one another in our walk with Jesus.

Romans 8:28 NLT, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

This is a great truth for us to remember as we continue to trust God during these very difficult times. God promises to work everything out for those who love Him, and are working to fulfill His purpose for their lives. Even when things are bad, God says He will bring good out of it.

There have been so many times I have gone through difficulties, but in the end I was in awe at how God brought blessings out of it. When we find ourselves in circumstances that seem hopeless, based on this verse in Romans, we can have full assurance that God will cause things to work out in our favor. As God’s children, none of our experiences, rather they are good or bad, are ever wasted. They are used for His purposes.

When we find ourselves standing face to face with bad, it can be hard to see the good. But God has a perfect plan. We can trust Him. His love for us will never fail, and His favor surrounds us like a shield…

Psalm 5:12 NLT, “Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”