I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
--Romans 6:19
When I consider the work that God does, I like to think about it in terms of Him being in the construction business. That’s because from the beginning of the Bible to the very end, God is always at work building something.
There’s His creative work in Genesis chapter 1, when He created the heavens and the earth. He then made man in His own image and created him after His own likeness. Then there was the building of the ark when Noah was led by God and given building plans for the formation of that ship that delivered them from of God’s judgment. And then later on there was the building of the tabernacle, and then the temple.
Then, when Jesus came to this earth, what was His profession? He was a carpenter! And He made things physically with His hands and, beyond that, said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
And you know something? God is building you, too. It’s called “sanctification” and He’s doing it in you every day as He makes you more and more like Him. So if you struggle with sin, don’t let it get you down. Just imagine a big orange sign over your head that says, “God at work”!
AS A CHRISTIAN, YOU SPEND YOUR ENTIRE LIFE AS GOD’S CONSTRUCTION PROJECT, BEING MADE MORE LIKE HIM. SO DON’T LET YOUR STRUGGLES GET YOU DOWN. YOU’RE A WORK IN PROGRESS!
Abounding Hope
Wednesday, January 08, 2020
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.”
Romans 15:12–14
After more than two decades of faithful ministry and service to God, Thomas Brooks faced a crisis. The Church of England in 1662 persuaded Parliament to pass a law called the Act of Uniformity. This required all preachers to give an oath to follow the Book of Common Prayer or lose their positions. More than 2,500 ministers, including Brooks, refused and were ousted in what came to be called the Great Ejection. Thomas Brooks said, “Hope can see Heaven through the thickest clouds.”
While all of us would prefer to experience calm and peace, the reality is that being faithful to God may place us in difficult situations and cost us a great deal. Many through the years have had friends turn against them because of a stand for the truth. But even if taking a stand costs us everything we have in earthly terms, we are not left alone and hopeless.
God is the God of hope, and He can and does work through any circumstances to accomplish His purposes. If we look to ourselves for strength, we will surely be discouraged and disappointed. But when we look to the God of hope and walk in His Holy Spirit, nothing can take that hope away. God’s plan for our lives is not merely a little hope, but a hope that abounds and overcomes fear and doubt so that we will be faithful to Him in every situation.
Today's Growth Principle:
As long as God lives, and He lives forever, we are never abandoned or hopeless—no matter what happens.
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