Concerning the Crucial Matter of Hope

I have the habit of using the word 'hopefully', quite often!Without dissecting hope fully! But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of our hope of salvation. Flowers bring such a glorious splash of cheer and beautyto life but are powerless in matters of hope! Sometimes I write a poem like today's poemto remind myself of what can be easy to forget, seduced by the seen rather than secured by the Unseen Our small group through our church, was discussing the topic of surrender last night,reminding me, without full surrender to Christ,through the new birth, by His mercy, into living hope,hope is dead! Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,:3 My family thinks I listen to this song more than anyone else in the worldIf so, there is a good reason for this.I am forgetful! Hope is no helium balloonOn which we fix our eyesNo fling of flowers to festoonThe portent of its prizeNo wild rush of adrenalineNo showy evidenceHope is the heart’s cry anchored inUnfailing Providence Hope is no quick and easy fixNo genie in a flaskWielding a big bag full of tricksFor anything we askHope is a hand we cannot seeTo hold us in the galeThe crux of immortalityThrough love that will not fail Hope is a hallelujah hymnDefeating dread and doubtA Beacon, no matter how dimThat nothing can put outHope is a banner billowingIn the thick of the fightIt is the staff to which we clingUntil faith becomes sight It is a whisper none can hearSave in God’s faithful wordIt is the archrival of fearEndurance undeterredHope is salvation’s CertaintyThe faith that makes us wholeHope is the cross of CalvaryThe anchor of the Soul Hope is not found in lucky charmsLike rabbit’s feet and suchHope is God’s everlasting armsWe feel but cannot touchHope is intangible yet sureThrough what the cross has won Faith's unseen foothold kept secureIn Jesus Christ, God's Son © Janet Martin Heb.6:13-20 God’s Unchangeable Promise When God made His promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and multiply your descendants.” And so Abraham, after waiting patiently, obtained the promise. Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and their oath serves as a confirmation to end all argument. So when God wanted to make the unchanging nature of His purpose very clear to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath. Thus by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be strongly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. where Jesus our forerunner has entered on our behalf. Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ...