Do Not Depart

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And He Shall Be Called Series Intro

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What child is this? As we pack up our Christmas decorations and turn our eyes to what the new year brings, it’s worth remembering that the baby in the manger did not stay a baby. He grew in wisdom and stature to be a teacher and shepherd who brought the kingdom of heaven to earth, fulfilling the Law and Prophets. A suffering servant who humbly and innocently took on the sin of the world in order to make a way for us to live in a restored relationship with God. A king who defeated death and bought our freedom. 

In December we celebrate the birth of the Messiah, the one they named Jesus, “for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21)

Let’s start the year reflecting on the name that is above all names, Jesus, who is the same, yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11

Unwrapping Christmas: Series Recap

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Throughout December, inspired by the unwrapping of Christmas gifts on Christmas morning, our contributors unwrapped gifts we have from being united with Christ. Yes, we have spiritual gifts, but in this series, we focused on the numerous “spiritual blessings” Paul writes about in Ephesians.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places….  —Ephesians 1:3

If you missed one or all our posts in December, this post provides access to all our #UnwrappingChristmas posts. Let the unwrapping commence!

Hope

Ali unwraps the gift of hope in her post, The Gift of Hope. She leads us through a thorough look at what hope is and isn’t, focusing us on the object and result of our hope in God. Challenging us to see the depth of hope she writes, “…a true, biblical hope keeps in mind that God knows best. Even when God chooses differently than what we’d like …. A hopeful heart is a submissive heart.”

Strength

Jaime shares about the gift of strength in her post, The Gift of Strength. Recounting her own struggle to balance the joy of Christmas and the busyness the season brings; she unwraps the beauty of the strength we have in the Lord. These words of Jaime’s came at just the right time for me, “It is not the ability to do everything perfectly on our own, but an invitation to rest in His power, which shines through our weakness like the lights on a Christmas tree.”

Redemption

Sabrina unpacks of the gift of redemption in her post, The Gift of Redemption. She explains, redemption is “The one that makes all of the other gifts make sense…. Because you can’t be perfect, you can’t be enough, you can’t earn all of the other gifts God wants to give you, you must first accept this one.” From there she reminds us that God’s provision of redemption is necessary, costly, and free.

Jesus Holds ALL Things Together

Long inspired by Colossians 1:17, I unwrap the gift that Jesus holds ALL things together for those who trust Him, in a post titled Unwrapping Christmas: Jesus Holds ALL Things Together. Peeling back the wrapping, I explore how redemption, restoration, and sanctification provide context for understanding how Christ holds all things together. In conclusion I shared what the gift of Colossians 1:17 means for Believers.

  1. The gift of Christ’s presence with us always, no matter the circumstances.
  2. Jesus gifts us with His acquaintance with ALL our sorrows and difficulties.
  3. The gift is resourceful. He uses everything in our lives to point us and others to Him.
  4. This gift guarantees GOD’s desired outcome.

Adoption

From her adoptive parent lens, Kristee unwraps the gift of our adoption in God’s family in the post, Forever. Exploring the historical and spiritual meaning of adoption, she explains, “Paul wanted his readers to understand the completely new position they were in as God’s children, no longer linked to their former ways of life. The debt of their sin was gone. They had new responsibilities as children of the King and were ‘co-heirs with Christ.’ Romans 8:17.” She goes on to remind us that our adoption is FOREVER. Thanks be to God!

Peace

Lastly, Jennifer shares the gift of God’s peace in her post, The Gift of Peace. She walks us through a personal experience in unwrapping the meaning of “peace that passes understanding.” She reminds us that perfect peace is nestled in God’s goodness, faithfulness, and love. She concludes, “the gift of peace is a deeply abiding peace – peace with God, peace within myself, and peace with others – that can be experienced even in the context of external turmoil.”

Unwrap Jesus’ Gifts Everyday

Although Christmas comes one time a year, these gifts of Jesus that we have shared with you are available everyday without fail. We pray you will unwrap them with the dawning of each new day. May these gifts encourage and strengthen you as we welcome 2022.

May the gifts we have in Christ encourage and strengthen you as we welcome 2022.

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Did you learn something or think a new thought because of something you read in this series? If so, please leave a comment below. We love to hear from you.

The Gift of Peace

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In this month’s series “Unwrapping Christmas: Gifts from Jesus” we are looking at spiritual blessings that are ours through Jesus. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” Today, we’ll look at the gift of peace that surpasses understanding.

Gift of peace

My Bible, crayons, markers, and construction paper were spread out in front of me. It was quickly approaching midnight on a Saturday night when I took a deep breath, sighed, stretched, and then chuckled out loud at the sudden recognition of how very tense I had become. Oh, the irony!

I’d reached a moment of “why do I feel too tense to breathe?” anxiety while preparing the children’s Sunday School lesson on the topic of peace. Surely God laughed with me.

After eighteen years at our home church, God has gently led our family to join a local church right in our neighborhood. It has been beautiful getting to know our neighbors more deeply as we walk in faith and fellowship together, but the decision to make that transition was far from easy.

Peace Like a River

That particular Saturday night in May, still in the unsettled thick of the church decision, I was preparing to teach my first Sunday School lesson at our neighborhood church. While I wrote, colored, and cut my presentation materials, my heart was racing with the anxiety of uncertainty.

And then I looked down at the poster I’d prepared for that week’s Fruit of the Spirit lesson. In front of me was a blue river labeled PEACE, bordered by flourishing trees and flowers. “Upstream,” on the left, the river was fed by large drops of water on which was written:

God is good.
God is faithful.
and
God loves me.

Here I was, preparing to tell children about how God’s peace flows into us and through us, and how that river of peace begins with knowing God. And my eyes were so fixed on the unknown future before me, rather than the character of God, that my own river was running pretty dry.

God is Good

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for his steadfast love extends forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34)

“Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things” (Psalm 107:8-9)

The Bible tells us again and again that God is good!

God is Faithful

“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Taken together, the knowledge that God is entirely, through-and-through good and that He is faithful, steadfast, and sovereign means that there is nowhere safer than by His side. We can rest in the knowledge that He is bringing about His good will.

God Loves Me

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6)

I, as God’s beloved, am a recipient of His forever lovingkindness.

My peace is not dependent upon favorable circumstances around me. Nor does peace require that I understand how it is all going to be okay. Instead, the gift of peace is a deeply abiding peace – peace with God, peace within myself, and peace with others – that can be experienced even in the context of external turmoil.

That Saturday night, I stopped my busy hands and quieted my worried heart. I sat on the living room floor in the stillness of the night  and let my heart soak in these reassuring truths, one at a time:

God is good.
God is faithful.
God loves me, and He loves my children.

And then, the threat of making the wrong decisions for our family began to melt away. In its place grew a more confident assurance that God could be trusted to actively guide my husband and I as we prayed and listened.

Depths of Peace

There are far more truths about the character of God that feed our river of peace than the three I highlighted for my Sunday School lesson.  I could have similarly written on the water droplets flowing into the river of peace “Jesus is victorious” (John 16:33) and “I am forgiven” (1 John 1:9) among others.

As we unwrap these Christmas gifts, freely given to us through Jesus, let your heart eagerly receive the peace He offers.

God is good.
God is faithful.
And He loves you.

Forever

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My daughter’s favorite word

Forever.

It’s my daughter’s favorite word.

We adopted her from foster care when she was six years old. During her years in foster care, she had moved around a lot, in and out of many homes, and had adults make promises to her but not keep them. Once, after a nightmare, I comforted her by telling her the story of how she joined our family. I said, “And now you’re here forever! Do you know what forever means?”

She said, sleepily, “Forever means staying.”

She was absolutely right. She would never have to leave, feeling rejected and alone, and go to a new family again. When we signed her adoption papers we promised to be her parents forever and to fully entitle her to what is deserved as our child.

Our adoption through Christ

“In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 1:5

As Christians, we have been adopted into God’s family as his children. And the promises God makes as our adoptive father are even more sure than the ones my husband and I made to our daughter. God cannot go back on his word. “My mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked.” Isaiah 45:23

There was no concept for adoption in the ancient Jewish culture. When a man died, his brother became the head of the household and life went on. No one was left destitute or in need of a family. So when Paul writes about adoption, he’s referring to the Roman custom. Roman parents actually had the option to disown their biological child for a number of reasons. The biological/parent child relationship of the Romans wasn’t always permanent or desired by the parent.

But for an adopted Roman child, the relationship was permanent. An adopted child could not be disowned, because the parents had freely chosen and desired that child. And more, the past of the adopted child was erased, their debts canceled, their former responsibilities gone. The child had a new identity, new rights and responsibilities. The adopted child also shared in all the father’s possessions.

Paul wanted his readers to understand the completely new position they were in as God’s children, no longer linked to their former ways of life. The debt of their sin was gone. They had new responsibilities as children of the King and were “co-heirs with Christ.” Romans 8:17.

Paul wanted his readers to understand the completely new position they were in as God’s children, no longer linked to their former ways of life. #UnwrappingChristmas

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The benefits apply to us

These are the same gifts we unwrap through our adoption into God’s family. We get the gift of a clean slate–our pasts are gone and we are new creations. We are given new responsibilities and roles. And the best part is, there is no need to exchange these gifts. They will never break or get lost or need updating.

What a blessing to be adopted into His family!

Forever.

Unwrapping Christmas: Jesus Holds All Things Together

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Thank you for joining us this month as we unwrap gifts Jesus gives us because we are in relationship with Him. Yes, there are spiritual gifts, but this month we are talking about some of the innumerable spiritual blessings that are ours in Him.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places….  —Ephesians 1:3

Today, I want to focus on a gift found in Colossians 1:17: “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Jesus holds ALL things together! Profound, I am still uncovering the depth of this truth. “ALL” and “things” are big and vague words. If we venture a little further, the text sheds light on these words. Verses 19 and 20 say, “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” I love the way The Message sheds light on these verses:

…all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.   —Colossians 1:19-20 (MSG)

No matter our circumstances— good, bad, and/or ugly, if we are “in Christ” we can count on Him to hold us together. But what does that really mean, and how does He do it? So far, I have thought of three ways he holds everything together: redemption, restoration, and sanctification.

Redemption

When we trust Jesus as our Savior and Lord, he redeems us. He paid the penalty for our sin, freeing us from a life enslaved to sin and destined for eternal death. Titus 2:14 says Jesus “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” He buys us back to make us His people. He can hold together those who submit to Him.

Restoration

Once we’re saved the Holy Spirit goes to work to restore the beliefs, values, relationships, and actions marred by sin. First, our relationship with God is restored, and then other areas of brokenness receive the loving care of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 1 Peter 5:10 says, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” Our restoration is personal and is attended to by the author of salvation Himself. Jesus holds together those He has restored.

Sanctification

Never ceasing, the Holy Spirit continues to refine us into Christ likeness until we see Jesus face to face. Sanctification is the process purification. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:23, clearly sanctification is a process that will one day be complete: “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Furthering our understanding of this work of the Holy Spirit, Philippians 1:6 encourages us with this: “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Sanctification is the work of God. Our job is to yield to Him so He can work. Jesus holds together those He is sanctifying,

This truth is a gift— Jesus holds ALL things together.

What this Gift Is Not
  1. It isn’t magic. I can’t repeat it as a mantra and expect a miracle.
  2. This gift isn’t a fairytale. Jesus is at work in the lives of those who love Him. It is real life.
  3. It doesn’t guarantee OUR desired outcomes.
What this Gift Is
  1. The gift of Christ’s presence with us always, no matter the circumstances.
  2. Jesus gifts us with His acquaintance with ALL our sorrows and difficulties.
  3. The gift is resourceful. He uses everything in our lives to point us and others to Him.
  4. This gift guarantees GOD’s desired outcome.

Unwrap Your Gifts From Jesus

Anticipating Christmas, it is my prayer that you will unwrap the gifts Christ gives you, explore them, and live them. May you experience Jesus holding ALL things together in your life.

No matter our circumstances— good, bad, and/or ugly, if we are “in Christ” we can count on Him to hold us together. #UnwrappingChristmas

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The Gift of Redemption

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The hardest thing about the Christmas season, to me, is December 26th—the day after Christmas. Partly, this is because I have young children and post-holiday meltdowns are a real thing; however, as an adult, I also struggle with a somewhat negative rush of feelings. After days and weeks of buildup, it’s suddenly all over, and all we have to look forward to are New Year’s Eve (which, if you have young children, isn’t the most thrilling evening on the calendar) and a drop in temperature.

It reminds me of the times our youth group would travel up to senior high camp at our local church camp. The van ride there was just the beginning of a week of bonding, learning, growing, and making memories and inside jokes. But the ride back was a bittersweet time, the magic of the unique togetherness we had breaking apart as we all contemplated going back to our respective homes, schools, and activities.

When we experience highs in life, whether they are spiritual or emotional, we often want the feeling of that moment to go on and on. But seeking those highs or letting them sustain us apart from God only leaves us empty and searching for the next mountaintop moment.

 

Our Hearts Seek the True Gift

 

On Tuesday, Jaime asked us to imagine opening a present to find we had been given the gift of strength. If you were to walk into a room elegantly but humbly decorated with a sense of the sacred, you might see a tree with gifts crowded underneath until the trunk is no longer visible. Upon further inspection, you see that all the gift tags are quite similar. 

 

 

All are signed “Heavenly Father,” “Emmanuel,” “Lamb of God,” “Comforter,” … “Redeemer.” But they are all addressed to “Believers of every tribe, tongue, and nation.” When you lean in even closer, the light seems to shift, and every tag has your name on it. Some might have your first name or your middle name, others have the name your dad called you when you asked to ride on his shoulders or the nickname your best friend gave you in high school.

As you carefully tear the paper on each package, you realize that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights… (James 1:17a). Gifts like hope and strength. Yes, the Father gives good things (Matthew 7:11), and He even uses the evil of others for good (Genesis 50:20) because He is working all things to make His children more like Christ (Romans 8:29). 

“But, wait!” you cry. “I don’t deserve all of this!”

Exactly.

And that’s when you open the final gift. The one that makes all of the other gifts make sense. Redemption. Because you can’t be perfect, you can’t be enough, you can’t earn all of the other gifts God wants to give you, you must first accept this one.

 

Redemption is Necessary

 

Left to our own devices, not just the day after Christmas but our whole lives are empty and devoid of meaning: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors,” (1 Peter 1:18, NIV). Since the fall in the garden, all of Adam’s descendants have inherited a sinful nature, complete with futile thinking and darkened hearts (Romans 1:21).

Not only are we broken inside, but we can’t simply will ourselves to God or godliness. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) This falling short is like the image of an archer drawing back his bow and taking aim; yet, the arrow not only misses the mark but doesn’t even come close to the intended target. The Bible is God’s story, inspired by the Holy Spirit, handed down through the ages to reveal His perfect character, purposes, and plan. But there is also a substory of the generations of man who thought, in their own wisdom and self-righteousness, they could work, will, or wish themselves to acceptance, whether from God, their peers, or themselves.

And each and every generation has, without fail experienced failure, sin, and death.

With the exception of one Man.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” —Romans 3:23-24

 

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. —1 Peter 1:18‭-‬19, NIV

 

Because Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life; because He was and is not merely a good teacher or example but Son of God and Son of Man; because he was tempted in the same ways we are—experiencing hunger, thirst, mockery, and betrayal—and withstood the tests (Hebrews 4:15), He alone can be our Redeemer. He alone can “give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He alone can stand in our place, taking our judgment, shame, and punishment, replacing it with righteousness, freedom, and eternal life.

 

Redemption is Costly

 

“No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—that they should live on forever and not see decay.” (Psalms 49:7-9)

 

Recently, my middle child was talking to a friend who was telling him all about a virtual reality headset he had received as a gift. My son asked, “If you were to combine what you spend on my birthday presents and my Christmas presents, would I be able to get one of those?” Laughing, I replied, “Honey, that would take you six years’ worth of birthdays and Christmases!”

This particular child would have to wait almost his whole lifetime over again to be able to earn this kind of extravagant gift; yet, God’s Word tells us that we could give every breath we might ever take on this earth, and it still wouldn’t be enough to ransom the life of another. Life is precious to God. We are the imageo Deo, the image of God; thus, unlike any of His other creatures, He requires “a reckoning”—a settlement of our account with him, which can only be satisfied one way:

“And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” —Genesis 9:5-6

 

It’s a gruesome and beautiful truth: my life is so precious to God that only the lifeblood of another can atone for it. In the New Testament, we see Jesus fulfilling the roles of all the Old Testament sacrifices meant to atone for the sins of the individual and of Israel.

 

“For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.” —Hebrews 2:17, NIV

 

In Hebrews 9, Christ is revealed to be our High Priest but also our perfect sacrifice. What He accomplished on the cross was:

  • once for all, never needing to be repeated, never running out.
  • by means of His own blood.
  • securing our eternal redemption.
  • purifying our consciences from dead works so we can serve the living God.
  • granting us an eternal inheritance.
  • redeeming us from our transgressions, forgiving our sins.

 

“…But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” —Hebrews 9:26b

 

Redemption is Free

 

Christmas can be full of so many expectations from us that we wonder how we can meet them all and still be Christlike. But Jesus says: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Cease striving, dear brother or sister. Rest in the knowledge of the truth that He has done what was necessary to give you a gift that can never be taken from you. If you have trusted His work on the cross to save you from your sins and that “empty way of life,” then you are redeemed, and you are His.

The Gift of Strength

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Last week I took my family to see Encanto at the movie theatre. Even with a toddler crawling on and off my lap throughout, the story and songs managed to wedge themselves into my brain, sneaking in and taking root around the carols and Christmas to-do lists that typically occupy space this time of year. I was particularly drawn to Luisa, the super-strong older sister whose song, Surface Pressure, could be an anthem for modern women everywhere, especially at Christmas time.  Here are just a few of the lyrics that resonated with me.


I don’t ask how hard the work is
Got a rough, indestructible surface
Diamonds and platinum, I find ’em, I flatten ’em
I take what I’m handed, I break what’s demanded, but
Under the surface
I feel berserk as a tightrope walker in a three-ring circus…
Under the surface
I’m pretty sure I’m worthless if I can’t be of service

A flaw or a crack
The straw in the stack
That breaks the camel’s back
What breaks the camel’s back?

It’s pressure like a drip, drip, drip, that’ll never stop, whoa
Pressure that’ll tip, tip, tip ’til you just go pop, whoa-uh-uh
Give it to your sister, your sister’s older
Give her all the heavy things we can’t shoulder
Who am I if I can’t run with the ball?

Although I love the Christmas season, I wrestle every year with feelings of inadequacy. It’s enough of a struggle to keep my family fed, clean, and healthy on a regular basis, without the additional expectations of holiday traditions and to-do lists. I simply cannot do it all.

Thankfully, I don’t have to.

Is 40:29-31 “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.

 

What Is the Gift of Strength?

Can you imagine unwrapping a gift of strength from the Lord? In one picture I see a beautiful gift box, simple and unassuming. Nestled inside on a bed of tissue paper is a can the size of a soda, labeled “Strength” in bold letters. I pop the tab and down the beverage (which tastes like peppermint!) in one gulp. My biceps bulge triumphantly as I am filled with the physical prowess to accomplish everything on my to-do list from addressing the last of the Christmas cards to completing the shopping without losing my cool with the crowds or the kids or the time crunch.

In another imagining, I see a tightrope walker, strong and graceful, a single bead of sweat threatening to spill from her forehead as she takes another precarious step towards the center of the rope. She is weary, but being halfway across, she can’t very well turn back. She must keep moving forward. For her, the gift of strength comes as a butterfly. It flutters past her, an image of hope that encourages her to take that next step.

Strength can look like many different things – endurance, power, agility, maturity. Our heart, soul, mind, and body have the capacity to do so much, to think and feel and enact change in the world we are a part of yet in the face of our ambitions we nearly always find ourselves weak.

 

The Strength of the Lord

The strength of the Lord is not a magical, peppermint-flavored beverage designed to supernaturally speed me through minor tensions with ease.  What God gives is a firm foundation, sustaining us through every moment of life. It is not the ability to do everything perfectly on our own, but an invitation to rest in His power, which shines through our weakness like the lights on a Christmas tree. As we open our hands to let go of the striving to do and be more than we are, His strength fills our emptiness with abundantly more than we were lacking to begin with.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Another song came to mind as I was working through this post and pondering this gift of strength. “You are my strength when I am weak. You are the treasure that I seek. You are my all in all.” You are My All in All – Bing video

 

May you rest in the strength of the Lord this Christmas season!

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The Gift of Hope

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(This post about the Gift of Hope is the second in our new series on Unwrapping Christmas: Gifts From Jesus.)

Hope. It’s a word we often see at Christmastime on decorations, ornaments, and in Christmas cards. We hear it in Christmas songs and hymns. And this Christmas– almost two years into this new life with Covid— it stands out as a special, treasured, and even coveted promise of God.

We hope. And we long for hope.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places….  (Ephesians 1:3)

Like this verse mentions, and Cheli said in the introduction to this series, Jesus has given us innumerable blessings. One of those blessings is hope.

Let’s unwrap that.

What Is Hope?

Years ago, I did a study on the English word hope. I found that some researchers say, etymologically speaking, that the word is closely tied to the word “hop.”  The idea is that hope makes one lean forward expectantly, moving forward with a leap of certain belief, toward something positive and wonderful. Hope. Hop. As a visual person who loves words, this image made total sense to me. I never saw the word hope the same way!

Look closely at the idea of what hope entails:

  • It is expectant
  • It moves forward
  • It takes leaps (a mark of trust)
  • With certainty
  • With belief (both from the head and the heart)
  • Toward something positive and wonderful (God)

Easton’s Bible Dictionary expounds on hope, saying: “Hope is an essential and fundamental element of Christian life, so essential indeed, that, like faith and love, it can itself designate the essence of Christianity.” 

“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)

I love the words above from Easton. He refers to the three Christian virtues mentioned in the verse from 1 Corinthians – faith, hope, and love. These three are so fundamental to Christianity, that if you stripped them away what’s left would be unrecognizable. After all, what on earth would our religion (our relationship with Christ) look like if we didn’t have hope? Hope is tied so closely to faith, I might propose that if you loosened the knot of hope, the string of faith would unravel.

Have you seen someone lose all hope? And then lose their faith? (Of course, one could argue that they might not have had true saving faith in the first place, but that is another discussion.)

Hope is crucial to a forward movement. Without it, we would spiritually stall and wither.

There’s something beautiful about hope; like faith and love, hope can grow. As we use it, practice it, rely on God through it, it strengthens and develops. (Because He works that growth in us!)

How Is Hope “Spiritual?”

Though it isn’t listed as a “spiritual gift,” hope is indeed a gift that is given to us by God. We were “saved in hope:”

23 Not only this, but we ourselves also, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves while we await eagerly our adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we await it eagerly with patient endurance. (Romans 8:23-25)

And God Himself is the God of hope:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

We have the power to hope when there seems to be no hope. Through this miraculous gift of hope, God gives us comfort. Hope is founded on truth and gives us confidence – because it affirms what we know in our heads and enables us to feel that knowledge in our hearts.

When I was in labor with my youngest child, I was told to walk for one hour. And so I did. My contractions became increasingly powerful but the hour wasn’t up, so I kept walking. When labor grew so intense that I could barely continue, I forced myself to think “One foot in front of the other… one foot in front of the other…” And somehow, I kept moving.

This experience reminds me a bit of the way hope works. When life is at its hardest, hope propels us forward in faith as we remind ourselves that God is safe to hope in. Then, He helps us to put one foot in front of the other and keep going.

 3 And not only this, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces patient endurance, 4 and patient endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:3–5)

What Hope Isn’t

Biblical hope isn’t merely a wish. We definitely can misuse the word. As in, “Mommy, I hope I get a pony for Christmas!” But that is the expression of a wish, and that isn’t what hope is.  Instead, hope is planted in what’s real and true. (A’hem… Jesus.)

Hope also isn’t a simplistic, unrealistic frivolity that doesn’t take things seriously. No, hope can see exactly how bad the finances are, how serious the health issue, how dangerous the condition, how daunting the task, how impossible the circumstances… and yet still believe and trust in the God who can handle it all.

Hope doesn’t put faith in the things of this world. Hope knows that what’s most important is the unseen God who is working for His glory and our eternal good. Hope looks far forward, past the diagnosis, through the crisis, over the mess, and beyond the fear.

Hope doesn’t go it alone. If all this hope sounds too good to be true, it’s because it is… almost. We can only have hope because of Christ. And as Believers, we have Christ’s Holy Spirit in our hearts. That means He’s with us. We aren’t alone– and He can enable us to hope when hope seems impossible! (See? That hope really is too good, but it’s true.)


Who is the Object of our Hope? 

I’ve hinted at this throughout, but true hope isn’t necessarily something we can have apart from God.

As Christians, we place our hope for salvation in Jesus Christ alone. (Remember, we hope confidently, being completely assured of our salvation– as I’ve explained above, this is more than a wish or an uncertainty!)

Yes, we hope in our mighty and loving God for our deliverance, future, provision, and care. 

“For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?” (Romans 8:24)

What’s the Result of Hope?

Hope increases and sustains our faith. As we are sustained in our faith through hope, we continue to look for God’s activity. As we look, we find. And when we see Him working in our lives (or in the lives of those we love and pray for), our faith is strengthened. That makes us hope more! It becomes a cycle with a snowball effect— round and round, growing and growing.

Seeing God at work makes us confident we will see Him work again. We see evidence that He is trustworthy which increases our hope of His work in the future. This matures our faith.

Hope Trusts, Regardless

But what about when we hope for something that doesn’t happen? Or when the prayers don’t get answered in the way we want? What about when we hope for a healing, provision, job, reconciliation, or what have you, and it just doesn’t come?

Hope trusts God, regardless. And that’s when things get hard. Or actually, maybe a better way to look at it would be this: that’s when it gets simple. (Admittedly that doesn’t mean it’s easy.)

Sometimes it’s hard to hope in God– when things don’t go like we planned, or like we wanted. But the simple thing to do is to trust God anyway. Hope is realistic, remember? That means that a true, biblical hope keeps in mind that God knows best. Even when God chooses differently than what we’d like. (If you struggle with this, read Job chapters 39-42. It’ll help your perspective.)

In other words? A hopeful heart is a submissive heart.

Yahweh takes pleasure in those who fear him, the ones who hope for his loyal love. (Psalm 147:11)

Reflecting on Hope

As you reflect on this year, or even the past couple of years, what would you say God has taught you about hope?  Has He given you special opportunities to practice it?  To rely on Him through it? Thank Him for that.

As we spend the rest of the month focusing on Christmas, I challenge you to remember the fullness of the hope that came those two-thousand years ago. Each time you see a nativity, let it be a reminder to stop and praise God for His innumerable blessings! Praise God for sending His Son, Jesus— the gift of hope to the world!

Merry Christmas,

Ali

Unwrapping Christmas: Gifts from Jesus

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Have you missed us? Like many of you, a worldwide pandemic has changed the lives of our contributors to DoNotDepart.com. Good change, difficult change, getting adjusted to “the new normal” change have impacted each of us. As a result, we found it difficult to bring you regularly scheduled posts about God’s Word in the month of November.

With the onset of Advent we are invigorated to bring you posts that celebrate Christ and the gifts He gives. We look forward to spending each Tuesday and Thursday encouraging you with the gifts we have in Christ Jesus. Each post will be an unwrapping of sorts.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places….  Ephesians 1:3

Named Jesus because “he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21), our posts will search out the ennumerable blessings we have through Christ Jesus. We want to celebrate all of the gifts He gives.  

Join us throughout December. Leave comments at the end of each post to share with us the gifts you are unwrapping from Jesus this year.

Blessings,

Cheli

Join us as we celebrate all of the gifts Jesus gives. #UnwrappingChristmas

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Series Repost: Great is the Lord– Psalm 145

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We hope you’ll join us throughout the rest of November for a repost of the series, Great Is the Lord, where we’ll study Psalm 145, a psalm of praise, together.

I wish I could say that I love fall and winter. But, I really don’t. Truth be told, I kinda like fall, but I know it’s ushering in winter. And winter and I? Well, we have a struggle.

Normally I’m an optimistic thinker. But because I don’ t care for fall and winter, my optimism tends to fall short these days. So, my oldest daughter reminds me often try to look for the good things in these seasons I don’t like… and hold onto them.

There are a few things about fall that I do like. I love donning jeans and boots, kicking the fallen leaves, the nip in the air when the sun is still warm on my face, and snuggling up to read or crochet on a chilly evening. But Thanksgiving is what gives me the most joy! 

Yes, I love gathering together with my family, lingering over a good meal, laughing, talking, and playing games well into the evening. It’s a true joy and gift! 

But even more poignant than that is the time spent in gratitude, both with family and just quietly, between God and I. Usually, for days before and after the holiday, I’m in a “thankfulness mode”— thanking God deeply for all that He’s given. Intentionally looking back over the year and counting blessings has a way of highlighting how very awesome God is and just how indebted to Him I am. 

Gratitude puts everything in proper perspective!

Keep reading this post by clicking the link below.

Great Is the Lord – Psalm 145

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