Sunday Mornings

And we rejoice in hope of the glory of God because through Christ, we have also obtained access by faith into His grace (Rom 5:2) Quick Recap: We began our study on biblical hope this month by identifying hope as a reservoir of strength to keep going rather than give up, This is usually a result of meditating on and esteeming God's faithfulness in past times and experiences as an assurance that He is consistent to His character and nature. Biblical hope transcends beyond material and physical realities. Our hope is not primarily for our well-being, but a strength to pull through even when our present life is at stake; because God is good and our hope is focused on eternity with Him. Next, we saw how hope helped Salome, who was caught in adultery, to live a life worthy of her salvation. This is a testament to the fact that there is no hopeless situation from God's point of view. In other words, there is no circumstance that you can find yourself in that should make you feel that

My dearest, I am glad that by the time you receive this letter, the assurance of my love would have been beyond any doubt in your mind. By this time, I am sure that what we share has reached a point where it cannot be broken carelessly or destroyed. Trust would have become the focus of who we are and who we wish to be. Love; our love forgives all things and is not boastful. Neither does it get angry or jealous. God is Love and God is the author of our Love. We have God between us. And it is for this reason that I feel heavily impressed upon me to write to you. You must know that between you and me, there must be forgiveness. If I love you, I must forgive you. Now from the depths of my heart, I desire to love you as Christ loves the Church and if I did so then before I know you or what you've done, I promise under God that I forgive it all because I really do love you. I must confess that your letter was a difficult read. I am writing to you, in response to your letter to share in t

Dearest mine, Just the thought of calling you mine roars my entire being to life! God's perfect gift to me. Yes, I'm smiling right into my notepad, the kind of smile that is so fulfilling. I am truly happy that in the end, I didn't miss you who is my right because indeed there were so many wrongs. You are proof of God's faithfulness, and if I certainly ever get to call you mine, then my joy will be complete indeed. I write to you with joy but then with deep sorrow, sorrow enough to cause trembling and I wonder if could truly follow through to the end with this letter. One would wonder how joy and sorrow could share the same space; well with time as we journey through this letter, all will unfold. As I said earlier, before you, came many wrongs, men so wrong they left me scarred. I write this letter not as the wholesome woman you might have dreamt of, not as a lady who guarded her purity with her life, not as one who never awoke love from its slumber. I have been d

  Blessed be the God and father of our LORD Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (I Pet 1:3) Hope! Imagine a life with no hope. Sounds like vanity right? Hope gives us something to live for; it adds meaning to life. Hope is a general feeling that a desire will be fulfilled. But I am sure we have lived long enough to have had several hopes dashed. So, is hope dependable? and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Rom 5:5) Wow; a hope that does not disappoint? Is that a fairy tale? When the bible talks about hope, it is beyond mere wishes. Hope in scriptural context is founded upon God (what He has done, what He can do and what He will do). In reading sacred scriptures, we look backwards (at God's faithful consistency) in order to look forward (hope). By God's grace, through t