Hello everyone, Marie-Marthe Rousseau here and I am super excited to bring you guys the devotional for this week! I hope all of you had a fantastic week thus far and I pray that this devotional encourages many of you as you continue to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Devotional:
Where is your hope or where does your hope lie? Is it in this world? In the things of this world? Does the promise of success allure you? Do the pleasures of this world lead you to store up treasures on this earth? Why is it that so many people who profess to be Christian find their hope in this world when the very core of our faith demands that we find our hope not in this life but in the next. C.S. Lewis writes...
“Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.”
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.-Colossians 3:1-4
In order to hope in the next life and truly live in light of eternity, it's beneficial to change our perspective on how we view trials and tribulations. In order to see this, let's look at Romans 5:2-5.
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have[a] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
We can rejoice in tribulations because we know that they conform us into the image of Christ. Tribulations produce perseverance in us which like fruits of the Spirit must be produced by being placed in situations that warrant that given action. For example, If I ask for patience, the Lord will allow things in my life that require my patience, and so on. The perseverance gives us the character of Christ which in turn gives us hope in the glory of God. (v.2) We must renew our minds in Christ when we face trials. We must look at the cross when we face trials because it is at the cross we see that YES! God does love us. Knowing that God loves us should tell us that God will save us from this hard life. Our hope is in His return, our hope is in the next life. We can rejoice in this hope knowing that it does not disappoint (v.5) It does not disappoint because the Holy Spirit has allowed us to see His love. The Holy Spirit has opened our eyes to see what Christ has done for us on the cross. He saved us! This assures His love, and assures us of a future glory and salvation from our sin and this wretched life. We can hope because of His love!
How do we arrive at this hope? We arrive at this hope by allowing tribulations to exercise our perseverance which can only be exercised by submitting to God's will in tribulations. Now submitting to God's will means that you do not fight against what the Lord is trying to bring about through the the trial (character) but surrender to it by striving to do what's most glorifying to the Lord in that circumstance and allowing the Holy Spirit to sustain you. That perseverance then produces character. Persevering through trials produces Christ-like character. Through trials, we become “approved”(James 1:12) or we further reach a place where we have the mindset of Christ. In having the mindset of Christ, we will focus on what Christ focused on which was the kingdom. Christ was all about Eternity and where mankind would spend it. He said repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. In other words, that character will produce in us hope...hope and expectancy of the Kingdom of heaven where these tribulations no longer exist. Tribulations should cause us to hope in the future glory in that Christ will deliver us from this life. Tribulations should cause us to yearn for the Kingdom of Heaven Tribulations should cause us to become detached from this world. Think of a baby who still feeds from her mother's breast. One day that baby has to be weened from the mother's breast and given a bottle or a cup. We must be weened from this world because we were not created for here. The harsh trials of this life should cause us to seek after heaven and ponder on it's mysteries and splendor. Hallelujah!!!
17For our light, momentary affliction (this slight distress of the passing hour) is ever more and more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory [beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and all calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to cease!],
18Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting.-2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (Amplified Bible)
If this world cannot soothe, because of the extreme adversity we will face in this life, there has to be hope for something greater. This hope is in Christ, who died for the sins of all mankind. Tribulations exist because of the sin that entered the world through Adam. All men fell under the curse of sin, and God utterly hates sin, therefore we deserve God's wrath. That wrath came in the form of physical and spiritual death. But now, through Christ we can have life in Eternity with God in paradise to all those who believe and place their faith in Him.
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.-Philippians 1:20
Memory Verse: 2 Corinthians 4:17-18-"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
Written by Tyrell Lee Samuels and Marie-Marthe Rousseau, given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit!
Devotional:
Where is your hope or where does your hope lie? Is it in this world? In the things of this world? Does the promise of success allure you? Do the pleasures of this world lead you to store up treasures on this earth? Why is it that so many people who profess to be Christian find their hope in this world when the very core of our faith demands that we find our hope not in this life but in the next. C.S. Lewis writes...
“Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.”
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.-Colossians 3:1-4
In order to hope in the next life and truly live in light of eternity, it's beneficial to change our perspective on how we view trials and tribulations. In order to see this, let's look at Romans 5:2-5.
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have[a] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
We can rejoice in tribulations because we know that they conform us into the image of Christ. Tribulations produce perseverance in us which like fruits of the Spirit must be produced by being placed in situations that warrant that given action. For example, If I ask for patience, the Lord will allow things in my life that require my patience, and so on. The perseverance gives us the character of Christ which in turn gives us hope in the glory of God. (v.2) We must renew our minds in Christ when we face trials. We must look at the cross when we face trials because it is at the cross we see that YES! God does love us. Knowing that God loves us should tell us that God will save us from this hard life. Our hope is in His return, our hope is in the next life. We can rejoice in this hope knowing that it does not disappoint (v.5) It does not disappoint because the Holy Spirit has allowed us to see His love. The Holy Spirit has opened our eyes to see what Christ has done for us on the cross. He saved us! This assures His love, and assures us of a future glory and salvation from our sin and this wretched life. We can hope because of His love!
How do we arrive at this hope? We arrive at this hope by allowing tribulations to exercise our perseverance which can only be exercised by submitting to God's will in tribulations. Now submitting to God's will means that you do not fight against what the Lord is trying to bring about through the the trial (character) but surrender to it by striving to do what's most glorifying to the Lord in that circumstance and allowing the Holy Spirit to sustain you. That perseverance then produces character. Persevering through trials produces Christ-like character. Through trials, we become “approved”(James 1:12) or we further reach a place where we have the mindset of Christ. In having the mindset of Christ, we will focus on what Christ focused on which was the kingdom. Christ was all about Eternity and where mankind would spend it. He said repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. In other words, that character will produce in us hope...hope and expectancy of the Kingdom of heaven where these tribulations no longer exist. Tribulations should cause us to hope in the future glory in that Christ will deliver us from this life. Tribulations should cause us to yearn for the Kingdom of Heaven Tribulations should cause us to become detached from this world. Think of a baby who still feeds from her mother's breast. One day that baby has to be weened from the mother's breast and given a bottle or a cup. We must be weened from this world because we were not created for here. The harsh trials of this life should cause us to seek after heaven and ponder on it's mysteries and splendor. Hallelujah!!!
17For our light, momentary affliction (this slight distress of the passing hour) is ever more and more abundantly preparing and producing and achieving for us an everlasting weight of glory [beyond all measure, excessively surpassing all comparisons and all calculations, a vast and transcendent glory and blessedness never to cease!],
18Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting.-2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (Amplified Bible)
If this world cannot soothe, because of the extreme adversity we will face in this life, there has to be hope for something greater. This hope is in Christ, who died for the sins of all mankind. Tribulations exist because of the sin that entered the world through Adam. All men fell under the curse of sin, and God utterly hates sin, therefore we deserve God's wrath. That wrath came in the form of physical and spiritual death. But now, through Christ we can have life in Eternity with God in paradise to all those who believe and place their faith in Him.
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.-Philippians 1:20
Memory Verse: 2 Corinthians 4:17-18-"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
Written by Tyrell Lee Samuels and Marie-Marthe Rousseau, given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit!
