Below is another devotional from Dr. Stanley. I am just so happy to receive these messages and share these messages on Hope. Hope is what we hang on to when we feel like sometimes we are barely hanging on by a thread or the demands of life and the experiences and trials that life brings, weigh us down, leaving us feeling like we have no Hope. And this is always how its going to be. Without Hope, in my opinion, life would be pretty hard to cope with and in some cases I would imagine it could become pretty miserable and almost unbearable for some, knowing what some of us go through in our lives. I thank God that He has given me and all believers, an unfailing and eternal Hope in Him. It is a Hope that will never fail any of us who put our faith and trust in Him. Our reason for Hope in Him is because of His love. His Love is what gives us hope and what proves to us that He exists and that LOVE exists. Without His love, we would not exist. God is LOVE and therefore we were created from His love and we love because of His love. And, therein lies our hope. Where there is LOVE, there is always HOPE.
1 John 4:16~ "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him."
1 John 4:19 ~ "We love because he first loved us."
~ by cj patterson
note: image found on photobucket
May 29, 2009
God's Love: Our Reason for Hope
1 John 4:7-10
Without a sense of purpose, there is no hope. But the Lord created each person for a reason: to love God and be loved by Him. He pursues us and does everything in His infinite power to reveal Himself. The Lord wants each person to understand who He is and respond in worship and devotion.
God's love is personal. Christianity stands out among world religions because our God desires a personal relationship with every man, woman, and child. His care and concern aren't limited to just one population group; He loves every individual specifically and desires regular, intimate conversation with each one.
God's love is unconditional. It's who He is (1 John 4:8) rather than simply something He does. Nothing about your character or behavior can make Him love you less or more. Nor are His care and concern limited, because He is infinite and eternal.
God's love is available to everyone. It is inexhaustible and reaches across every boundary that man can set up against Him. The Lord does not have favorites, but He does have intimates. These are His followers who are willing to spend time with Him, talking and listening, walking in obedience, and desiring to know and love Him with their whole heart. His wants all of us to choose this kind of relationship with Him.
The Father doesn't just say He loves you; He proved it by giving His Son as a sacrifice for your sins. Those who haven't trusted in the Savior can go through life oblivious to the divine blessing of His unconditional care and concern. What a waste it would be to live as though unloved when God's infinite, eternal love is offered to you.
For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org
and
click here to listen to Dr. Stanley at OnePlace.com.
FEATURED RESOURCE