Hope

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Psalm 30:5

Hope. It's a great thing to have. It's what gets us through the day. It's what gives us motivation and keeps us going. You can have hope in just about anything, but all but one hope will fail you.

Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless.

Job 8:13

There's only one hope that will never fail you.

You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.

Job 11:18

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.

Hebrews 6:19-20a

We, as Christians, need to hold on to the hope that is Christ. Without that hope, there is nothing to live for. But with Christ, we have hope that exceeds all other hopes. It can never be destroyed and will never be brought down. And with this hope we can:

"...say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and [...] live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."

Titus 2:12-14

Wait

I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 27:13-14

These verses are just amazing to me. They are exactly what I have been thinking about lately. Even when things aren't going well, we can lean on the assurance that God will be good to us. We will see God's goodness in "the land of the living," in the place that we are right now. This verse just reminds us that, though we may not always pay attention to it, God's goodness is all around us. Look outside and you will automatically see beautiful creations that God has created for us to enjoy. Look at the people that are around us, the people that you love and admire, and you will see God's goodness. Look at His Word and you will see how God has been good to us. Everywhere you look, God will be showing His goodness to us. If you cannot find God's goodness where you are looking, you are either hanging out in places where you shouldn't be, or you are not looking at the right things and maybe even not looking at all. Even if something seems hard and maybe even a little stressful, do not give up. Instead, wait for God and He will help you through anything that you may face. Don't do something because you "feel like that is what you are supposed to do." Do not do something because YOU think it is the right thing to do. Do things because God says that is what you need to do, and you will never lose. You will never be disappointed that you followed God's instructions.

Giving Up

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.

They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Psalm 19:7-11

When I read this verse the other day, I just felt refreshed. God's law is perfect. Stick to it, and you will succeed. It might not always be easy, in fact, it might even get worse, but you will always have something that can get you through ANYTHING. It's not just the Bible either. When God tells you specifically that you are supposed to do something, or if you feel like God has lead you to do something, then you should do it, because God will keep you safe. He might bring you through things that you definitely did not want to go through, or didn't want other people to go through, but God knows what He is doing. You can trust him with everything you have: your family, your friends, your future, everything. And you will be happy that you followed Him. He's not going to lead you to do something that, in the end, your not happy about. Yes, you might not be happy about having to do something at that particular moment, but you will be happy in the end. Keep doing what God has told you to do, even if you think it isn't making a difference, and God will open your eyes. He will help you through everything and show you His will, even though it might just be a little at a time. God knows what He is doing. He isn't blinded to what's going on. He probably knows more than you know yourself. So let Him work through you. Let His plan happen, because it will bring better things than you could ever imagine. He will bring more blessings upon you than you could ever imagine. He is more than anyone could ever imagine. He saved you. Don't you think the least you could do is let Him take control?

Don't worry

The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:9-10

God will always be there. Period. That's all you have to know. Call on God and He will be there. In fact, He's there even when you don't ask Him to be. He's always with you ready to take you and your pain and transform you. You will not fail if you are doing God' will. It may not go exactly how you had planned, but honestly, who cares? God's plan will always be better than ours. So why do we worry about whether things are going our way or not?

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

Luke 12:25-26

Everyone knows that adding stress to your life when you know it will not benefit anyone is pointless. Hello, common sense. But we do it all the time. We worry about doing things exactly right and everything going "exactly as planned", when we can't control most of it. I understand that things do need to kind of be planned, but we need to understand also that God has everything under control. So we shouldn't worry about what might happen. We shouldn't worry about the what-if's. We should try our hardest to do what we can and listen to God. Because God will show us through everything and all things.

See how I ramble and end up on a completely different subject? :)

Crazy stuff!

My shield is God Most High,
who saves the upright in heart.

God is a righteous judge,
a God who expresses his wrath every day.

Psalm 7:10-11

Wow. That is just so powerful. Just think of the hard times you have had. Haven't you ever wanted someone to shield you and take all the pain of something for you? That is what this verse is talking about. Now, He won't necessarily take all the pain away, but He can and will help you to deal with the "messes" of life. He can (and once again will) give you peace and help you to be able to use the things you are going through for the glory of Him. He will save you from everything. Just being in God's presence can give you the courage and peace that you may need.

Another thing to think about: God saves the upright in heart. It doesn't say "God saves the upright in outward appearance" or "God saves those who look upright." It says "God saves the upright in heart." That means that we need to keep pure not only in our outward appearance towards others (which has its place), but also in our hearts and our minds. God knows what is in your heart and He also knows that what you dwell on will eventually come out. He can't help us if we are not willing to fully give ourselves to Him so that He can transform us and our pain and "the sin that so easily entangles us" (Hebrews 12:1).

The second verse on there is surprising to some people.

God is a righteous judge,
a God who expresses his wrath every day.


Psalm 7:11

God will punish us. God will punish others. Just like a parent, He will discipline us when He needs to. God isn't just a "lovey-dovey" sap. He wants us to be happy and free of sin, and sometimes we are just to stubborn to realize that His plan is the best plan, and the only plan for any success. He sometimes has to show us that He is God because we get off track.

So let Him be your shield, be pure in mind, and remember that God will discipline us. His plan is the right plan. Always.

Show it by not showing it

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

James 3:13

This verse just hits it right on. People want to have all the answers. They want to be the one that everyone comes to for advice. They want to be respected and honored. What we sometimes forget, though, is that we have to live out a good life if we want to be respected. I'm not saying that a person has to be perfect to be respected, but people often tend to respect those who are doing good because they know that it is the right thing, not because they want to be praised for it. If we want respect, we need to give respect to others. Also, you can't go around acting like you know it all. People who truly are respected are not boastful. They don't tell everyone every good thing they've done. They do things because they know they are right, not because they want someone to tell them that they did a great job. Don't do things for others to see. Don't do things so that people will say "Wow, look at them. They are really good." Do it because it's the right thing to do. And you will get your reward.

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Matthew 6:1-4

Friends

Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:12

Ok, so I read this verse on a flair piece on facebook, and I just thought it was a great verse! It just really emphasizes the need for good, godly friends. It's hard to resist temptation, especially when it's from people that you know or think are "cool." When you have friends there to help you to say "no", and maybe even get mad at you if you don't do the right thing, it makes resisting things that might even look fun or good at the time so much easier.


It goes the same way with bad friends. If you hang out with friends that are going to pressure you to do the wrong things, it will be much harder to stand up against. Have you ever tried to tell your friends no for something? I'm not sure about you, but I usually cave. Just think about all or even just a few of your friends asking you to do something wrong. Eventually you'll cave. That's why it's important to pick good friends. If you have friends that will help you out and help you to stay on track, it becomes much easier to lead a godly life.


So get some good friends. Tell them to help you say "no." Especially if it's something that you know you are going to struggle with.