Sharing is Caring

  Day 12: Acts 27:20-25       When there is no hope of salvation     In Acts 27:20, we see people who had lost all hope of salvation.  Paul, bound in chains due to his appeal to Caesar, was sailing towards Italy, Rome, when the ship encountered a great storm and was in imminent danger of shipwreck.  Among the 276 people on board, all but Paul had given up hope of salvation and were resigned to facing death.  While the rest of the group awaited death without hope, Paul, among them, was filled not only with hope of salvation but also with the assurance of it.  He believed that God would save not only his own life but also the lives of all those on board.  His confidence was based on God's word (Acts 27:23-24).  Paul was certain that he would not die before God fulfilled His purpose.  He trusted that, in accordance with the faithful promise of God, he would stand before Caesar.  It was upon this faith th...

Those who are in Christ Jesus           [Romans 8:1-11]     There may be hymns or gospel songs that you like.   And you probably have a reason why you like that hymn or gospel song.   Personally, when I see brothers and sisters in Christ whom I love around me suffering from hard work, I often exhort them by quoting the lyrics of the 2nd verse of the gospel song “We Will Keep Our Faith Alive”: “We will live as God has planned though at times we may not understand.   Many things we may not see, but our faith will help us believe.   From His word we learn the truth; through His love we all are born a new. ….”   I don't know how much comfort and strength these lyrics are.   Although it is difficult to fathom what the Lord intends, there are many times when I am personally strengthened and comforted by the fact that I am always in the Lord's will.   In the midst of this, I began to ponder a little in...

Faith that hopes against all hope     [Romans 4:18-25]     In Numbers 13-14, Caleb and Joshua, 2 of the 12 patriarchs who returned from spying on the land of Canaan, reported in faith, but the other 10 spies reported in disbelief.   In other words, the 10 spies made a bad report saying that the people of the land of Canaan were not only powerful and were men of great size, but also the cities were fortified and very large so they would not able to go up against them.   Also, compared to themselves and the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, they considered themselves to be grasshoppers (13:28-33).   Therefore, all the congregation of Israel, hearing their bad report, raised their voices and wept all night long (14:1), grumbling against Moses and Aaron (v. 2).   In the midst of this, the Israelites talked about appointing a leader and return to Egypt (v. 4).   Hearing all this, God said to Moses, “How long will this people spurn ...

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/did-god-hear-me  

Our hope       [Romans 8:23-25]                        Look at Romans 8:23-25: “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.   For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”  Who is “we” here?                First, it is “we” who have the first fruits of the Spirit.                    Look at Romans 8:23 – “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourse...

The anxious longing of the creation         [Romans 8:19-22]                    Look at Romans 8:19-22: “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.   For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.   For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”                 First, let us think about “the creation” which the Apostle Paul is talking about.                    All but the Triune God are creatures.   The Triune God created eve...