Verse of the Day 10/16

Through the Bible - Isaiah 62-64, 2 Thessalonians 2   Good morning,  Are you hopeful?  As Christians we should be.  Just about anybody can have hope, but it is important to know what that hope is based upon.   The apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter: 1 Peter 3:15 "you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it." NLT We should be known as hopeful people.  If an unbeliever watches you for a while and asks you about the hope that you have and show, possibly during a trial, we should be prepared to answer him.  Our hope should show in joy, love, endurance through difficult times, and boldness to hope against the odds.   Is this hope irrational?  Think of David standing before Goliath, Abraham being told he would be the father of many nations when at 90 years old he was still waiting for a son, or Elijah challenging the 400 prophets of Baal, or perhaps Peter stepping out of the boat in the storm.  The list goes on and on.   What was their hope based on, what is our hope based on?  We see it in today's verse from 2 Thessalonians 2 - hope by grace. 2 Thess 2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.    NKJV   John Piper writes, "Our hope is rooted in the grace of God. It is based on the grace of God. If God were not a gracious God, we would have no hope. We could cross our fingers. We could have strong desires and wishes. We could even perhaps decide, by sheer dint of will-power, to be positive thinkers and thus make the best of our brief and uncertain lives. But there could be no talk of moral certainty about good things in the future. There could be no confident expectation that all things will work out in a wonderfully happy way for us. The foundation of that confidence—that biblical hope—is the grace of God." It is a firm foundation.  I'm reminded of the old hymn:   My Hope Is Built (The Solid Rock)   My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly trust in Jesus' Name. Refrain On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand.   When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil.. Refrain His oath, His covenant, His blood, Support me in the whelming flood. When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay. Read the preceeding verses (below).  Piper concludes, "The reason we have eternal comfort and good hope is that our salvation is a great work of God. He elected, he called, he sanctifies, and he preserves us for glory. This is the truth in which we believe and rest. This is an eternal comfort and this is a good hope. And I pray that you accept it for yourself and experience its sweetness."   May you experience this hope today.  May you be willing to share with others the "hope that is in you."   In Christ, Mike   2 Thess 2:13-3:1 Believers Should Stand Firm 13 As for us, we can't help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth. 14 He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter. 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, 17 comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.  NLT