CWW Week 17 - Day 5 - Hope

Scripture.

1 Peter 1:3

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Devotional.

If ever there was proof that God is on our side, this scripture encapsulates that truth beautifully. 

Think of the intensity related to allowing your Son to go through what Jesus went through just so we could be friends of God. Think of the love!

As trashy as we behave, and as futile our worldly attempts at life are, the Creator of the universe still values us that highly. He allowed this to happen because He wanted to bring us back into His arms. He showed us that Jesus was able to rise from the dead, and so are we if we follow His principles and give all credit to Jesus where it all belongs.

When I was an atheist and agnostic, [I travelled between the two] I would often mock God and Jesus. I thought it was cool to criticise christianity and those who followed it. I seemed to have a clever answer for everything. Then I realised that my clever answers were just plain folly and the purpose of a folly was to demonstrate foolishness.

I cringe when I think of how I behaved in relation to God, and knowing that God was there every time I did this is more than sobering.

There are no excuses for my behaviour while there are many reasons for it. Those reasons are well described in my earlier writings, but reasons explain the why, while excuses permit the repetition of stupidity and a lack of responsibility.

Knowing now that God witnessed me at the scene of every crime against Him that I ever committed, and knowing that He still guides and leads me and gives me the great second chance is testimony to His abundant mercy.

He destroyed my status as His enemy by allowing His Son to die in order to restore my relationship with Him as Father and son. When I realised that a Man I never knew, two thousand years ago, died the worst possible death on the cross to give a filthy sinner like me a second chance, my purpose in life and my love of God was sealed.

As dead as I was because of sin and as unworthy as I was to be the recipient of grace, it was offered me nonetheless. It sits on the table for us all. So why are their so many of us who reject it and cast it aside?

I happen to think it is because religion in the man made corporate sense has distorted our image and view of who God really is. I think many reject God because they are rejecting religion. We must establish a relationship with God through Jesus and empower ourselves with the Holy Spirit in order to see what religion is all about. Once we have the relationship, we can then gather the information needed to make and informed decision about religion. What is the information required? It goes back to the seeking of real truth. In a world exploding with information, the determination of truth is hard to define. 

Once we have an understanding of God we can see truth through the method and motive model. Is the church we are looking for practicing it’s doctrine based on coercion and fear or from love of God and others on the journey. Method and motive is a wonderful tool for discernment.

Jesus so loved the church that He was prepared to take a bullet for Her. We are called to love that church too. And what is that church and how do we define it?

It is a fellowship of believers and not a cathedral. It is a family of mutual benefit and respect based on compassion and understanding. Judgement is left to God and discernment, a word often confused with judgement, flourishes in a healthy understanding of what Jesus stands for. I have long believed that judgement, in the imperial law sense, is discernment with condemnation. This is dangerous ground  in a fellowship of believers. The condemnation must be left to God. This does not preclude accountability for bad behaviour to educate wrong doers. Accountability is a two edged sword when applied in the right way because it teaches the wrong doer and educates the critique.

When accountability is to be applied correctly the critique should always examine method and motive in themselves thus offering another wonderful opportunity to develop character for both parties. It gets back to God’s plan for mutual benefit.

This is why I love James 5:16 so much.

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

When James wrote this he was meaning that all will be healed. That all parties are meant to develop character in accountability.

This all lends itself to a better understanding of todays scripture because it clearly demonstrates the hope we can have through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As broken as we all are it was He who left the back door open for us. He wants us to “come as we are to the throne of grace.”

The phrase “come as you are to the throne of grace” encapsulates the invitation found in Hebrews 4:16, though it is not a direct quote from the Bible. The verse in the New King James Version (NKJV) reads:

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

This verse encourages us to approach God’s throne with confidence, knowing we will receive mercy and grace. It reflects the truth that God welcomes us as we are, offering support and assistance in our times of need.

Can there be a greater hope on which to build our future?

Questions

1. Are you waiting for the washing to be finished before you come to Jesus?
2. Do you think that Jesus doesn’t know that you have some dirty washing?
3. Are you ready to swallow your pride and just come to Him as you are and allow Him to wash you clean in His blood?
   

Prayer.

Dear Lord, Papa God.

I come to you in filthy rags because You alone have given me hope. When You offered the cleansing blood of Your Son Jesus to be shed for my cleansing, I felt totally undeserving and rejected it. Forgive me Papa that I thought so little of this eternal gift that I pushed it away. Allow me now to seek it with all my heart and strength. Please Lord God, wash me clean with Your amazing grace for I am truly able to hear forgiveness calling out my name. I pray all this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

Graham Hood

Have a great day in Jesus.