1 Corinthians 13:7 hopeth all things,
Love trusts. The word hope used in this passage means to expect or confide, hope for, and to trust. If you love someone, it means that you can confide in them and you trust that they will not violate that trust. In Proverbs 31, we are told that one of […]
Acts 24:15 And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
Where is your hope? Where is your expectation? Are you relying upon your own strength; or are you relying upon God? It is easy to say that you are […]
Psalms 38:15 For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O LORD my God.
Where is your expectation? Do you rely upon your own strength or do you rely upon God? It is much easier to rely upon your own strength because you are then able to do what you want when you […]
Psalms 15:1 Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in
thy holy hill?
Where is your focus today? Is your focus upon the things of God or is
your focus upon the things of this world? If your focus is upon the
things of God, then your actions will show to both God and the world
that you desire to prepare for that day when you shall live for eternity
with HIM.
If your hope is in eternity, then you will do things differently than
the individual who is living for the moment. In this Psalm, David goes
over a long list of actions that will be seen in the individual who is
Titus 1:13 This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;
Paul left Titus in Crete. He left Titus there for the purpose of establishing elders to the church in every city. One of the problems in Crete was that the Cretians were known to be liars, own ferocious beasts, and to be gluttons. The Cretians also liked to teach things for the sake of money. Titus was to look for elders who held fast to the faithful word of God, the elders where to not to be lovers of money, and not given to wine. Titus was to establish elders who were faithful to their wife and who had raised faithful children.
Thus, it was clear that the elders of the church have already proved to everyone around them that they were different and that they were not yielding to the things of the world. The elders were in the world but not of the world. These individuals were clearly individuals who had proven that they were different and that over time they had proven that they deserved to be in a position of authority in the church.
In this verse, Titus is being commanded by Paul to rebuke the inhabitants of Crete sharply for their wickedness. Paul understood that until individuals realized that they were sinners and corrupt, they would not in a position where they could hear the truth of the gospel of Christ and be established in the faith. Paul understood the sins that the Cretians were quick to yield to and he desired that Titus attack the problem head on. Titus was not to beat around the bush but to inform the people of their cancer. By dealing with the disease, Titus then would be in the position to teach the people the cure.
Mankind is naturally sinful. However, you are to be an example to the world as an individual who is set apart from the world, an individual who is different. You desire the world to know that you are different and also, you need to live your life so that even those in the church understand that you have gone the extra step and have put away from your life those sins that so easily beset those of the world. You are to be different; you are to live your life for HIM. You are to allow HIM to direct your life so that HE is glorified and so that HE is magnified through you.
Because you have demonstrated victory over sin, you are now in the position that you are able to confront sin. Why would the world listen to you as you confront them in your sin if they can see that you also are entangled with the things of this world? If the world sees that you commit even what you consider a small sin, they wonder - if it is obvious to them that you are committing such a trivial sin - what other sins are you hiding. Your life must be lived in such a way as to demonstrate to the world that they can listen to you because you are different; your life is the example that they do not have to live the way they do. They do not have to be slaves to sin but that they can be servants of God.
Your walk talks, and your talk talks, but your walk talks louder then your talk talks. Ensure that your life demonstrates to the world that you are different. If you life tells others that you are different, then they will be more receptive to your confronting their sins and be more wiling to receive Christ into their lives. If you are no different then them, what hope do you have to offer them. Instead, allow God to make a difference in your life so that the world will know that you are an individual of faith.
I Thessalonians 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
Paul is giving his salutation to the church of Thessalonians. Paul sees fit to start out by informing the church of things that they are doing right. Three of the things that the church was doing right was how they were demonstrating their faith, their love and hope. You should remember that Paul ends the love chapter (I Corinthians 13) by mentioning three things, faith, hope, and charity. As you study Paul�s writing, you will see that Paul mentions faith, hope and love quite often.
Paul believed that faith love and hope were all important elements of the Christian life. Paul understood the need for balance and as such, he would not just site the person�s faith but would also point out how they were doing at demonstrating the other two areas. In this particular passage, Paul recognizes the church for actively practicing its faith and love. He also recognizes the church for patiently waiting for Jesus Christ�s return that was a demonstration of their hope.
There is more to the Christian life then just faith. Faith is not the sole ingredient to living a life pleasing to the Lord. Balance is necessary and ones faith must be accomplished with love and hope. If a person only ate whole wheat bread and nothing else, while they are eating something that is good, their diet would be lacking in several key areas and their health would eventually diminish. Yes they are eating healthy but because there is no balance, eventually their body would be lacking certain nutrients that it needs and eventually ones health would give out.
A person cannot just clean one room in their house and call the whole house clean. If all they did was clean the living room for three years, the rest of the house would be quite dirty and few would desire to enter the house because of the stench. A person could say they clean the living room all they want but it would be evident to all that while the living room may be habitable, the rest of the house is not.
Faith is an important part of your Christian walk. Yes you do have an obligation to study and increase your faith. Nonetheless, there are other aspects of your Christian walk that you cannot forget to demonstrate. The world is carefully examining your life to see if there is anything in your life that demonstrates that you are different and that you have something that they need. The more balanced your Christian walk is, the less holes they will see in your Christian walk and the more desirous they will be of what you have.
The world is watching you. They do not care if you have all faith if they feel that you do not have any hope for eternal life. The world does not care about your faith if you have the personality of a hungry hyena just looking for someone to devour. The world hears your words, but your life demonstrates more to them then your words ever will. The world needs to see your faith but they also need to see that you have love one to another and that you have a hope that your life has another purpose then just living on this earth and dieing. Paul commended the church of Thessalonians for their balanced Christian life. If Paul were writing a letter to you today, would he be able to commend you on your balanced Christian life? Would he say you have demonstrated faith, love and hope?
Hebrews 6:11-12 And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Everyone is willing to be diligent and pursue that which they desire. If it is something they want, watch out, they are going to try every means possible in order to obtain. You will not have to worry about them being lazy. Furthermore, even if they run into some obstacles while they are trying to obtain that which they want, they will continue on because of the hope of obtaining that which they desire.
