Imagine a future generation encouraged by hope

Week 3
September 25th - September 30th

Monday, September 25th, 2006

Thought for the day: Through the awesome gift of the Holy Spirit we cannot begin to contain, comprehend, or imagine all the things God generously provides for us.
Scripture: Romans 5:5
“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
Application: Do you “always hope” in the Lord? In what situations, do you find that you don’t always have hope and why?
Prayer: Father God, make us ever mindful, that the hope we find in You is undeniable, uncontainable, unfathomable and is always available to us through the Comforter: The Holy Spirit. Amen.

Tuesday, September 26th, 2006

Thought for the day: We always have access to a restoration of the heart and a renewal of our strength when we trust God and have hope in His promises.
Scripture: Psalm 31:24
“Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.”
Application: When and how have you personally found a direct correlation in having hope in the Lord and a strengthened faith, a renewed heart?
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for hearing and answering our prayers. We will have hope through your Son, Jesus Christ, and invite Him in to our hearts. Father, please strengthen our hearts and renew our spirits daily. Amen.

Wednesday, September 27th, 2006

Thought for the day: As children of God we have a reverent fear of and obedience to Him, and through His Grace we become overjoyed residing in the Word of God.
Scripture: Psalm 112:1
“Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments!”
Application: Do you find yourself more often resentful or thankful for God’s commands? Do you see the Bible as “God’s Big Rule Book” or as the living, breathing, Holy Word gifted by God to you?
Prayer: Father God, thank you for the hope, the joy, and The Life we find in your Holy Word. Continue to speak to us personally, through the Scriptures as we seek your guidance and your blessings. Amen.

Thursday, September 28th, 2006

Thought for the day:
     Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
     Because He lives, All fear is gone.
     Because I know He holds the future,
     And life is worth the living just because He lives.
          - William and Gloria Gaither
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:3,4
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you.”
Application: Have you claimed your future, eternal inheritance as a child of God? Are you on a daily basis living out your “new birth” in a “living hope” through the resurrection of Christ?
Prayer: Dear Lord, because you came to love us and to know us, to shoulder the sin of the whole world, my sin, I praise you and I love you with all my mind, my heart, my soul, and my strength. You are my living hope. Amen.

Friday, September 29th, 2006

Thought for the day: Jesus is our hope and our strength who always was, always is, and always will be, forever. We can do all things through Him as He strengthens us for now and evermore.
Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 2:16,17
“May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”
Application: Do you, would you, allow Jesus Christ to purify your heart, to revitalize and energize your work, to enliven your speech according to His will?
Prayer: Father God, thank you for the eternal hope we find in your Son, Jesus Christ. We ask that you restore our hearts, encourage and strengthen us by your grace. Amen.

Saturday, September 30th, 2006

Thought for the day: God longs to bless us more abundantly than we can imagine. But more than this, He wants us to put our full trust in Him, to seek Him and to know Him.
Scripture: Lamentations 3:25
“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.”
Application: Imagine what could happen if we put our full hope and trust in God and we did seek Him with all our hearts.
Prayer: Dear Lord, we cling to your promise that those who hope in you will renew their strength… we will soar on wings like eagles; we will run and not grow weary; we will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31). Amen.

Imagine a future generation encouraged by hope.