Hope...Peace...Joy...Love
by Cindy Garland
“All the Lord’s Promises prove true.” (Psalm 18:30, NLT)
Remember this. Believe this. Live this.
Read this Scripture again, emphasizing the words in bold.
“ALL the Lord’s promises prove true.”
“All the LORD’S PROMISES prove true.”
“All the Lord’s promises PROVE true.”
“All the Lord’s promises prove TRUE.”
HOPE
We anticipate the arrival of Jesus, both as a celebration of His birth and a celebration of His promised ultimate return. We were promised this hope as God speaks to us through every book of the Bible. The HOPE of our salvation through Jesus Christ is prophesied in Genesis 3:15 – the first announcement of the promised Gospel, God’s promised Redeemer. This story begins in Genesis telling of our Savior’s victory and the defeat of Satan stating the woman’s (Eve’s) descendent would crush Satan! From the beginning of God’s Word, He promises us HOPE. The promised, prophesied HOPE can also be found in the last book of the Bible, Revelation. In Revelation, the Apostle John reveals what has been revealed to him, a true vision of what our promised HOPE will look like as we meet Jesus for the first time, face to face. In Revelation 4:1-5, John is invited to “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” John uses imagery because he can barely find words to describe the majesty, glory, and brilliance of our Savior. Our HOPE will finally be fulfilled as we will one day sing “Holy, Holy, Holy” in His presence (Revelation 4:8). Through all sixty-six books of the Bible, Jesus’ story is written. Our HOPE can be found in Him as we read His story and believe!
PEACE
God promises that His PEACE, which we can’t even fathom, will fill our hearts and minds as we belong to Jesus, lean into Jesus, and cling to Jesus. Jesus is the Prince who brings peace. We read about the promise of PEACE in Isaiah 9:6,7: “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” God is the God of PEACE and Jesus is the Prince of PEACE. They lovingly give us this unfathomable peace given to us freely. Let this PEACE transform your heart. It’s like no other.
JOY
Are you so full of Jesus, so full of the true JOY only He gives, that He speaks through your words? When we find something to be grateful for that leads us to praise God, it brings Him JOY and brings us JOY? Brandon Lake’s song “Gratitude” says “So I throw up my hands and praise You again and again; ‘cause all that I have is a hallelujah, hallelujah. And I know it’s not much but I’ve nothing else fit for a King - except for a heart singing hallelujah, hallelujah.” In the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul preached to the Gentiles, “And the believers were filled with JOY and with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 13:52). Your light shines bright as your JOY shines through. This God-JOY can have some questioning and wondering where it comes from. What a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel as you explain the source of your uncontainable JOY!
LOVE
“…He will quiet you with His love” (Zephaniah 3:17). Jesus, Immanuel, came to you, for you, because God LOVES to be with you, the ones He LOVES. Despite what you may have done or continue to struggle with or whatever pain you may carry, He LOVES you. God’s LOVE and Jesus’ sacrifice for your forgiveness changed the world! John 3:16 says, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His One and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” God tells us through the prophet Jeremiah that “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.” (Jeremiah 1:5). God shares more about his special LOVE for us when He tells us, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). Think about that. Jesus knew, yet He went to the cross so we could receive forgiveness! What else could possibly show such LOVE? He is our “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
What has God promised us?
God has given us hope, peace, joy, and love through His son Jesus. Let Jesus move into your heart – He is waiting patiently.
Remember this. Believe this. Live this.
Read this Scripture again, emphasizing the words in bold.
“ALL the Lord’s promises prove true.”
“All the LORD’S PROMISES prove true.”
“All the Lord’s promises PROVE true.”
“All the Lord’s promises prove TRUE.”
HOPE
We anticipate the arrival of Jesus, both as a celebration of His birth and a celebration of His promised ultimate return. We were promised this hope as God speaks to us through every book of the Bible. The HOPE of our salvation through Jesus Christ is prophesied in Genesis 3:15 – the first announcement of the promised Gospel, God’s promised Redeemer. This story begins in Genesis telling of our Savior’s victory and the defeat of Satan stating the woman’s (Eve’s) descendent would crush Satan! From the beginning of God’s Word, He promises us HOPE. The promised, prophesied HOPE can also be found in the last book of the Bible, Revelation. In Revelation, the Apostle John reveals what has been revealed to him, a true vision of what our promised HOPE will look like as we meet Jesus for the first time, face to face. In Revelation 4:1-5, John is invited to “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.” John uses imagery because he can barely find words to describe the majesty, glory, and brilliance of our Savior. Our HOPE will finally be fulfilled as we will one day sing “Holy, Holy, Holy” in His presence (Revelation 4:8). Through all sixty-six books of the Bible, Jesus’ story is written. Our HOPE can be found in Him as we read His story and believe!
PEACE
God promises that His PEACE, which we can’t even fathom, will fill our hearts and minds as we belong to Jesus, lean into Jesus, and cling to Jesus. Jesus is the Prince who brings peace. We read about the promise of PEACE in Isaiah 9:6,7: “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” God is the God of PEACE and Jesus is the Prince of PEACE. They lovingly give us this unfathomable peace given to us freely. Let this PEACE transform your heart. It’s like no other.
JOY
Are you so full of Jesus, so full of the true JOY only He gives, that He speaks through your words? When we find something to be grateful for that leads us to praise God, it brings Him JOY and brings us JOY? Brandon Lake’s song “Gratitude” says “So I throw up my hands and praise You again and again; ‘cause all that I have is a hallelujah, hallelujah. And I know it’s not much but I’ve nothing else fit for a King - except for a heart singing hallelujah, hallelujah.” In the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul preached to the Gentiles, “And the believers were filled with JOY and with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 13:52). Your light shines bright as your JOY shines through. This God-JOY can have some questioning and wondering where it comes from. What a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel as you explain the source of your uncontainable JOY!
LOVE
“…He will quiet you with His love” (Zephaniah 3:17). Jesus, Immanuel, came to you, for you, because God LOVES to be with you, the ones He LOVES. Despite what you may have done or continue to struggle with or whatever pain you may carry, He LOVES you. God’s LOVE and Jesus’ sacrifice for your forgiveness changed the world! John 3:16 says, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His One and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” God tells us through the prophet Jeremiah that “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.” (Jeremiah 1:5). God shares more about his special LOVE for us when He tells us, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). Think about that. Jesus knew, yet He went to the cross so we could receive forgiveness! What else could possibly show such LOVE? He is our “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
What has God promised us?
- To be with us
- To love us unconditionally, forever
- To guard our hearts with peace
- To go ahead of us, lead us, and protect us
- To walk beside us and to be our friend
- To follow behind us and catch us when we stumble
God has given us hope, peace, joy, and love through His son Jesus. Let Jesus move into your heart – He is waiting patiently.