Bible verses and thoughts about obtaining and holding on to hope

Are you needing to be uplifted and comforted today? These Bible verses about Hope will do just that for you. Take a deep breath and read through them slowly. We all too  often rush through things in life ( I am  guilty of this myself) and miss what God is telling us. God led you to these versestoday for a reason, don’t let them go unread!

Hope of A Future Bible Verses

Proverbs 24:20 for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

Proverbs 24:14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Hope of Eternal Life and Salvation

Titus 1:1-2 Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies,promised before the ages began

Titus 3:7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

1 Corinthians 15:19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18  So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

1 Peter 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Hope from the Book of Romans

Romans 5:2-5 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 8:24-25 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Romans 12:12  Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Romans 15:13  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Hope in the Midst of a Crisis Verses

Psalm 27:4-5 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.  For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.

Mark 5:35-36  While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”

Reasons To Hope Quotes

Numbers 23:19  God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

John 4:13-14 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Example of Hope in the Bible

• Job

 Job 13:15 Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face.

Hope and Faith Bible Verse

Hebrews 11:1  Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

C.S. Lewis Quotes on Hoping For Something More

“Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their promise.

“At present we are on the outside… the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the pleasures we see. But all the pages of the New Testament are rustling with the rumor that it will not always be so. Someday, God willing, we shall get “in”… We will put on glory… that greater glory of which Nature is only the first sketch.

We do not want to merely “see” beauty–though, God knows, even that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words–to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.

http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-about-hope-20-uplifting-scripture-quotes/

Doormat Theology…Should we allow ourselves to be walked on?

What is doormat theology?

Doormat theology is the term used when referring to the belief that Christians should be totally submissive – never raising a hand in violence for any reason, and not defending themselves against verbal or physical abuse. Most people, in this age, would call that “being a doormat” for people to walk on, thus the term “doormat theology.”

Was Jesus a doormat?

Jesus did ultimately allow Himself to be captured, mocked, tortured and killed, but that was for a very good reason. He came to this earth to die for our sins – so that is a unique situation. That does not mean He was a doormat. Let us not forget how He ran the moneychangers out of the temple when they were being disrespectful to the House of God. He was very assertive in doing the right thing. He knew He was in the right, and so He did what He needed to do. So perhaps Jesus would be an advocate of doing the right thing, whether that means being totally submissive or using violence to defend yourself or someone else. The situation would determine what we should do.

Let’s look at the Old Testament saints. Were they doormats?

Well now, let’s consider David for a moment. We all know who David was; he was the hero child who killed the big giant, Goliath. David did not like the way the giant mocked his people and their God, so he slew the giant. There is no way we can call David a doormat. He later on became a King. He was a hero to his people – but never a doormat.

How about Samson? He was a tremendously strong man, who fought many men – and won. He certainly was not a doormat. He was a fighter for what he believed in.

Were the New Testament apostles doormats?

Let’s look at the apostle Paul for a moment. In 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 it says Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

Wow, Paul sure suffered a lot of abuse, didn’t he? But, that does not mean he was a doormat. After his conversion he lived his life for Christ. He gladly suffered humiliation, hunger and torture for the opportunity to share the gospel with others. It doesn’t say in the above scripture, or any other scripture that Paul did anything to defend himself when he was assaulted. By today’s standards he may certainly qualify as a doormat, but I personally don’t like the term “doormat theology”, and the reason being, it totally puts a negative slant on doing the right thing. I prefer to think that Paul’s behavior was appropriate for one having “good theology.”

Let’s look at the apostle Peter. Was he a doormat? The book of Acts mentions Peter being mocked, harassed, flogged and imprisoned – and according to legend he was eventually crucified upside-down. Why upside-down? He allegedly said he was not good enough to be crucified like his Savior. There is no record of him trying to escape these extremely bad situations, but like Paul, he felt that it was an honor to suffer for Christ. He wanted to tell others about his Savior.

Does God want us to be walked on by the world?

I don’t believe God wants us to let people walk on us. I believe we should counter hate with love, violence with self-defense, but not to the extent of agressive violence.

I believe we should demonstrate forgiveness and love. If we are consistent with this approach I believe we can gain respect from most people, rather than having them walk on us. Mat 5:44 says, but I say to you, love your enemies; bless those cursing you, do well to those hating you; and pray for those abusing and persecuting you…

So, taking all the above into consideration, what then should we do, as Christians, when a wrong is done to us, or someone around us?

I believe the apostle Paul had the right answer for us. In Romans 12:19,20 he said Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by doing so you will heap burning coals upon his head.” So, let’s leave the vengeance to God; He knows how to dispense it justly.

I do believe it is entirely appropriate to defend oneself or someone else if necessary, but only if we absolutely have to. It is always preferable to walk away, and pray for the offender if possible. Sure, we may be laughed at, and possibly called a doormat, but Christians should always be willing to do what brings glory to the name of Christ. We should be loving and kind. We should demonstrate forgiveness to the rest of the world.

Getting back to the apostles, Paul and Peter, for a moment, and also let’s refer back to Jesus allowing Himself to be captured, mocked, beaten and crucified. We must understand there was a greater purpose involved in those cases. Their submissiveness was for the glory of God. Jesus needed to die for our sins, that certainly was a noble reason to be submissive, and the apostles were submissive so the gospel could be further preached and more people would learn about the glorious Gospel of God’s Grace. If we can glorify God by being submissive then submissive we should be, but if we need to make a stand to better serve the cause of Christ then we should do that – no matter what the cost.

So what is the final word on the subject?

In each case we should do what best glorifies God. That’s just “good theology.”