HOPE RESURRECTED: From the depths of our pain, Jesus brings forth hope - Part 1
Autor: EBD Life Matters | Publicado: 2012-07-04T08:28:00-07:00



REALITY: No one is Safe





No amount of money, power, or influence exempts you
from life’s tough realities.&nbsp; Many things
will happen to you during your lifetime that are out of your control, no matter
how in control you think you are.&nbsp; 


In difficult times, when you think the world is about
to fall on you, do you turn inward and fight with everything in you to right
the wrong of your situation, or do you turn outward and seek strength and rest
from God, the One who has the power to do the miraculous and who understands
the depths of your pain?


What gives you hope today?


Let’s turn to Luke 7:1-10 and talk about one
particular day in Jesus’ ministry: A veteran soldier sought Jesus’ help, and
displayed two admirable character traits: faith
and humility.&nbsp; Although the centurion was a Gentile, he had
such strong faith in Jesus’ ability to heal that it “amazed” Jesus, and Jesus proclaimed
his the strongest faith He’d seen yet.&nbsp;
Not only was the man’s faith strong, but he also understood he wasn’t
worthy of Jesus’ blessing.&nbsp; The centurion
expressed complete dependence on Jesus’ mercy.


Sometimes humility comes more naturally to us than
faith does.&nbsp; In those moments, we know
Jesus has absolute superiority over everything, and we recognize our inadequacy
in comparison, but our inadequacy seems more powerful than Christ’s grace.&nbsp; As a result, we don’t ask God to intervene
because we don’t view ourselves as worthy in Christ.&nbsp; At other times in our lives we have the faith
in Jesus but not the humility.&nbsp; We see
this best when our sense of entitlement surfaces.&nbsp; We deem our circumstances unfair and demand
that God give us what we think we deserve.&nbsp;



In which spiritual state do you most often find yourself
– humble but lacking faith, or faithful but lacking humility?&nbsp; Share
your thoughts with us, write a comment.


Both of these views are toxic and leave us
hopeless.&nbsp; As the centurion modeled, at
the intersection of faith in God and humble dependence on Him, we come face to
face with God’s power over our circumstances and His desire to bring us closer
to Him.


Why is the balance of these two virtues vital to our
spiritual well-being?&nbsp; Share your thoughts with us, write a
comment.


This week’s playlist song is “I Will Follow” by Chris Tomlin, from
the album And if Our God is for Us… Don’t
miss this acoustic session&nbsp; Tomlin did with WorshipTogether.com.


Do you find yourself wondering whether Jesus is big
enough, His arm long enough, His voice strong enough to transform your
desperation into hope? Well He is, and He will. As we study this week bible
passage, we’ll see that the centurion believed Jesus’ power wasn’t limited by
His presence.&nbsp; He was saying, “I don’t
believe You need to be present. I believe You have such authority that You can
bridge time and space to perform a miracle.” With this example in mind, tell
us: How do we limit God when we pray?&nbsp; Share your thoughts with us, write a
comment.


As we face life’s challenging realities, we too need
hope, but we can rest in God:&nbsp; 


Welcome to the day when Jesus proved His power and
love are limitless!!!!!!


God Bless You


Have a Wonderful Week, 


Kaeyllane


When Jesus heard this, he was amazed
at him. He turned to the crowd that was following him. He said, "I tell
you, even in Israel I have not found anyone whose faith is so strong."


Luke 7:9