Faith and Love that Spring from Hope – Colossians 1:4-5
The church at Colossae was known for their faith in Christ and love for other believers. And those had sprung from their gospel hope.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Cor. 4:7 NIV)
The church at Colossae was known for their faith in Christ and love for other believers. And those had sprung from their gospel hope.
How should we live while we wait for the coming of our Lord. By keeping yourself in the love of God, investing time in the word and prayer.
Hebrews 11 provides a definition of biblical faith. It is a confidence and assurance that results in actions that demonstrate your hope.
Salvation is a gracious gift of God. There is nothing we can do to earn or deserve it. We can only accept this gracious gift of God by faith.
One of the stranger stories in the gospels concerns Jesus cursing a fruitless fig tree. What is the point of this? Why is it in our Bibles?
Why does God seem hidden? Does he not want us to believe that he exists? Or does he want more? To have us respond to him in faith and love.
James calls on us to test our faith. Is it active and fruitful? Or is it only an intellectual acknowledgement. Faith without works is dead and useless.
Our enemy, the devil, will be firing flaming arrows at us, seeking to cripple our effectiveness in the kingdom. Deflect them with the shield of faith.
Eternal life as defined in the New Testament is much more than just living forever. Eternal life is relational. It is knowing the triune God.
My hope is in God. Even should all else around me fail, I can trust in him. He is my deliverer. My Savior. The Lord is my rock.