The source of hope...

This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" Lamentations 3: 21-24 NKJV I, for one, am thankful that GOD is a GOD of second chances. I know that I have pushed the envelope on that one, but GOD is faithful--even when we are not. We have hope because of Jesus, because He was born of a virgin, because He lived a sinless life and willingly sacrificed Himself on the cross to provide our salvation. He didn't have to & we certainly didn't deserve it. We deserved the sentence of death and eternal separation from GOD in Hell with the devil and his demons. But GOD, in His great love for us, showed mercy & compassion towards us. We have reason to be thankful for His mercy & His grace. Left to our own devices, we easily fall prey to the wiles of the devil. Satan's tricks are not new, they are as old as time itself. He used them to persuade angels to follow him in rebellion against GOD. He uses them still to convince humans to live in rebellion, contrary to the Will of GOD. He perverts things GOD intended for good--look at what he has done to sex. GOD created sex as a physical, emotional & spiritual union of a man and a woman in a committed marriage relationship. Satan has perverted it by making it cheap through pornography, through pre & extra-marital sexual relations--worst of all, he has perverted it through homosexuality. GOD never intended for people to be intimate with those of the same sex--Satan did that! Remember Sodom & Gomorrah and what became of those evil cities & the inhabitants thereof? Satan has also twisted up our views of money, possessions & material things. There is nothing wrong with having things but rather than owning them, we've allowed them to become our master instead. They (material things, that is) have become idols to us. We think we can't live without the newest gadget, the flashiest car, a larger home, a fatter bank account--all at the expense of our relationship with GOD. GOD is a jealous GOD--He doesn't like to share our hearts with anything or anyone else. Deuteronomy 4:23-24 says, "Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the Lord your God has forbidden you. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God." We are reminded of this same concept again in the New Testament, in Matthew 6:24 which reads, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Why then do humans struggle with this so? Why has it plagued mankind for centuries? Why do we allow Satan to exercise control over us in these areas? We are rebellious and disobedient children. Just like Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden, we think we can live life on our own terms--but, it doesn't work that way. GOD will not bless a life lived in opposition to His Word & Commandments. He allows us to exercise our free will choice and suffer the consequences of those decisions. You see, often we blame GOD for the problems in our lives when they are the outcome of our poor life choices. Yet, while He could simply leave us to suffer--He extends grace to us repeatedly because He is loving and compassionate. He is our source of hope, He is our faithful Father, He is the breath of life and He delights in making provision for His Children. The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy." (Psalm 147:11) How can we rebel against, be disobedient towards, or withhold praise from the Lover of our souls? My hope is in Him. I pray yours is as well... Blessings! Tony