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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Hope (05/04/06)
Birth by the Spirit brings with it the birth of hope - hope of abundant life, hope of eternal life.

After each infant is birthed, it hopes everyday for the breasts of it’s mother and the relief that comes from a fresh diaper. The child grows and hopes for money under the pillow when he loses a tooth; a young girl may hope for a Pooh bear on her birthday. Children hope for good grades on their report cards and hope for the approval of their parents for a job well done.

Hope in “something” is what keeps us going as we grow and mature. Hope gives us a reason for living. We are many times disappointed when our hopes are crushed due to unexpected circumstances in our lives. But hope continues.

Yet, a better hope is birthed when we are born again as a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:1-7). When God’s Spirit enters our hearts, He brings new hope into our lives that spiritually creates within us deeper expectations than we can ever come close to in the natural.

This new hope is based on the outpouring of God’s love which drenches our soul and spirit through the presence of His Holy Spirit in our lives (Rom. 5:5). God fills us with
supernatural joy and peace of mind so “that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 15:13) kjv. This begins the abundant hope of a fulfilling life here on earth as God’s Spirit walks with us step-by-step through each day.

Furthermore, when we are filled with God’s Spirit, we have an even greater hope -eternal life. The Holy Spirit not only walks with us in this lifetime, He escorts us straight to God’s presence (II Cor. 5:5-8) at the moment we breathe our last.

The Bible teaches that after we believe in Christ, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our inheritance in the kingdom of God. Jesus already purchased our bodies
with His blood. Now we hope for eternal life even though we don’t yet see it - because “hope that is seen is not hope” (Rom. 8:24). *

Because of God’s Spirit we have a better hope, greater expectations and everlasting life.


* Titus 3:5-7; Eph. 1:13,14; Rom. 8:23-25; I Peter 1:2,3
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Marilyn Schnepp 
05/12/06
A very nice devotional; however, rather bland and mundane (in this reader's opinion)- but truthful, sincere and well written.
Jessica Schmit
05/12/06
Thanks for sharing this! Great devotional.
Val Clark
05/13/06
This is a good summary on the theology of hope but it doesn't touch this reader's heart. What I like about a good sermon is how the speaker/writer attempts to give milk and meat and surprises me onto seeing what I already know in a fresh way. To do this I think you need to have a clear idea of who your audience is. Even to having a specific person in mind. Watch your vocabulary, you use words like 'in the natural', churchy words that not all Christians and few non Christians are familiar with. yeggy
Rita Garcia
05/16/06
Very nice devotional, love the scripture references. Good job.
Phyllis Inniss 
05/17/06
Great devotional. It refreshes our minds about our 'spirit of hope' and how it not only walks with us but escorts us to God's presence. Well done.