“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13, ESV). Hope for unity remains because we understand we are kindred spirits. After all, God made one man and one woman. Hope for the future remains, even when our bodies grow old and our minds become feeble because we understand our soul returns to God. Hope for a better day remains because we have faith in the Son who died and the Holy Spirit, a Comforter, and Counselor. “So, we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16, ESV).
We renew our spirit daily, and we pay careful attention to how we act toward others. The widow who is truly in need and left all alone puts her hope in God. We are God’s hands and voice to meet her needs. We keep an open mind with the knowledge that we are born again to a living hope. With confidence in the power of God, the Lord of lords, and the Holy Spirit, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23, NKJV). God is forever faithful, and we are called into His service to work faithfully with “the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, ESV).
By the power of the Spirit of God, we are called to this task, “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12, ESV). Those who know us and those who don’t know us are watching and evaluating the hope we have in our faith. The world needs those who claim Christ to be model examples and that means holding firm to our confidence and hope in the Lord and in our future. As the God of hope fills us with the courage to begin again, we need to arm ourselves with the Truth. “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13, NLT).
Minister Nettie Pennington, Associate Minister, Springfield MB Church
