Undying Hope - Part 2

This is a morning devotion led by Joshua from Harvest Chapel International Kumasi. The theme is "Undying Hope" and today's focus is on the second foundation of hope, which is the knowledge that God cares for us. The scripture readings are from 1 John 4:7-10 and 1 Corinthians 13:13. The devotion emphasizes the importance of realizing and understanding God's love and care for us, even in times of suffering and doubt. It encourages reflection on how much God cares for each individual. The devotion ends with a prayer for God's love to be evident in our lives and a reminder to stay tuned for more spiritual content on Radio HCI. Shalom, wonderful family, and welcome to today's morning glory devotion. God bless you for being a part of the just-ended prayer time. My name is Joshua from Harvest Chapel International Kumasi, and it is a privilege to be facilitating today's morning glory devotion. Let us pray. Father, we thank you for another wonderful day. Lord, this morning we pray for your presence to do with us as we study your word. As we listen to your word, reveal yourself to us more and more. Let hope be renewed in us and cause our faith to be perfected. In the name of Jesus, we pray with thanksgiving. Amen. Let us take our confession from Joshua 1 verse 8. Joshua 1 verse 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of my mouth, but I shall meditate in it day and night, that I may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then I will make my way prosperous, and then I will have good success. Amen. The theme for today's devotion is Undying Hope. This is part two of a five-part series, and our scripture reading for today will be from 1 John chapter 4 verse 7 to 10 and 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 13. 1 John chapter 4 verse 7 I'll be reading from the World English Bible. Beloved, let's love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. He who doesn't love doesn't know God, for God is love. By this, God's love was revealed in us, that God sent His only-born Son into the world that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the appalling sacrifice for our sins. Amen. 1 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 13 I'll be reading from the New Living Translation. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love. Amen. In our previous discourse, we looked at what hope is and how the hope of the believer is unique, in that it is built on unchanging truth. We mentioned that the undying hope of the believer is built on four foundations which are 1. God is, 2. God cares, 3. God can, 4. God will. We went on further to throw some light on the importance of the first foundation, which is a strong conviction of the existence of God and having faith in Him. We concluded that the journey of the believer truly begins when that conscious, deliberate realization of the existence of God is reached, and we added that this conviction is essential if the journey of the believer will come to that expected end. Today, we want to proceed to the second foundation of the undying hope of the believer, which is the knowledge that God cares and an understanding of just how much He cares for you and I. As can be seen from the story of Job and several of the Psalms, even when you know and are convinced beyond every shadow of doubt that God exists, it is possible and sometimes easy to wonder if He actually cares. But also, through the story of Job and even more of the Psalms, we are assured that God indeed cares. In the first passage we read today, we learned without any ambiguity that God is love, love gives and love cares, and God is a true embodiment of love. Beloved, God created us because of His love, and when we fell short of the glory of God because of sin, God made the ultimate sacrifice to restore us to Himself. The greatest evidence that God loves you and cares for you is that you are alive and you have the free will and the opportunity and privilege to be reconciled to God and have a personal relationship with the Creator of the entire universe. The Apostle Paul, having understood the greatness of the love of God in the midst of great suffering that he endured, says in Romans chapter 8, the verse 38 to 39, I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love, neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow. Not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love, no power in the sky above or in the earth below. Indeed, nothing in all creation would ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Beloved, the first thing you ought to know, beyond the conviction of the existence of God, is that God cares for you. God is love, and God loves you. He has demonstrated His love for you and I in ways that are incredible and unmistakable. The knowledge and assurance that God cares for you is an essential one, especially because we live in a fallen world filled with pain and suffering. Knowledge of the truth that God cares for you, despite whatever else may be happening around you, is the second foundation of the undying hope of the believer. Why don't you take some time out today to meditate on how much God cares for you? Let us take a memory verse from Lamentations chapter 3, the verse 21 to 23. Reading from the New Living Translation Let us pray. Father, we thank You for Your Word that has come to us today. We pray that You will continue to shed Your love abroad in our hearts and cause us to know, understand and appreciate the depths of Your love and care for us. Help us to be anchored in this hope that does not disappoint, and hold on until we see the manifestation of Your goodness in our lives. In the name of Jesus we pray with thanksgiving. Amen. Thank you for listening and stay tuned for more spirit food content on Radio HCI today. Until we come your way once again tomorrow morning at the same time, do stay blessed.