I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy spirit fill you with hope. Romans 15:13 (Life Application Study Bible)
Jesus Tells Us… With me, some things are a mystery. I am the One who walks beside you, holding your hand, and I am the One who lives in you to comfort and guide you. I am able to be both, all at the same time. Here’s another mystery, Not only am I in you, but you are also in Me. We are woven together like the threads of a cloth. There is nothing in heaven or on earth that can separate you from Me! As you think about these amazing mysteries, be happy that you have a God who loves you so very much.
Jesus Concludes… Let the knowledge of My Presence in you and around you fill you up with My Joy and Peace. These are mysteries that you can’t understand, but you can enjoy them!
Romans 15:13; Colossians 1:27; Isaiah 42:6; Nehemiah 8:10
Footnotes Romans 15:13 These words form Paul’s benediction for his letter. What follows next are his personal plans for travel and greetings. He gives confident assurance to his readers by reminding them that God gives us our hope. Paul isn’t talking about having an optimistic attitude for a better day tomorrow. We cannot create or talk ourselves into this kind of hope on our own. God gives it as a gift of the Holy Spirit. The hope Paul speaks of, means being confident of our resurrection with new bodies in the new earth. With hope, God gives us joy right now as we anticipate what he has ahead for us and as we have the privilege of doing his work and will day by day. We have peace, as we rest in the assurance that God will do as he has promised.
Passage Colossians 1:27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Footnotes Colossians 1:26-27 The false teachers in the Colossian church believed that spiritual perfection was a secret and hidden plan that only a few privileged people could discover. This secret plan was meant to be exclusive for an elite group. Paul said that he was proclaiming the entire message of God, not just a part of the plan. He also called God’s plan a “mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations,” not in the sense that only a few would understand it, but because it had been hidden until Christ came. Through Christ it was made open to all. God’s secret plain is “Christ in you, the hope of glory”, God planned to have his Son, Jesus Christ, live in the hearts of all who believe in him, even Gentiles like the Colossians. Do you know Christ? He is not hidden if you will come to him. Have you experienced his liberating love? Don’t keep it a secret, share it with others.
Passage Isaiah 42:6 I the LORD, have called you in righteousness, I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles.
Footnotes Isaiah 42:6-7 Part of Christ’s mission on earth, was to demonstrate God’s righteousness and to be a light to all nations. Through Christ, all people have the opportunity to share in his mission. God calls us to be servants of his Son, demonstrating God’s righteousness and bringing his light. A right relationship with God, leads to right love that produces right actions. What a rare privilege we have to join with the Messiah to fulfill his mission! But we must seek his righteousness before we demonstrate it to others, and let his light shine in us before we can be lights ourselves. When John the Baptist’s disciples came to Jesus to ask if he was the Messiah, Jesus pouted this passage as part of his answer to them.
Passage Nehemiah 8:10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Footnotes Nehemiah 8:9-10 The people wept openly when they heard God’s laws and realized how far they were from obeying them. But Ezra told them they should be filled with joy because the day was holy. It was time to celebrate and to give gifts to those in need. Celebration is not to be self-centered. Ezra connected celebration with giving. This gave those in need an opportunity to celebrate as well. Often when we celebrate and give to others (even when we don’t feel like it), we are strengthened spiritually and filled with joy. Enter into celebrations that honor God, and allow him to fill you with his joy. Out of joy for what he has done, you will want to give freely.
THE WORLD…we see history
Queen Elizabeth I 1533 – 1603
- Daughter of the Notorious Henry VIII
- Her mother was executed on charges of Witchcraft, incest, adultery, and conspiracy against the king
- Elizabeth was imprisoned on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels
- Presided over an astonishing period of growth in Britain
In Tudor England, the wealthy were distinguished by their white skin (laborers became tanned), and Elizabeth used makeup made of white lead and vinegar to stress the point.
Hers was not an auspicious start, and greatness could never have been predicted. But after Elizabeth emerged from a precarious birth and childhood, she raised her nation up, lifting England from a period of debt and religious strife, to one of world-beating glory. Elizabeth was the daughter of the notorious Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. When her mother was executed on charges of witchcraft, incest, adultery, and conspiracy against the king, Elizabeth was declared illegitimate. But in 1544, Parliament overturned the designation and reestablished her at the head of the line of succession.
The WORD…we see Jesus, His Story!
It was a time when Catholics and Protestants were in constant conflict, and for about a year, Elizabeth was imprisoned on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels. She regained her freedom only by professing conformity to Catholicism, and soon ascended to the throne. England, at the time, was totally downtrodden, beset by internal problems and distressed by its failures in its wars against the French. Elizabeth presided over an astonishing period of growth in Britain’s cultural and political influence. William Shakespeare, philosopher and scientist Francis Bacon and colonist and explorer Sir Walter Raleigh are all hallmark names of the Elizabethan era, so, too, the rise of the British navy and the beginnings of British colonization. Elizabeth, reestablished Anglicanism, her father’s Church of England, and was tough on the Catholics. She stabilized labor unrest, instituted currency reforms and laws to aid the poor, and boosted agriculture and industry. Seeking peace in Europe, she defeated Spain and held France at bay. Vain and fickle, brave and bold, she set her nation on its path towards greatness.
Source, Life Magazine 100 people who changed the world https://www.life.com/history/lifes-100-people-who-changed-the-world/