Read full chapter 43. We must be willing to wait. 1 Thessalonians 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; 2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. A very blessed Advent to you all. “our hope is not in this world. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. Merciful, pitiful, miserable. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc. What we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope. They are enslaved by the notion that buying one more item or one more gift will fulfill them. 2. Satan the devil, who deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9), wants humanity to be blind to the only real hope we can have, which is in Christ. Each day I lose hope, as I see people dying from shootings, wars, and accidents. It is a blessed hope, not a cursed one. There must be a mountain of presents under the tree by December 24th and we absolutely have to attend every single soiree we are invited to, even if it means little to no silence or preparation for the coming of Our Lord at Christmas or in the Second Coming. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Do not love the world or the things in the world. Neuter of monos as adverb; merely. This is an understandable mentality in wealthier nations, only because we have been inundated with this message since childhood. Let those thoughts pass through and not control your behavior. The problem is, that far too many of us Catholics are also enslaved by this aspect of our culture. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self … I’m gonna take it further, our hope is not in this nation...our hope is not in # Qanon and the so called great awakening. In many of our cultures the Christmas season is in full swing. Read full chapter Circle “hope” in verse 3, and then circle “reserved in heaven” in verse 4. The knowledge that we are not of this world gives Christians hope even in the darkest times (1 Peter 1:6-9); hope that this will pass and at the end of it we will be in heaven with our God, face to face forever (Revelation 21:3-4). The irresistible conclusion, then, is this: the one hope for the child of God is not upon this earth, but is exclusively in heaven. Ultimately, it is the Lord alone who is our hope. Nativity. What we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope. Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. It is not visible, political or violent. The Great Commission is the Sum & Substance of Our Calling. Your future is uncertain and you have no idea what tomorrow may bring. Hope doesn’t arrive on our front doorstep. hope, Our hope is not in this world: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1 ). Our # hope is in # Jesus ” # Bibleprophecy # Endtimes And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. Romans 5: 5 reads, “Hope will not disappoint us.” If we have lived more than a few years, we know spring will return. This world is not our home. 13. Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural. 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In order to prepare for the great Solemnity of Christmas, we must silence our hearts and minds. The knowledge that we are not of this world gives Christians hope even in the darkest times (1 Peter 1:6-9); hope that this will pass and at the end of it we will be in heaven with our God, face to face forever (Revelation 21:3-4). Hope must be an active word in our vocabulary. It is a dimension that we enter through the Spirit of God. The more futile, the more useless, the more irrelevant and incomprehensible an act of rebellion is, the vaster and more potent hope becomes.” Chris Hedges. "And now, O LORD, for what do I wait? What about our celebration of Christmas draws us more deeply into the Incarnation? It is the version of Christmas when we are told to buy more things and to accumulate as many material possessions as we can for ourselves and others. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. He was born in a stable, after all. This is not to say that gifts are a bad idea. The transfoming truth from this passage is that "We’re not home yet!" This Advent let us focus on truly preparing for the coming of the Christ child and also ask God to help us grow in holiness because we do not know the hour when He will come again. His plans will not be thwarted and his people will not be overcome. 16 Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have with those in need, for such sacrifices are very pleasing to him. This certain hope of being saved is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls, connecting us with God himself . 14 For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven. What do we want this Christmas: More things or more joy? Demonstrative Pronoun - Dative Feminine Singular. From elpis; to expect or confide. in Theology with an emphasis in philosophy. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 1 Corinthians 4:9-13 For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men…, Matthew 10:21-25 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death…. Hope must be invited in. 1 John 2:15-17 ESV / 22 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. If. Whose birthday are we getting ready for at this point in time? The second word would be: noisy. Christmas is about Him after all and not about me. They should know that we are Catholic by the way we live our lives, but do they see a difference? Yes, we want to celebrate and to a certain extent that cannot be avoided, but we should be actively living Advent. Perspective for those in Christ Jesus. christmas, not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you, 1 Thessalonians 1:3 Verse Concepts Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. Here are 4 signs God is at work in the chaos of COVID-19. It is enslaved by lower goods and disordered passions. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. Let those thoughts pass through and not control your behavior. We will never be ashamed for placing our hope in Him because He has the power to deliver us out of all our troubles. It is therefore clear that our one hope is in heaven. I’m not finished with you yet’ (v.27–28, MSG). Advent, There is an endless array of distractions, colors, dazzling displays, and blaring Christmas music telling us this is the “most wonderful time of the year”, and yet, everyone seems harried, hurried, unpleasant, and overwhelmed. Ecclesiastes 6:11 Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better? Advent reminds us that this is not our home and that we can only be fulfilled through communion with the Most Holy Trinity. Constance T. Hull is a wife, mother, homeschooler, and a graduate with an M.A. Whether disasters reach the news or not, World Vision is responding with resilience to provide hope to the most vulnerable. Life, both of physical (present) and of spiritual (particularly future) existence. If we are out shopping incessantly, focused on material possessions, and not entering into this period of waiting, then we will be no different from our culture come Christmas Eve. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. Hope is the bedrock of this nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us; by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is; who have courage to remake the world as it should be. Hope is action. It is heaven coming down. Our neighbors are overwhelmed and overburdened. Carleton Jones, OP (Province of St Joseph) / Flickr, Tagged as: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:8–9). He will not leave us nor forsake us. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope. Does it dwell with God or in the external realities of this busy season within our culture? Our hope is not in this world: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1 ). Hope doesn’t arrive on our front doorstep. There is a lot more time for prayer and the Sacraments when we are not overwhelmed in a shopping line at countless stores. Have we made a concerted effort, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to focus on waiting for Christ during Advent? Not only are these great verses to keep on hand throughotu the year, but also if you are looking for a Christmas Bible verse to include on a holiday card. Hope must be welcomed. Your lack of hope may lead you to think that these ideas won’t help you. How often do you feel the need for a cheeseburger after a Hardee’s commercial? Pick a few events to attend and save the rest for the actual Christmas season. They are enslaved by the notion that buying one more item or one more gift will fulfill them. Is it the Living God we seek or merely pleasures and a type of happiness, which is a shadow of joy? The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist. All rights reserved. We do not posses that power. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. Matthew 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. GEORGE ELIOT (more George Eliot quotes) The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Carleton Jones, OP (Province of St Joseph) / Flickr, How Families Can Prepare for Spiritual Warfare | Kathleen Beckman, How Can Beauty & Culture Save the World? We cannot place this world over the world to come. On December 25th, we are only getting started with our celebrate of the profound gift of the Incarnation. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole. People should be able to sense something different about us. Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural - Comparative. The hope of heaven changes the way we view this world. My point here is not to denigrate the giving side of the upcoming (no it is not Christmas, yet) Christmas season. – Matthew 12:18-21, quoting Isaiah 42:1-4 A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc. It is to help us fix our gaze on Christ in hope that He will come again and that we will soon celebrate the astonishing mystery of the Incarnation. (Believers) The government is not our God. We must ask God to help us overcome our tendency for immediate gratification. Hope must be invited in. To hope, hope for, expect, trust. Ecclesiastes 9:9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. 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