Saturday, July 20, 2013

Eternal Hope

 


R

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

John 14:15-19

Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live.”
- John 14:19 (NIV)
 
In the time since my mother died, I have thought of her and missed our times together. Thankfully, I am surrounded by many things that offer comfort: the colorful patchwork quilt, pieced by her hands, that brightens my bed; the rose bush near my back deck that started as a cutting from her yard; the loving note she placed in a safe-deposit box for me that read,

“Trusting in God and walking by faith can carry you far. A mother’s love never dies.” Certainly the greatest comfort of all is the promise of Jesus Christ that gave her hope for so many years: “Because I live, you also will live.” I know that I will continue to miss my mother. It is natural to feel the loss of those we love so much, but through faith in God we can experience joy even in times of sorrow.

Thought for the Day

Christ’s victory over death gives us hope in any sorrow.

Prayer

O God, you comfort us in our grief and lift us up in our despair. Thank you for the great hope we find in our risen Savior as we pray, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”*
 
Prayer focus  Someone whose parent has died
Posted by at