March 20th

The Integrity of Redemption

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 Hope.

It's amazing the power this little word has.

Just consider that the promise of hope elected President Obama. Proverbs tells us that Hope deferred makes the heart sick. Hope gives strength that helps the suffering to endure.

Hope is strong. Hope is powerful. Hope is life-giving and life-sustaining. Studies even show that hope prolongs and saves the lives of cancer patients, as many times people have died quickly when diagnosed early on with treatable cancers because they lacked hope and people have survived late diagnoses of horrible cancers because they held fast to hope.

What are you hoping for today? What hopes have you held in the past that you have given up on? And how do you grow in this powerful thing we call hope?

No matter how much hope you have today, let me encourage you-the God of all hope is also the God who redeems all things.

Look at our verse today. That's a life verse for me that speaks of the freedom that is found in our redemption. It speaks of the faithfulness of God where our redemption is concerned. It speaks of His forgiveness over our past, present, and future, over things that we're not even aware of right now that we're going to royally screw up.

His Word declares that we can know this, that all things work together for good-not just the good things, but also the bad things, not just the successes, but also the failures, and even the things that you look at in your life and would call somewhat neutral-all things. He promises to redeem all things.

I get questioned on this all the time because so many people are right in the middle of it. They're like, How could this be redeemed? This is sin. This is sick. This stinks. I've lost hope. That's a big question, and I don't want this answer to sound trite, but as soon as we look to God more than we usually do, redemption has begun. If we're looking to God more because of something, then it's worth it right there. Now that is not where God's redemption stops,

but it is where it begins.

Once we have fixed our eyes on the God of our redemption, we have found our God of hope, too.

Prayer Lord God,

Thank You that You are the God of both redemption and hope! I need hope refreshed in my life, so I look to You with joyful anticipation of how You are going to redeem my circumstances for Your glory!

Amen