Our Future Hope in God - Part 2

Dearest Saints, I would like to continue with the last message about seeing yourself as a product of the future by what God is able to do for you and through you. It's always a desire within me to bring the strength of having that Hope of God within you. I like to be reminded of Gideon when an Angel of the Lord came to Gideon and declared that he was a mighty man of fearless courage (Judges 6:12). In the natural, he should have been the last man to be called that as he was so fearful of the enemies and showed much cowardice towards an army that were coming against them. But God didn't see Gideon as he is, but saw him to what he could become when he chose to trust fully in the Lord. It reminds me about the greatest verse of Love, that if we have Gods love working in us, we will always believe the best for ourselves and others. If we fail in this, we have failed in fulfilling the greatest commandment (love) of all time which God has for us. I strongly believe that unless we believe the best for ourselves first, we can't expect to believe the best for others. We can't give out what we don't first learn to receive. When we look at this verse, often times, we will not believe the best for others because we often don't believe this for ourselves. Conditional love is based on past performances or present condition, it has nothing to do with any future Hope. When Gods Love Hopes for the best, it talks about the future. Remember that hope is not hope if it already has come to pass for who hopes in what has already taken place? But true Godly Hope will believe the best for others (1 Cor 13:7). Hoping the best for others relates to the future. This doesn't mean that we overlook their present condition to try and gently bring correction or much needed corrective action, but our attitude has to be to always believe and hope for the best regardless of what we have seen or see within a person. This means that we are always hopeful in the things we do not see in the natural. We are justified by faith (by trusting in Him) to always believe for better things to come in the future (Gal 3:11,24). Let's have that genuine hope within us that we will become like Christ all because of the work He wants to do and is willing to do in our lives. From receiving this for ourselves first, let's then encourage others that they can have that same hope within of becoming like Christ and be yielded to His Spirit to allow Him to do the work within each of us. This will help us to stop having this fickle worldly love as "conditional love" and instead, be able to continually develop that greater agape love that is "unconditional" all because we don't see others as they are, but as they can become through Christ. It's a liberation for myself to have that Hope knowing that He (God) is the One who is faithful that never stops short, but is so patient with me. He will complete the work He started within me a long time ago and continue to do so until He should return (Phil 1:6). Therefore, don't ever give up on the future Hope (believing for Gods best) for ourselves and for others simply because we can put our trust in the One who truly remains faithful. He doesn't have to do anything more to prove His love and faithfulness to us. He perfected that through His Son Jesus Christ when He walked this earth. I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return]. Phil 1:6 In the Matchless Name of Jesus Richard Ministry Encourager Answers2Prayer http://sites.google.com/site/greatestbuilderforourlife http://www.answers2prayer.org/