New Hope Church

He passed away, to no one’s regret… —II Chronicles 21:20 The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them. —Proverbs 20:7              These words are so sad— “He passed away, to no one’s regret.”  No one cared that he had died.  Jehoram was a wicked, evil king that influenced many into darkness and away from our Lord.  When he died, nobody regretted it.  Nobody cared.  What a sad commentary about a life lived apart from our Lord.              On the other hand, “The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them.”  Parents who live faithfully for our Lord have children that are blessed.  Children, whether they…

Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. —II Chronicles 20:15 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”  But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard…

May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. —Psalm 20:4 May our Lord give us the desires that we desire that line up with His desires— “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13).  So, sit and ponder the desire that our Lord is desiring for you.  What is the work He is working in you that your will is to align with His to fulfill His good purpose?              We should be like the Psalmist who said, “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;…

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” —II Chronicles 15:7              What was said of King Asa can be said of we followers of Jesus as well— “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (I Corinthians 15:58).  So, don’t “become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).  And “The one who plants and the one who waters…

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. —Romans 8:28 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? —Romans 8:31 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus…

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.  I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. —Romans 8:17-18  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we…

But will God really dwell on earth with humans? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! —II Chronicles 6:18              The temple Solomon built for God was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide and 45 feet high and Solomon obviously realized that such a structure could not be big enough to contain Him.  Solomon said, “The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!”  Can a drinking cup contain the whole ocean?  How could a temple contain the eternal Lord God Almighty?              And yet, and this is mind boggling, Jesus said, “Destroy…

By your hand save me from such people, Lord, from those of this world whose reward is in this life. —Psalm 17:14              There are people who would like to do harm to followers of Jesus.  The Psalmist is asking our Lord for protection from such people and we should as well.  Not only for ourselves, but also for brothers and sisters in other parts of the world.  Oh, may we do so.              Yes, there are people whose reward is only in this life.  The life they now live is the closest they will ever get to heaven because they do not want to follow and live for Jesus.  They…

Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.  I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” —Psalm16:1-2 Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. —Proverbs 19:21              Surely, this is the safest place to be— to take refuge in our Lord God Almighty.  We are to know this as well— that “apart from you I have no good thing.”  This truth is again repeated by Jesus when He said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;…

He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. —Romans 4:25 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ —Romans 5:1 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is…