Then I said, “I am sickened by the thought
Psalm 77:10-13
that the Most High might become inactive.
11 I will remember the works of the Lord.
Yes, I will remember the amazing things you did long ago.
12 I will think about all you have done;
I will reflect upon your deeds.”
13 O God, your deeds are extraordinary.
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5
I’m sure as we go through this week, we will discover many things about the “nature of hope” but if I had to sum it up today as we begin – I would use the phrase “life-changing”. I hope the following image/my “SOAP NOTES” will give you a glimpse of what I mean …
Don’t forget to visit https://lovegodgreatly.com/lgg-blog/ for today’s Love God Greatly blog post for some insightful commentary on today’s passage.
My SOAP/study Notes
I cannot wait for this study to begin!!! I need the daily refreshment (the giving of fresh mental or spiritual/physical strength or energy) of this Hope in my life –
Check this out … and please share and invite a friend because everyone needs a hope that will not disappoint 
A hope that allows us to live every day with joy and peace, no matter our circumstances.
“Hope is the confidence to wait on God when we cannot see the future.”
“Endurance is continuing to place our hope in the goodness of God when our circumstances tell us to give up.”
“And faith is the assurance that our hope will not disappoint us because the One who holds our hope is trustworthy.”
Join me here daily for links and blogs on the daily readings.
Over the past 5 weeks we have read a lot about Jesus, faith, and endurance. In our everyday lives I bet we’ve all faced times where we called out to Jesus, where we’ve had to lean on our faith and perhaps where we’ve even struggled to endure. In this last week we will continue to look at these three factors. We will read why and how and what we must endure. Our focus verse will give us yet another example to consider, as it leads us to daily remember how and why Jesus endured. An example I believe, is the best answer as to why Jesus is our everything. My prayer is that we will finish strong and as we close the last page we will find our FAITH stronger than when we entered in – and together we will endure and not shrink back.
Question of the day: What does it mean to shrink back? What does it look like to not shrink back?
Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 10:26-39 (S.O.A.P. Hebrews 10:36-39)
For if we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins is left for us,[a] 27 but only a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fury[b] of fire that will consume God’s enemies.[c] 28 Someone who rejected the law of Moses was put to death[d] without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.[e] 29 How much greater punishment do you think that person deserves who has contempt for[f] the Son of God, and profanes[g] the blood of the covenant that made him holy,[h] and insults the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know the one who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,”[i] and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”[j] 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32 But remember the former days when you endured a harsh conflict of suffering after you were enlightened. 33 At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and afflictions, and at other times you came to share with others who were treated in that way. 34 For in fact you shared the sufferings of those in prison,[k] and you accepted the confiscation of your belongings with joy, because you knew that you certainly[l] had a better and lasting possession. 35 So do not throw away your confidence, because it[m] has great reward. 36 For you need endurance in order to do God’s will and so receive what is promised.[n] 37 For just a little longer[o] and He who is coming will arrive and not delay.[p] 38 But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I[q] take no pleasure in him.[r] 39 But we are not among those who shrink back and thus perish, but are among those who have faith and preserve their souls.[s]
James says it like this: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested your endurance has a chance to grow, So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed you will be perfect and complete needing nothing.” James 1:2-4. Paul says something very similar in our focus passage today: “… we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance character and character hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Clearly the message is the same – God does not want us to give into or sit around complaining about our troubles and sufferings. Actually, instead of complaining or wallowing in a “woe is me” attitude He calls us to rejoice or to count it an opportunity for ‘great joy’. The question begs to be asked though, how does one rejoice in real and present suffering or stop to consider it an opportunity for great joy?
Throughout my lifetime, God has given me – and my family – many opportunites to learn the answer to this question, but yesterday he gave me yet another example through my daughter Abi. She was having a particularly difficult day. It was definitely a day laced with troubles and sufferings, both physical and emotional. I could tell through several texts that I received that she was struggling and even distraught at times and I expected to find her like that when I arrived home. However, when I walked in the door – while I found her to be tired and emotionally drained there was no sign of the woe is me, overwhelmed attitude I expected to find. As she relayed the devastating phone calls and the frustrations that had occurred she began to share how she had cried many tears, and how she had cried out to God, until her head hurt. Then she said something that blessed my heart –
“I finally started listing all of the encouragement God had given me.”
She explained how, in a moment of anguish, she had cried out to God specifically asking for encouragement As I listened to her list them out for me and describe all of the ways she could see God’s fingerprints I was blessed and rejoiced over her greatly! Then as I sat down to read today’s passage I knew Abi had practiced exactly what Paul had encouraged the believers to do. In the midst of her suffering, in the heartache and the unknown and the fears and frustrations, in the hardship and real and present needs she had found a way to rejoice. Earlier in the day, in the wake of yet more disappointment and apparent “tested faith”she texted me to say: “I know God has this and that’s what I keep trying to remind myself but I just needed encouragement and I don’t know why He couldn’t give it.” Yet, there – in the midst of it all – God had led her to begin naming even the tiniest of ways that she had seen His fingerprints. I’m not sure she would say she rejoiced “in the cause” of her suffering, however, she certainly had found a way to count the suffering an opportunity for great joy which did indeed lead to a visibly and audibly enhanced character of peace, producing an obvious deepened hope in our God.
Me From the Inside Out 