Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
A friend of mine frequently says, “God is a God of hope.” He is right, of course. Yes, Jesus gives us hope. In Hebrews 6:10-20, we find “love” (verse 10), “hope” (verse 11), and “faith” (verse 12) referenced. These three are joined elsewhere in the New Testament, including in I Corinthians 13:13. In the writings of the early Church, the three are routinely found together. Over time, though, hope has taken a secondary place in the Church’s teaching. If we correctly understand hope to be a certainty that is based on our God’s character and in accordance with His Word, then we will begin to better appreciate this life-changing gift that is part of the salvation that Jesus graciously grants to each believer.