Hope

No matter how hard I work everyday to get things done, I always feel like there is no hope when I do not turn to God to take care of everything. He has closed a door for me to play Baseball which leaves only one option and that is still only a possibility. I know I have not been as fervent in seeking him since I started the search for schools and not giving it all to him and letting him take care of things has led to a door being shut on me. There is still hope though because no matter how tough my life gets or how alone I feel, he will always be there to push me and to hold me in his arms when I feel like the world is crashing down around me. I now have two choices for the 2009 Fall Semester, Vegas or Manhattan and we will see where God leads me. I know that wherever it is, I am going to continue to grown and learn from those that surround me and I will build up others in Christ as I have been trying to do for the past few months. Just in the past 24 hours, I have had some opportunities to encourage some friends and in turn I have seen that God can use me and he is going to use me as I continue to grow in him. He has taken care of me and a lot of the time I take that for granted but even as I was rudely woken this morning and accused of staying up late, I stayed in good spirits and thanked God for another day to live. It is tough but just being thankful can make your day that much better and showing God love is going to help you further your relationship with him because I think we fail to do such a simple task most of the time.

The verses that I have been encouraged by and have been able to use to encourage people were brought to me at about 4:30 this morning when I woke up in the middle of the night. Found in Romans chapter 5 verses 1-5, it states, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out this love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." As people everyday, we find ourselves struggling, getting into arguments, having a hard time with family, to stay strong and committed to our boyfriends and girlfriends, husbands and wives, to remain pure and to do what is noble and good. However we need to understand that God has given us hope and he will strengthen us as we battle through these things. He has give us immense support and if we surround ourselves with those who care about us and are willing to listen and help, there is nothing that we cannot overcome. Even though our faith might be little, nothing can stop the hope that we have in him. Hope brings us closer to the end, it brings us joy, it leads us to our dreams, it keeps us up at night because we are excited to see what happens next. Our story is written everyday and we only hope for the best but when everything seems to crash and break around us, we will persevere, we will build our character, and we will regain the hope and the faith that we profess. How will you face adversity? 

I still have not found my devotional book, but I think God is going to take care of me and supply me with what I need to get by everyday as long as I continue to seek him no matter what. I'm about a week and a half out from the beginning of Semester 2 but I am more than ready and have a willing heart to make changes when I go back. Best wishes to all and I hope you all had a great Monday.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson