Throughout time people have been searching for meaning in their lives; searching to find truth. Many, because they can’t physically see God, have decided he must not be real. The truth is, he is everywhere. We see him in his creation – from the outer most stars to the tiny ladybug. As scripture says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) You may ask, “How can I believe that?” The answer is by faith. If you are wondering how you can have such a faith, again the answer is found in scripture, “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)
We encourage you to begin looking into the word of God for answers. With the Bible as our guide, we will begin our search for meaning and purpose, using faith as our foundation. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)
What is it that you hope for? Most likely it is happiness, contentment, fulfillment, purpose and a meaning for your life. As far back as history can be reported, men have managed to hurt one another through various wrong deeds. Still today it continues as people are maligned, abused and even killed. You may be feeling the sting of something done to you or falsely said about you. Sometimes we find ourselves on the receiving end of hurt or wrongdoing. However, there is not one of us that can claim to be completely pure. We indeed may be good citizens, loving husbands, wives and parents. We, for the most part, are very good people. However, even though we feel our miss-deeds are small and insignificant, like the small white lie or the occasional gossip, no one is perfect. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. However, Romans 3:24 goes on to say, “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
What is God’s grace? Grace: Good will, favor – the love and favor of God toward men. (Webster’s Dictionary) Grace is mercy; it is undeserved but given anyway. We are given this grace, this forgiveness, because Jesus took our punishment for us.
We don’t often think much about it, but our calendar is based on the birth of Jesus. Dates are either recorded B.C. (Before Christ) or A.D. (After the Day of Christ). He was born into a simple family and worked in his father’s carpentry shop until he was about 30 years old. Yet who he was and what he did has rocked the world ever since.
The young girl Mary was visited by an angel and told she would conceive and give birth to the Son of God. Miraculous? Yes. Is it hard to understand? Yes. Because both she and her fiancé, Joseph, were faithful believers in God, shocked yet obedient, they accepted this message. In this way, the sinless and perfect man, God’s only son, came to live on earth to teach, to heal, and to give his life for us. There is something very exciting and wonderful about all of this. All that is required on our part is that we believe (by faith) and we will receive a gift that is beyond anything we might imagine. What is this gift? It is the fulfillment of all our needs and desires. It is finding our purpose, our meaning and our ultimate happiness. It is The Joy of Hope. How can you find this for yourself? Please read on.