• God gives hope to the needy (Psalm 9: 18)-For the needy will not be forgotten forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.

God gives hope to the needy, he will not forget them forever, their hopes will not be crushed always, there is a time of victory for the poor as well as the rich.

• Hope gives us confidence (Psalm 25: 3)-No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others.

Our trust in the LORD.  Our hope is that we will not ever be disgraced.  Only those who live in deceit will be disgraced.

• The Bible gives us hope (Psalm 119: 43)-Do not snatch your word of truth from me, for my only hope is in your laws.

In this verse, we see The Church is imploring God not to hide or take His word of truth from us.  Here we can see that the truth can be hidden or taken from man if they fail to live by it.  Our only hope is in His laws.  We know that the LORD very intended to, and concisely inspired the Bible as a guide to His Children so that they would not be lost in this world of darkness, sin, and lies.  It is our hope in this land of bondage.

• Christians always have hope (Romans 8: 28)-And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.

Christians will always have hope in that we know that God causes everything to work well in unity for the good of those who love Him and are called upon to serve according to whatever His will or purpose is for their lives.  Each individual has a specific role to play in His plan of unity; so, they will come together, and it will be a huge success!

• Hope comes from the Holy Spirit (Romans 15: 13)-So, I pray that God, who gives you hope, will keep you happy and full of peace as you believe in Him.  May you overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Here we see along with the power of prayer of a faithful Christian, that there is hope, joy, and peace as you believe in Him.  A person of faith will receive healing, hope, joy, peace, anything they believe through Christ Jesus.  It is never ending throughout their lifetime.

• Jesus' resurrection gives us hope (1 Corinthians 6: 14)-And God will raise our bodies from the dead by his marvelous power, just as he raised our LORD from the dead.

This verse is in relation to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  His resurrection gives us hope, because we know that He was raised from the dead, and we (His Children) will also be raised from the dead to be with Him in His glory.  This is a promise through our LORD, and it is the hope of the Church today.

• We have hope in Jesus (1 Corinthians 15: 19)-And if we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world.

This verse is very clear in that our hope is not limited only to this life.  It extends to after life on earth.  The reason we know this is that Jesus promised that we would spend an eternity with him even after we die.  After our life ends on earth, our soul will meet with Him.  The joy that we have in Him is for eternity.

• We have confidence of eternal life (Titus 1: 1-2)-This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ.  I have been sent to bring faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives.  This truth gives them the confidence of eternal life, which God promised them before the world began-and He cannot lie.

In this VERY powerful verse, we see in a letter from Paul to the Church, when he was in slavery, that he is very clear about his role and what he was chosen to do, to bring faith to those God has CHOSEN.  It says here very clearly that only certain people are CHOSEN to receive the gospel of Jesus Christ.  To be taught to know the truth that will show them HOW to live a GODLY life.  This is what gives us the confidence of ETERNAL life, which is a promise from God even before the world began!  Because God is all-knowing, and He knows what's going to happen before it happens.  And He CANNOT lie.  So here we see clearly, that NOT ALL will receive, or believe the gospel.  Therefore, we also know that NOT ALL will have eternal life.  Some will unfortunately be lost in the world.  And so, we continue to pray for everyone in hopes that those who believe will remain in the faith.

I hope these verses help to clarify your questions on hope, and that it strengthens the hope you have as believers all over the world.  May the LORD continue to bless you, guide you, and protect you until His return!  Amen!

• Honesty is commanded by God (Exodus 20:16)-Do not testify falsely against your neighbor.

What this means is that we are not to tell lies about our Brothers or Sisters, we are not to admit to something we do not know of, or have not seen.  It means we are not to falsely witness to things that we do not know to be fact.

• Only honest people can worship God (Psalm 24: 3-4)-Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?  Who may stand in his holy place?  Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies.

As Christians, we are to be God fearing in that we need to be honest in everything in order to even remain a part of His flock; we cannot practice telling lies and claim to be His Children.

• God is truth and desires truth (Psalm 51:6)-But you desire honesty from the heart, so you can teach me to be wise in my inmost being.

In order for God to work in our lives, to show us wisdom, we must be honest both with Him, and true to ourselves from the depths of our hearts and souls.  He cannot change our hearts and minds if we are not honest with Him.

• God hates lies (Proverbs 6: 16-17)-There are six things the Lord hates-no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, ...

Honesty is one of God's most desired characteristic/attributes of His Children.  He hates lies because they create so many greater problems for His Children.  Christians should not feel comfortable telling or living lies.

• Be honest (Proverbs 19: 1)-It is better to be poor and honest than to be a fool and dishonest.

This verse is referring to honesty in financial dealings.  It is better to have little, and earn it honestly, than to be foolish (can result in loss of salvation), and do things that are illegal  or false in order to gain financial prosperity.

• Christians should be known by their honesty (Matthew 5: 37)-Just say a simple, 'Yes, I will,' or 'No, I won't.'  Your word is enough.  To strengthen your promise with a vow shows that something is wrong.

Christians should only respond yes or no when asked to tell the truth, for example, when in a Court of Law; testifying before a judge.  To vow, or swear, shows that you are not as honest a person.  It shows you are not in the good habit of speaking the truth.

• Lies make someone unclean before God (Matthew 15: 18-20)-But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them.  For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.  These are what defile you.  Eating with unwashed hands could never defile you and make you unacceptable to God!

So, lying makes us unclean before God.  Some people think that physical cleanliness is important.  And it is to live a healthy life.  However, your physical cleanliness cannot help or hinder your entrance into God's kingdom.  Lying can hinder your entrance into God's kingdom.  We must remain honest in order to call ourselves God's children and remain saved.  Otherwise, it's the same as a non-believer.

• Christians should put away dishonesty from their lives (Ephesians 4: 25)-So put away all falsehood and "tell your neighbor the truth" because we belong to each other.

If we call ourselves God's Children, but lie to one another, that means we are separating ourselves from both God, and our Brethren.  We cannot be dishonest with one another, and remain one.

I hope this study is as beneficial to you as it is to me.  We all need to be reminded of what God requires of His Church.  Let us continue to practice honesty in our lives for continued growth and blessings for our lives and the lives of those who surround us.  Until the next study, may the Lord bless you all, stay true.  Amen.