"LOVE LIKE LINDA" (pt.2)

"And now abides Faith,Hope,Love, these three; but the greatest of these is Love."

1 Cor. 13:13

"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the Glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the Hope of Glory. We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, striving with all all His energy, which so powerfully works in me."

Colossians 1: 27-29

"her great Hope "

As I shared last time, to "live like Linda" is to "Love like Linda". The Love of God, working in her, and expressed thru her. The foundation for such Love is her Faith,in Jesus, and his Finished Work on the Cross. Because of her great Faith, she understood what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote,"Christ in you, the Hope of Glory. The Hope of Glory has a two-fold meaning, presently and eternally.

In the eternal meaning, it is the fulfillment of God's Promise to restore us and all creation, at the end of the age. It encompasses all the redemptive Promises, including the Rapture of the believers ,Christ's return, final defeat of satan, and establishing His Eternal Kingdom. It includes the Hope that we have as believers, that when our physical lives are over, we will immediately be in His Presence, should His return come later.

In our daily lives, the term means Christ in us, and working thru us. The Apostle called this "the Glorious riches of this mystery. To help us to better understand this mystery, let's look at two key words, Hope, and Glory. Glory is a multi-faceted word used to describe attributes of someone or someplace, and ascribe honor and praise. In the context of the scriptures, it's used to describe the Presence of God. His Presence makes all things Glorious. Because of His Presence, Hope, isn't a wishful thought, but the confident, expectant, joyful knowledge that we are being changed by God, and are being conformed to the image of Jesus, to one day see Him, face to face. Christ in us, the confident, joyful knowledge, of the Presence of God, expressed thru us. Linda understood, live like Christ.

Linda didn't "preach" the Gospel, she lived it and was an example to those around her, of Christ in us. Just as Paul stated in today's verse, Linda walked in the Power of the Holy Spirit. Proclaiming Him, encouraging and teaching everyone, with wisdom, with the hope that they would have a relationship with Jesus. Always encouraging other believers, to a closer walk with Him, thru His Word and prayer with Him.

Linda's desire to see everyone come to know Jesus, was so beautifully expressed, during her celebration of life. Her dear friend, and prayer partner, Pastor Judy Pickrel shared a beautiful message about Linda's life and God's Grace. At one point, she gave an invitation for those who didn't know Jesus, to give their hearts to Him, a great testimony to Linda. She reminded those of us who serve the Lord, that as we grieve, that we are not without Hope. Moses encouraged Israel and reminded them That "The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."( Deu. 31:8). The Lord Himself will help us thru the grieving process. In doing so, reminding us, how Linda lived this verse. Every situation and trial she faced, come what may, her great Faith gave her the confident, expectant, joyful knowledge of the Promise of God, to see Him, face to face." Her great Hope."