what hope is found in this..

so, i have been reading a one year Bible every day that takes me through Genesis, Matthew, Psalm, and Proverbs each reading. i have realized i am a huge fan of this. keeps my mind occupied. i must admit that i am excited when it comes time for me to sit down and read. i have never been much of an old testament kind of person (which we should be a whole Bible kind of people! ha), but i have always had a desire to learn from it and know the history of it. yeah, i know the sunday school stories, but i have never taken the time to really sit and read it all. there are certain old testament books that i love and have read and studied quite a bit, but the time has come that i need and want to learn about it all. i didn't really have any expectations about how i would feel or what would be spoken to me reading through Genesis, but i didn't expect to have a passion and desire to read more and more of it. i am loving reading through Genesis. i have loved reading about abraham and his wives and children. when reading about him and his journey i have come across some odd and somewhat disturbing facts about his life and at the same time these facts give me and believers everywhere hope. see abraham lied and said that his wife sarah was his sister. (i know she really was, but he wasn't telling the truth by not saying she was his wife) i realize this was done out of fear and in hopes of protecting both of them, but it struck me as odd. didn't abraham fully trust that the Lord would take care of him?? wasn't that what he is known for? wasn't abraham a man that was so close to the Lord and one that the Lord loved and trusted and saw his complete devotion to him?? yeah, he was. abraham made some weird decisions and mistakes, but the Lord still loved him, called him to greatness, used him, trusted him, blessed him, and called him one of his own! what a hope is found in that we too can be all those things even when we lack faith and make mistakes! abraham was still used by God and was blessed and used immensely. when realizing this my mind was directed to the life of david. david was considered a man after God's own heart after all the horrible things he did!! that should give all of us believers hope that we too can be men and women after God's own heart no matter what we have done. it matters where your heart is now.. it matters what your actions are now.. not what you have done and where you have been. i have a hope that means it is never too late to live for the Lord with a heart that is completely devoted to Him..

Lord, thank you for these reminders through your word and your truth. may i continue to see hope and truth through my readings through all you have written. may i never forget that you love us through everything we have done. may i never look back on where i have been, but rather look forward to how i can grow and serve you better.

filled with hope,
beth.