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Shepherds’ Notes

Recently, in a conversation with a brother, we were talking about the daffodils which have come into bloom and how pretty they are this year.  This brother remarked how the blooming daffodils gave him a sign of hope for the year.  It is an acknowledgement that God is in control, and He has set His creation in order.

In Hebrews 11:1 the writer states, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

We can look at the daffodils and be assured that spring and summer are coming, even though the azaleas are not in bloom and tomato plants are not producing tomatoes yet.

We have young couples preparing for their weddings this year.  It is a sign of hope that God will bless these marriages as two become one flesh and start a life together in union with God.

We have couples who will soon bring a new life into the world.  It is a sign of hope to see a child raised by parents who love the Lord and want to teach their children to also love the Lord.

Some of us who have lived relatively long lifespans should certainly make hope a major part of our lives.  We can look back and rejoice in the hope of the young, but we are not without hope.  Just as daffodils provide hope in the physical world, God’s Word, His church, His promises, all provide hope to all of us.

In Hebrews, faith is linked to hope.  The greatest assurance of better things to come rests in our faith in Jesus Christ.

The fourth verse of Edward Mote’s hymn, My Hope is Built on Nothing Less, describes that hope.

When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found:
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne.