1
00:00:00,600 –> 00:00:04,080
In 2025, I found myself
wrestling with frustration that

2
00:00:04,080 –> 00:00:08,520
God was not giving me joy.
And then God very patiently told

3
00:00:08,520 –> 00:00:11,200
me what was actually happening.
It wasn’t that he was

4
00:00:11,200 –> 00:00:14,080
withholding joy, it was that I
was rejecting it.

5
00:00:14,560 –> 00:00:18,200
What followed was an invitation
to spend 30 days looking at 30

6
00:00:18,200 –> 00:00:21,320
passages on Joy and turning it
into a devotional called

7
00:00:21,320 –> 00:00:24,800
Rejecting Joy No longer.
You’d think I would have learned

8
00:00:25,000 –> 00:00:28,160
that coming into 2026, I was
wrestling with hope.

9
00:00:28,840 –> 00:00:32,040
God, why are you making me so
hopeless?

10
00:00:32,640 –> 00:00:35,480
And God very patiently let me
know the reality.

11
00:00:36,080 –> 00:00:39,160
He wasn’t withholding hope.
I was rejecting it.

12
00:00:39,560 –> 00:00:43,520
And so now here I am, spending
30 days looking at 30 passages

13
00:00:43,560 –> 00:00:46,560
on hope.
And my hope is that this

14
00:00:46,560 –> 00:00:49,440
encourages you.
One thing that’s different this

15
00:00:49,440 –> 00:00:52,160
year is I felt like God was
inviting me to be publicly

16
00:00:52,160 –> 00:00:56,440
transparent with my processing.
To actually go live on social

17
00:00:56,440 –> 00:01:00,880
media, pull out a random verse,
and then read and process

18
00:01:00,880 –> 00:01:04,440
through it on camera.
This isn’t me coming to you as

19
00:01:04,440 –> 00:01:08,440
an expert on hope, but me coming
to you honestly as someone

20
00:01:08,440 –> 00:01:12,120
wrestling with hope.
And by witnessing that some of

21
00:01:12,120 –> 00:01:16,720
you might feel less alone, may
feel seen and understood, may

22
00:01:16,720 –> 00:01:19,840
end up being encouraged in a way
that is far deeper than the best

23
00:01:19,840 –> 00:01:23,240
platitude.
So join me as I spend 30 days

24
00:01:23,440 –> 00:01:27,560
navigating 30 passages on Hope.
This is day 18.

25
00:01:28,960 –> 00:01:32,680
You’re listening to episode 225
of the Where Did You See God

26
00:01:32,680 –> 00:01:48,280
podcast.
Hello folks.

27
00:01:48,720 –> 00:01:53,080
Unfortunately it happened again
where I started recording.

28
00:01:53,480 –> 00:01:57,120
I don’t know if it went live or
not, but it never got to where

29
00:01:57,120 –> 00:02:00,520
it’s supposed to be.
So I’ve already spent some time

30
00:02:00,520 –> 00:02:03,920
with this verse.
We’re going to jump into it like

31
00:02:03,920 –> 00:02:06,560
it’s new by the guy that just
saying that you were gotten, you

32
00:02:06,560 –> 00:02:08,479
are good and for the ways that
you move.

33
00:02:08,520 –> 00:02:11,760
And we thank you for your word,
the gift that it is.

34
00:02:12,400 –> 00:02:14,000
Whisper.
Thank you for the verse that

35
00:02:14,000 –> 00:02:16,280
you’ve brought about.
Pray that you would open our

36
00:02:16,280 –> 00:02:19,200
ears to hear the deeper truth
about hope within it.

37
00:02:20,160 –> 00:02:22,200
Nice, Pam.
It’s holy, gracious name, Amen.

38
00:02:23,440 –> 00:02:27,960
I don’t remember what my prayer
was the first time, but as I

39
00:02:27,960 –> 00:02:32,160
pray now, I realize that it was
very relevant to the verse that

40
00:02:32,160 –> 00:02:36,200
came out because I prayed
something about God’s word and

41
00:02:36,200 –> 00:02:38,640
the importance of it.
I don’t remember, but that’s

42
00:02:38,640 –> 00:02:42,640
what this verse is about.
So you didn’t get to experience

43
00:02:42,640 –> 00:02:45,280
it, but I’m pretty sure the
Spirit was very intentional.

44
00:02:46,040 –> 00:02:51,800
What this first Romans 15, four
for whatever was written in

45
00:02:51,800 –> 00:02:56,480
former days was written for our
instruction that through

46
00:02:56,480 –> 00:03:00,040
endurance and through the
encouragement of the Scriptures,

47
00:03:00,520 –> 00:03:04,560
we might have hope.
For whatever was written in

48
00:03:04,560 –> 00:03:07,400
former days was written for our
instruction that through

49
00:03:07,400 –> 00:03:12,520
endurance in the encouragement
of the Scriptures, we might have

50
00:03:12,640 –> 00:03:15,200
hope.
So how is Paul saying that we

51
00:03:15,200 –> 00:03:19,360
can access hope here?
One, through endurance, which we

52
00:03:19,360 –> 00:03:23,040
talked about before, that
through hardship, their

53
00:03:23,040 –> 00:03:25,920
struggles lead to endurance and
endurance, character and

54
00:03:25,920 –> 00:03:27,680
character, hope.
And hope does not put us to

55
00:03:27,680 –> 00:03:30,600
shame.
That element is clear, that

56
00:03:30,600 –> 00:03:33,000
endurance brings about hope.
But there’s this other piece

57
00:03:33,440 –> 00:03:38,520
through the encouragement of the
Scriptures, very relevant to

58
00:03:38,520 –> 00:03:41,760
what we’ve been going through
for 18 days now.

59
00:03:42,680 –> 00:03:47,920
We are choosing to believe that
Scripture can encourage us, can

60
00:03:47,920 –> 00:03:50,920
provide instruction.
We’re leaning into this reality

61
00:03:50,920 –> 00:03:54,760
that’s named in 15-4.
Here’s what’s interesting is

62
00:03:54,760 –> 00:04:01,720
when this was written, nobody
had access to what was written

63
00:04:01,720 –> 00:04:06,640
in former days on a phone,
readily available in many

64
00:04:06,640 –> 00:04:11,720
versions, in many languages, can
be read to you, can be talked

65
00:04:11,920 –> 00:04:13,680
through.
They do not have that.

66
00:04:13,680 –> 00:04:18,320
In fact, it was written in very
few spaces, on scrolls and on

67
00:04:18,320 –> 00:04:22,560
letters that were stored in very
particular places, accessed by

68
00:04:22,560 –> 00:04:24,440
particular people.
And in fact, many people

69
00:04:24,440 –> 00:04:28,600
couldn’t read.
And so when Paul wrote this,

70
00:04:29,680 –> 00:04:36,440
he’s writing it at a time when
access to the written word is

71
00:04:36,440 –> 00:04:42,840
very limited, could be accessed
by very few and read by even

72
00:04:42,840 –> 00:04:47,360
fewer.
Now what’s interesting is this

73
00:04:47,360 –> 00:04:51,560
was not Paul’s story because
Paul is a Pharisee of Pharisees,

74
00:04:52,280 –> 00:04:56,040
had access to the word for a
large part of his life, had

75
00:04:56,040 –> 00:04:59,160
access to the scrolls, had
access to people who had been

76
00:04:59,160 –> 00:05:01,280
reading the scrolls for
generations.

77
00:05:01,760 –> 00:05:03,920
Paul knew how to write.
He wrote letters.

78
00:05:04,080 –> 00:05:08,200
Romans is one of them.
And so he was able to take

79
00:05:08,200 –> 00:05:12,280
advantage of the written word to
a higher degree than the people

80
00:05:12,280 –> 00:05:15,400
that he was talking to.
Even more, he’s talking to the

81
00:05:15,400 –> 00:05:19,640
Romans, as we talked about
recently, he’s really focusing

82
00:05:19,640 –> 00:05:21,560
in on the Gentiles living in
Rome.

83
00:05:22,360 –> 00:05:28,640
And they had even less access,
particularly because scriptures

84
00:05:28,640 –> 00:05:31,760
weren’t a part of their life.
Engaging the scripture for many

85
00:05:31,760 –> 00:05:34,120
of them wasn’t even something
that they knew about.

86
00:05:35,120 –> 00:05:40,200
And so now Paul is coming to
them and conveying that what was

87
00:05:40,200 –> 00:05:42,680
written in former days was
written for their instruction,

88
00:05:43,120 –> 00:05:45,080
that through endurance and
through the encouragement of

89
00:05:45,080 –> 00:05:47,640
that scripture, they could have
hope.

90
00:05:49,120 –> 00:05:55,480
What strikes me is the
differences in response to that

91
00:05:55,560 –> 00:05:59,200
reality.
I want to believe based on him

92
00:05:59,200 –> 00:06:02,520
writing this and based on
subsequent things, that many

93
00:06:02,520 –> 00:06:06,920
people that he’s said this to
really leaned in.

94
00:06:07,800 –> 00:06:11,200
They really latched onto this
idea that what was written in

95
00:06:11,200 –> 00:06:13,520
former days was for their
instruction, encouragement.

96
00:06:15,400 –> 00:06:18,040
But for them, it took a lot more
work.

97
00:06:19,400 –> 00:06:23,240
They could not pull up that
scripture on their phone.

98
00:06:24,000 –> 00:06:29,120
They could not even pull out a
physical Bible letters that Paul

99
00:06:29,120 –> 00:06:31,160
wrote.
They often didn’t stay at a

100
00:06:31,160 –> 00:06:33,320
specific church.
Sometimes they would then rotate

101
00:06:33,320 –> 00:06:35,480
to other churches to provide
further encouragement.

102
00:06:35,480 –> 00:06:38,680
So it’s not like they could even
necessarily pull out an old

103
00:06:38,680 –> 00:06:40,960
letter of pause where he
referenced Scripture.

104
00:06:41,560 –> 00:06:44,720
There’s a passage that talks
about God’s word being written

105
00:06:44,720 –> 00:06:47,080
on our heart.
It’s this idea of it, you know,

106
00:06:47,080 –> 00:06:48,600
is it on your forehead?
Is it on your hand?

107
00:06:48,600 –> 00:06:52,280
Is how are we retaining
something that we cannot

108
00:06:52,280 –> 00:06:55,360
physically retain?
The Gentiles in the room were

109
00:06:55,360 –> 00:06:58,960
doing the work.
They were saying, OK, we hear

110
00:06:58,960 –> 00:07:00,800
what you’re saying.
So we are going to do what we

111
00:07:00,800 –> 00:07:05,480
can to listen when the Word is
being shared, to position

112
00:07:05,480 –> 00:07:08,400
ourselves to really hear it and
to retain it.

113
00:07:09,080 –> 00:07:12,160
We’re going to memorize it so
that we can repeat it through

114
00:07:12,160 –> 00:07:14,480
the day.
We’re going to find ways to

115
00:07:14,480 –> 00:07:19,320
remind ourselves of the Word.
They engage Scripture with a

116
00:07:19,320 –> 00:07:24,360
large amount of intentionality.
If they didn’t, it was easy to

117
00:07:24,360 –> 00:07:29,720
lose, if it’s easy to forget,
because it was hard to access.

118
00:07:31,320 –> 00:07:34,080
So if they really wanted to live
this, they really had to do the

119
00:07:34,080 –> 00:07:37,080
work.
Meanwhile, there’s us.

120
00:07:38,080 –> 00:07:43,600
We have profound access.
You are watching the video of

121
00:07:43,600 –> 00:07:45,080
somebody talking about
Scripture.

122
00:07:45,960 –> 00:07:50,240
The level of technology we have
that goes far beyond just

123
00:07:50,240 –> 00:07:53,480
pulling up a Bible app.
We have physical books.

124
00:07:53,880 –> 00:07:56,760
If we don’t have power, we can
have a physical Bible.

125
00:07:57,680 –> 00:08:02,840
Many of us know how to read, can
write verses on post it notes.

126
00:08:02,840 –> 00:08:04,280
I had something written over
here.

127
00:08:05,520 –> 00:08:11,120
And yet our level of
intentionality often looks far

128
00:08:11,120 –> 00:08:14,640
less than that of those who had
limited access.

129
00:08:15,880 –> 00:08:18,320
Sometimes having more need you
to do less.

130
00:08:19,600 –> 00:08:21,960
I am going through a verse on
hope a day.

131
00:08:22,720 –> 00:08:25,880
It took me getting to a really
hard place to finally start

132
00:08:25,880 –> 00:08:28,080
doing that.
It’s not that I wasn’t reading

133
00:08:28,080 –> 00:08:32,600
Scripture, but the
intentionality of seeking hope

134
00:08:32,600 –> 00:08:36,400
in the Word.
I wasn’t doing that 19 days ago

135
00:08:36,400 –> 00:08:38,000
to the extent that I’m doing it
today.

136
00:08:38,039 –> 00:08:41,039
And it’s such a simple thing.
It’s a singular verse, maybe 2

137
00:08:41,039 –> 00:08:44,680
verses that I sit with and I
process.

138
00:08:46,200 –> 00:08:51,080
Paul is trying to convey to us
that God’s Word is not just

139
00:08:51,080 –> 00:08:54,160
words on a page.
I’m going to go to the classic 1

140
00:08:55,320 –> 00:09:02,480
God’s Word living and active
Hebrews 412.

141
00:09:03,680 –> 00:09:06,760
This is talking about rest.
There remains a Sabbath, rests

142
00:09:06,760 –> 00:09:09,920
for the people of God.
Let us therefore make every

143
00:09:09,920 –> 00:09:14,560
effort, every effort.
Let us be very intentional to

144
00:09:14,560 –> 00:09:17,360
enter that rest so that no one
will perish by following their

145
00:09:17,360 –> 00:09:25,280
example of disobedience.
For the Word of God is alive and

146
00:09:25,280 –> 00:09:27,760
active.
I’m just looking to see if I had

147
00:09:27,760 –> 00:09:29,720
a book here.
I don’t have any books on the

148
00:09:29,720 –> 00:09:31,760
desk, but I can tell you for
sure none of them are alive.

149
00:09:31,760 –> 00:09:34,320
None of those books are alive
unless there’s a Bible.

150
00:09:34,800 –> 00:09:38,040
But it’s not even talking about
the Bible and he’s talking about

151
00:09:38,040 –> 00:09:42,000
God’s Word.
The Word of God is alive and

152
00:09:42,000 –> 00:09:47,280
active, and in the written form,
it’s still carries that power,

153
00:09:47,720 –> 00:09:51,120
that aliveness, that activity.
We can’t understand that because

154
00:09:51,120 –> 00:09:54,760
it’s just ink on paper.
But there is something about

155
00:09:54,760 –> 00:09:58,120
God’s Word that is different
than just thought or conveyed

156
00:09:58,120 –> 00:09:59,040
information.
It is.

157
00:09:59,040 –> 00:10:01,080
It is an entirely different
category.

158
00:10:01,400 –> 00:10:04,360
How much show is sharper than
any double edged sword.

159
00:10:04,760 –> 00:10:08,880
It penetrates even to dividing
soul and spirit joints and

160
00:10:08,880 –> 00:10:13,840
marrow, judges the thoughts and
attitudes of the heart.

161
00:10:13,840 –> 00:10:17,080
It’s getting outside the brain
into the emotion.

162
00:10:17,080 –> 00:10:25,040
I mean, the Word of God gets in
deep, digs in deep, and changes

163
00:10:25,040 –> 00:10:28,400
things.
Nothing in all creation, nothing

164
00:10:28,480 –> 00:10:31,200
is hidden from God’s sight.
Everything is uncovered and laid

165
00:10:31,200 –> 00:10:34,200
bare before the eyes of Him to
whom you must give account.

166
00:10:34,920 –> 00:10:37,080
I also tried to find another
verse.

167
00:10:37,080 –> 00:10:39,040
I could not.
It’s another one that talks

168
00:10:39,040 –> 00:10:42,000
about God’s Word being for
encouragement and for equipping.

169
00:10:42,560 –> 00:10:46,920
This is not just a rule book.
This is not just a guide book.

170
00:10:47,160 –> 00:10:52,160
This is not just a book.
What was written in former days

171
00:10:52,160 –> 00:10:56,560
was written for our instruction,
but also for encouragement, also

172
00:10:56,560 –> 00:11:01,640
for digging in, cutting through
everything that we built,

173
00:11:01,760 –> 00:11:05,080
everything that holds us
together to get to the core of

174
00:11:05,080 –> 00:11:10,640
who we actually are, to help us
to finally see what is actually

175
00:11:10,920 –> 00:11:13,360
true.
Word of God.

176
00:11:13,560 –> 00:11:17,840
I mean, it’s dangerous.
It’s dangerous to our here and

177
00:11:17,840 –> 00:11:23,760
now old creation selves because
it speaks a reality that does

178
00:11:23,760 –> 00:11:26,160
not mesh with what we believe
reality is.

179
00:11:26,520 –> 00:11:30,840
And the more we come in contact
with that, the more tension

180
00:11:30,840 –> 00:11:33,960
starts to build.
Then the more things begin to

181
00:11:33,960 –> 00:11:35,560
fall apart.
And then we finally reach a

182
00:11:35,560 –> 00:11:38,480
point where we realize, as Jesus
put it, you can’t serve 2

183
00:11:38,480 –> 00:11:40,600
masters.
We can’t hold to two different

184
00:11:40,600 –> 00:11:43,200
realities.
We got to choose one because if

185
00:11:43,200 –> 00:11:44,600
you choose one, you hate the
other.

186
00:11:45,120 –> 00:11:46,600
Like that’s, that’s the core of
it.

187
00:11:47,040 –> 00:11:52,920
God’s reality.
It doesn’t number on our

188
00:11:52,920 –> 00:11:55,040
understanding.
The more we lean into it.

189
00:11:55,040 –> 00:11:56,960
So what do we do?
We don’t lean into it.

190
00:11:56,960 –> 00:12:01,520
Sometimes we don’t like thinking
about the Bible talks a lot

191
00:12:01,520 –> 00:12:04,840
about money and provision, but
man, oh man, when the bills are

192
00:12:04,840 –> 00:12:07,720
due, we really don’t want to
think about the verses that talk

193
00:12:07,720 –> 00:12:11,560
about God providing
miraculously, because then

194
00:12:11,560 –> 00:12:15,240
that’s going to cause us have to
contend with our understanding

195
00:12:15,240 –> 00:12:16,960
of reality that says, but I need
money.

196
00:12:16,960 –> 00:12:20,440
Now the Israelites dealt with
this even as they saw huge

197
00:12:20,440 –> 00:12:23,240
miracles from God, They kept
getting to points where they

198
00:12:23,240 –> 00:12:25,440
were like, well, we don’t have
this.

199
00:12:25,760 –> 00:12:27,080
Did you just bring us out here
to die?

200
00:12:27,240 –> 00:12:29,320
We don’t have that.
Did you just bring us out here

201
00:12:29,320 –> 00:12:31,760
to die?
God couldn’t prove himself

202
00:12:31,760 –> 00:12:35,160
enough that it was never enough
for them.

203
00:12:36,040 –> 00:12:39,200
And the core of their issue is
they were forgetting who he said

204
00:12:39,200 –> 00:12:40,880
he was.
They were forgetting his word.

205
00:12:41,840 –> 00:12:46,240
He was very clear with his words
to them, very clear.

206
00:12:46,520 –> 00:12:49,680
I mean, spoke in such a way that
they could hear it through the

207
00:12:49,680 –> 00:12:52,200
smoke and the fire, even though
they were too afraid to really

208
00:12:52,200 –> 00:12:54,280
listen.
So they said, Moses, why don’t

209
00:12:54,280 –> 00:12:55,920
you listen to him?
And then you report back.

210
00:12:57,520 –> 00:13:03,040
And God gave them a clear.
He gave them a clear, succinct

211
00:13:03,320 –> 00:13:05,560
message.
Just follow me and I’ll take

212
00:13:05,560 –> 00:13:08,480
care of you.
And then when they struggle with

213
00:13:08,480 –> 00:13:10,560
that, when that wasn’t enough
for him, he’s like, all right,

214
00:13:10,560 –> 00:13:12,560
well, let me flush it out.
All right, I’ll give you 10

215
00:13:12,560 –> 00:13:15,280
commandments.
I’ll give you a whole guide book

216
00:13:15,680 –> 00:13:18,200
to follow.
I know that’s not going to help

217
00:13:18,200 –> 00:13:22,080
you because if you can’t get
that core message of love me and

218
00:13:22,080 –> 00:13:25,880
love others, you’re not going to
do the rest.

219
00:13:26,400 –> 00:13:31,000
And sure enough, they didn’t.
What God spoke to them was yes,

220
00:13:31,000 –> 00:13:35,120
for their instruction, but also
for their encouragement that

221
00:13:35,120 –> 00:13:37,120
they might have hope as they
were going through the

222
00:13:37,120 –> 00:13:39,120
wilderness as they’re facing
armies.

223
00:13:41,280 –> 00:13:45,560
Instead, they chose not to
retain God’s Word.

224
00:13:45,640 –> 00:13:47,480
It chose not to listen to God’s
Word.

225
00:13:48,280 –> 00:13:52,440
They declined walking with
endurance.

226
00:13:53,120 –> 00:13:55,960
They declined the instruction in
the encouragement of Scripture.

227
00:13:57,640 –> 00:14:01,560
They wanted to hold to what they
thought reality was and what

228
00:14:01,560 –> 00:14:03,960
they wanted to happen.
And as a result, they did not

229
00:14:03,960 –> 00:14:06,800
have hope.
Did you just bring us out here

230
00:14:06,800 –> 00:14:09,040
to die?
We would have been better off in

231
00:14:09,080 –> 00:14:13,240
Egypt.
How often are we doing the same?

232
00:14:15,360 –> 00:14:20,880
How often when we are faced with
access to this Word of God that

233
00:14:20,880 –> 00:14:25,520
could transform everything, do
we instead not lean in?

234
00:14:26,120 –> 00:14:31,680
Do we instead not access it?
Do we instead hold tighter to

235
00:14:31,680 –> 00:14:36,440
our own understanding and then
as a result, find we don’t have

236
00:14:36,440 –> 00:14:39,960
endurance, find that we are not
encouraged, find that we are

237
00:14:39,960 –> 00:14:42,240
hopeless, and then turn around
and blame God like the

238
00:14:42,240 –> 00:14:45,480
Israelites?
Why did you bring me here?

239
00:14:49,000 –> 00:14:55,560
And God and his patience kept
loving them, kept providing for

240
00:14:55,560 –> 00:15:00,120
them, kept showing up for them,
and they kept rejecting Him.

241
00:15:01,320 –> 00:15:04,440
I think many of us, particularly
if you’re listening to this,

242
00:15:04,440 –> 00:15:08,120
even falling along, many of us
would not want to get to that

243
00:15:08,120 –> 00:15:11,720
point of outright rejecting God.
I mean, they made an idol to

244
00:15:11,720 –> 00:15:13,760
replace God.
Me and us aren’t at that point,

245
00:15:13,760 –> 00:15:16,800
but we are also not at the point
that we are.

246
00:15:17,560 –> 00:15:20,520
We are all all in.
That was what Chambers said

247
00:15:20,520 –> 00:15:23,040
something this morning.
He didn’t say it this morning.

248
00:15:23,040 –> 00:15:27,880
He’s been gone for a little bit,
but he was talking about how God

249
00:15:28,400 –> 00:15:33,640
abandoned Himself to us and what
that means about us abandoning

250
00:15:33,640 –> 00:15:36,440
ourselves to Him.
We will never understand how to

251
00:15:36,440 –> 00:15:39,600
abandon ourselves to God until
we understand how God abandoned

252
00:15:39,600 –> 00:15:43,160
Himself to us.
When God gave His Son and love

253
00:15:43,160 –> 00:15:45,880
to the world, He didn’t give
just a part of himself.

254
00:15:46,080 –> 00:15:49,640
He gave all of himself
absolutely and entirely.

255
00:15:50,400 –> 00:15:53,840
He gave with total abandoned,
holding nothing back.

256
00:15:54,840 –> 00:15:58,480
We must beware of talking about
abandonment if we don’t really

257
00:15:58,480 –> 00:16:01,600
know about it.
And we won’t know, not until we

258
00:16:01,600 –> 00:16:03,720
realize the full meeting of John
316.

259
00:16:04,280 –> 00:16:07,200
For God so loved the world that
he gave his only Son, that

260
00:16:07,200 –> 00:16:09,400
whoever believes in him shall
not perish, but have eternal

261
00:16:09,400 –> 00:16:11,680
life.
That God gave with total

262
00:16:11,680 –> 00:16:15,240
abandoned is the very essence of
salvation.

263
00:16:15,400 –> 00:16:18,480
Salvation isn’t merely
deliverance from sin or the

264
00:16:18,480 –> 00:16:24,560
experience of personal holiness.
Salvation is deliverance out of

265
00:16:24,560 –> 00:16:30,680
self and into union with God.
Out of self and into union with

266
00:16:30,680 –> 00:16:32,200
God.
This is what we’re invited to.

267
00:16:32,200 –> 00:16:36,280
Scripture is pulling us out of
ourselves and pulling us back to

268
00:16:36,280 –> 00:16:38,720
God.
And we need to decide if we want

269
00:16:38,720 –> 00:16:41,080
that or not.
And if we want that, then we

270
00:16:41,080 –> 00:16:45,040
need to lean in.
And those of us with phones and

271
00:16:45,040 –> 00:16:50,160
the ability to read and physical
Bibles should access that.

272
00:16:50,160 –> 00:16:53,760
Not because you’re supposed to
read the Bible, but because God

273
00:16:53,760 –> 00:16:57,640
has given us a tremendous gift
that is so easy to neglect.

274
00:16:58,520 –> 00:17:03,240
If you are feeling hopeless, the
Word in God’s Word is what He

275
00:17:03,240 –> 00:17:07,760
has offered to meet you in that
space in a way that is living in

276
00:17:07,760 –> 00:17:11,400
active, not just platitudes, not
just versus on a poster.

277
00:17:12,079 –> 00:17:15,119
Are we willing to believe that
God’s Word is actually more than

278
00:17:15,119 –> 00:17:17,880
we understand, more powerful
than we believe?

279
00:17:18,839 –> 00:17:21,040
Romans 15, four.
For whatever was written in

280
00:17:21,040 –> 00:17:24,200
former days was written for our
instruction that through

281
00:17:24,200 –> 00:17:27,720
endurance and through the
encouragement of the Scriptures

282
00:17:27,960 –> 00:17:31,520
we might have by God.
We thank you that you are God

283
00:17:31,520 –> 00:17:35,640
and you are good, and we praise
you for your patience with us as

284
00:17:35,640 –> 00:17:39,120
we so often neglect what those
before us would have longed to

285
00:17:39,120 –> 00:17:40,600
upheld.
But I mean, there are people in

286
00:17:40,600 –> 00:17:44,400
the world today that long to
hold and have their own Bible to

287
00:17:44,400 –> 00:17:48,080
have access to your Word.
And in the absence of that, they

288
00:17:48,080 –> 00:17:50,800
do the work.
They are intentional in finding

289
00:17:50,800 –> 00:17:53,160
ways to retain your living and
active.

290
00:17:53,360 –> 00:17:57,280
So forgive us for the ways that
we fall far short from that.

291
00:17:57,880 –> 00:18:00,040
Forgive us for the times where
we blame you for our

292
00:18:00,040 –> 00:18:03,600
hopelessness when you actually
have given us access to them.

293
00:18:04,520 –> 00:18:07,880
And help us to understand your
Word in a new way today as we

294
00:18:07,880 –> 00:18:10,760
engage unless pretty much point
precious name.

295
00:18:11,240 –> 00:18:11,680
Amen.