{"id":11,"date":"2008-02-04T22:03:32","date_gmt":"2008-02-05T04:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sharingchrist.wordpress.com\/2008\/02\/04\/5-bondage-to-blessing\/"},"modified":"2008-02-04T22:03:32","modified_gmt":"2008-02-05T04:03:32","slug":"5-bondage-to-blessing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gospelriver.com\/sharingchrist\/5-bondage-to-blessing\/","title":{"rendered":"5. “Bondage to Blessing”"},"content":{"rendered":"

“I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and\u00a0a hope.” Jer. 29:11<\/font><\/i><\/span><\/h1>\n

<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

When sinners come to the Savior, they find a bright future. When saints return from backsliding, they find a forgiving father. The following could be applied either way… I’ll give a few of the thoughts that have come to me, and you can fill in more!<\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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    “A future <\/b>and a hope” 29:11<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n
      \n
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      At one time when we were “without Christ” we were “without hope.” (Eph 2:12)<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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      After finding Christ, we have hope that is an anchor<\/b> (Heb 6:19), armor<\/b> (1Thes. 5:8), blessed\u00a0anticipation<\/b> (Tit 2:13), and it can be abounding<\/b> (Rom 15:13)<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • \n
      “ye shall find<\/b> me” 29:13-14<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n
        \n
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        At one time we sought not God (Rom 3:11) and God’s truth was hidden to us (Luke 10:21, 2 Cor 4:3)<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
      • \n
        Now in Christ we discover wonderful things:<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n
          \n
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          hidden\u00a0life in God (Col 3:3)<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
        • \n
          hidden wisdom in Christ (Col. 2:3)<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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          hidden revelations of God’s eternal plan (Col 1:26)<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • \n
          “your fortunes<\/b>” 29:14<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n
            \n
          • \n
            Christ met us in our poverty and became poor, and through His povery we become rich. (2Cor 8:9) He who said “shew me a penny” showed us His love in the giving of Himself. Now we\u00a0can take up the work of “making many rich” (2Cor 6:10).<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
          • \n
            “gather you” – Fellowship<\/b> 29:14, 30:21<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n
              \n
            • \n
              Throughout our Bible we learn time and again that sin separates. But God gathers us unto Himself and with His people.<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
            • \n
              “who would dare risk his life to approach Me?” says the Lord. Yet consider what He has brought us into!<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
            • \n
              fearless<\/b>\u00a030:10<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/div>\n
                \n
              • \n
                Once we feared God’s presence. But as believers God has not given us a spirit of fear (2Tim 1:7). Perfect love casts out fear (1John 4:18)<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
              • \n
                fortification<\/b> 30:10<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
              • \n
                forgiveness<\/b>, healing 30:17, 31:34<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/div>\n
                  \n
                • \n
                  In Christ, the incurable is cured, the unbridgeable is spanned, the unlovable is loved, the imperfect is perfected, the unknowable is known.<\/font><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                • \n
                  favor and love <\/b>31:3<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/div>\n
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                  • \n
                    Accepted in the beloved! Eph 1:6 “Behold what manner of love”! 1John 3:1<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                  • \n
                    fruitful<\/b> 31:5<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/div>\n
                      \n
                    • \n
                      Once we, like Onesimus, were unprofitable (Rom 3:12)<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
                    • \n
                      Christ, in death,\u00a0has brought forth much fruit. (Jn 12:24)<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
                    • \n
                      Now we can be fruitful in knowledge (2Pet 1:8), holiness (Rom 6:22), the Spirit (Gal. 5:22– love, joy, peace…), goodness, righteousness & truth (Eph 5:9), good works (Col. 1:10), worship (Heb 13:15).<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n
                    • \n
                      After the fall of man, the earth did not bring forth her fruit as it once did, and the tree of life could not be eaten. One day the tree of life will be seen again\u00a0and this time enjoyed. (Rev. 22:2)<\/font><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
                    • \n
                      “I am a father<\/b>” 31:9<\/font><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
                        \n
                      • \n

                        “Behold, what\u00a0manner of\u00a0love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God!” 1John 3:1<\/font><\/p>\n

                        <\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n

                      • \n

                        ~NB\u00a0<\/font><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                        “I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and\u00a0a hope.” Jer. 29:11 When sinners come to the Savior, they find a bright future. When<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[22,34,35,42,44],"class_list":["post-11","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotional","tag-christ","tag-forgiveness","tag-future","tag-hope","tag-jeremiah-2911"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gospelriver.com\/sharingchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gospelriver.com\/sharingchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gospelriver.com\/sharingchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gospelriver.com\/sharingchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gospelriver.com\/sharingchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gospelriver.com\/sharingchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gospelriver.com\/sharingchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gospelriver.com\/sharingchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gospelriver.com\/sharingchrist\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}