Grace → Faith → Hope → Joy

God works in interesting ways.

When we had our first child, a girl, we were at a loss for a middle name. After much prayer and consideration, we chose the name Grace.

Then we had our second child, another girl. Her mother—a huge fan of patterns and consistency—wanted her to have a virtue middle name, too. So we chose Faith.

Then another child—another girl—and another virtue middle name: Hope.

We were blessed with one final child (you guessed it, our fourth girl!), and we gave her the virtue middle name Joy.

We never considered those names together, but God did. Like everything, He had a plan from the outset. It was only afterward that we realized that those names, taken together, do a pretty nice job summarizing the gospel—the most important message we'll ever hear. But God knew before our first girl was born.

Grace

We are all imperfect. We all make mistakes and do the wrong things more often than we'd like...and more often than we'd like to admit (God calls this "sin"). God, on the other hand, is perfect and sinless. If we want to spend eternity with Him after our life on earth is over, we must be perfect and sinless, too. If we sin, our future is death. But if we aren't perfect, how can we ever be in God's presence? It's quite the conundrum.

Well, God in His infinite wisdom knew this. And God in His infinite mercy and grace designed a way for us to spend eternity with Him even though we sin and can't meet His perfect standard. The way is through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ was fully God, like His Father, and fully man, like us. He lived the perfect, sinless life we could not live, and then He died on a cross to pay our penalty for sin. He offered us an alternative to death—acknowledge we sin and aren't perfect, accept His sacrifice on our behalf, and follow Him.

Giving us a chance to have eternal life when we don't deserve it: that is true grace. What a gift!

Faith

Accepting God's gift through Jesus Christ requires one important thing: faith. We must earnestly believe what God has said in the Bible. We must believe that Jesus Christ is exactly who He said He is. This can be hard for some people, because we can't see God like we see people. We didn't live at the time of Jesus, so we must trust in the accounts of those who did. And God is so amazing and powerful, it can be hard to understand how He did all the incredible things He's done.

The good news is that the Bible is incredibly detailed and reliable. It is chock-full of fulfilled prophecies. It is supported by thousands and thousands of historical manuscripts, like those found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as extra-biblical evidence. In fact, it is the most reliable book of antiquity— by a long shot. Read it, and you'll see that no man could have written it. It truly is the word of God, and it provides a strong foundation for our faith in Him.

Hope

So, what happens when you put your faith in God? What if you accept Jesus Christ's sacrifice and make Him your Lord and Savior? You get hope.

This isn't "hope" as we usually use the term: "I hope I get that promotion," or "I hope the weather's good tomorrow." The world's "hope" is more like, "I really want it to happen but don't know if it will." It's a desire rooted in uncertainty. And our worldly "hope" is all too often unrealized, which leads to disappointment, discouragement, and sadness.

But hope in God is totally different. Godly hope is certain and guaranteed. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we are certain that we are members of God's family. We immediately get the gift of His Holy Spirit, which helps guide us in this life. We immediately receive the right to eternal life with God. We know that when we die, we will spend eternity with Him.

Hope in God brings peace and comfort and happiness, because our hope in God will always be fulfilled, and our future is bright!

Joy

God gives us grace. We accept it through faith. We have hope. Where does all this lead? Joy!

Imagine a place with no evil. No hate. No jealousy. No murder. No lying. A place utterly filled with love and people who care for—and care about—one another. That would be a wonderful place to live, right?

Well, that's your future as a Christian: living with God and your spiritual brothers and sisters in a place wholly devoid of sin and sorrow and death. Can you imagine greater joy than that? We can't.

What About You?

Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If so, great! We can't wait to spend eternity with you.

If you haven't, now is the perfect time. God led you here to learn the gospel. He wants you to accept His amazing gift of grace. He wants to spend eternity with you. He loves you so much, He sent His Son to die for you so He could make a way for you.

If you want the grace, hope, and joy that God provides, it's pretty simple. You can talk to God and say something like this: God, I know I'm a sinner and don't deserve to spend eternity with You. But I want to. So I put my faith in You. I accept the sacrifice your Son, Jesus Christ, made. I want Him to be my Lord and Savior. I want to follow You, and I want to spend eternity with You.

When you put your faith in God, you immediately become part of His family. You have true hope that leads to true joy. Congratulations!

If you want to talk to us about the gospel, ask questions, or ask us to pray for you or with you, email us any time at info@gracefaithhopejoy.com. God bless!