Emily Massey

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness” 

(Romans 8:24-26, ESV).

My husband, Paul, and I recently celebrated twelve years of marriage. Although I enjoy reflecting and focusing on all the wonderful and joyous memories together over these last twelve years, it can be said that our faith has been tested under waves of chaos and storms and under the weight and pressures of life.

It would be amazing to have a life full of happy times only, but it’s in the fire, the trials, and the storms of life that we are truly strengthened. We can choose to rise above the chaos or allow hopelessness and despair to overtake us. 

Our faith in Jesus Christ has given us hope to remain steadfast because we know He is faithful. This hope is what has been our anchor through all. 

This anchor is what holds you to your trust and faith in the Lord. Hope isn’t something that can be created or conjured up. Sure, we can give ourselves a pep-talk when we are feeling downcast or be encouraged by a friend to keep putting one foot in front of the other, but true hope is given to us by the Holy Spirit. He endows us with the faith that God’s promises are true; He is not a liar- He can be trusted completely and that ultimately, His sovereign hand is working in our life; we will not be put to shame.  

Having an eternal perspective lifts your eyes from the cares of this life and helps you move forward when you are going through a storm to remind you that ultimately, this place is not our home; Being heavenly minded during earthly trials is what fuels your hope in God. 

Romans 8 speaks of this kind of hope:

“For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness”

(24-26, ESV).

We eagerly wait for the return of Christ and the day we will abide with God forever in our heavenly home. No matter how dark things may become around us in our world or in our personal lives, we must ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with hope. We must renew our minds with God’s Word so we will be able to seek and understand God’s perfect will in our lives more clearly. He has a purpose for us to fulfill here on earth and that is to share with others His glorious Gospel so that they may also find the hope that is available to God’s children.

As a child of God, we may feel hopelessness in our heart, but we must move beyond our feelings and remind our heart of the great hope we have in Christ. The Holy Spirit can help us in our weakness. Let us ask Him for help when hopelessness tries to overwhelm us, moving beyond what we see and connecting ourselves to the hope that is attached to our trust in God’s promise of eternal life in Christ.

Father God, 

I am experiencing a heaviness, a weariness in my soul. Our world is in a constant state of chaos it seems, and my own soul is in turmoil from the weight of the cares of this life. But I refuse to live by what I feel for I know You are faithful and will not let me drown in the waves of the storms of life. Holy Spirit, fill my heart with a hope that can only come from heaven. Help me fix my eyes on eternity and give me the boldness to share the Gospel with others so they would know of this hope that heaven awaits those who repent of their sin and put their full trust in Christ alone. Thank You for never leaving me in my weakness and for strengthening me with Your grace each day. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

---

To connect with Emily, visit her website at www.emilyrosemassey.com

Emily Massey began writing short stories and poetry as a little girl, entered the blogging world in her early 20s, and published her first book in 2015. She enjoys being a stay-at-home momma while still being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Believing she has been forgiven much, she loves much, and desires to point others to Christ and His redemptive and transforming power, especially by sharing truth found in God’s written word. If you would like to connect with Emily, you can visit www.emilyrosemassey.com

When a tragic, unexpected death happens, do you shake your fist and proclaim “Not today, Satan! We will make the devil pay!” or do you trust God’s ways are higher than yours and say like our Lord, Jesus, “Not my will, Lord, but Yours be done” and trust that He will use that trial for your good and for His glory?

Suffering is a reality for everyone on this earth, including believers. To deny that, is to deny reality of the fact that we live in a fallen world and Christians are not exempt from the results of it. Remember, the Apostles suffered greatly and many of them died horrendous deaths as martyrs. But it was all for God’s glory and a part of His sovereign plan for their lives. 

James 1:12 shares us a beautiful promise about suffering:

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (NIV).

God will use all things to conform us to the image of Christ and often in the life of the believer that includes pain and suffering. In times of suffering, we can pray for God’s mercy to come and cry out for His help in time of trouble, yes, but we must remember Jesus promised that “in this life, there will be trouble” (John 16:33). Yet, we know that He overcame the world for us and we will one day taste of that victory in full when we meet Him face to face! 

That is why we must keep our eyes fixed upon the hope of eternity and not on this life. And that is why faith in God is so important because it is the rock on which we stand when trials and the storms of life come because they will. We must remember that our faith in Him means that because of the cross, we are forgiven and now we can have the hope that He never leaves our side and walks with us through the valley and the mountain top experiences and we have the ultimate hope that there is a glorious eternal life that awaits us in Christ Jesus. That is our anchor…the hope of eternity. There is a day that awaits believers where all pain and suffering will cease. But until then, we continue to declare “And if not…He is still good” and trust our life in His sovereign hands no matter what comes our way. 

Father, please help us find your mercy and goodness when trials and the storms of life come our way. If we are prone to grumble and complain, may the Holy Spirit convict our hearts and remind us to be thankful for your promise of eternity because of the cross. May we look for opportunities to comfort those around us who are suffering as well, so we can help hold each other up. We live in a fallen world, and although we cannot escape suffering, we know that heaven is our home and that the crown of life awaits those who stand firm in the faith, trusting that you have overcome the world and there is no reason to fear. We give you praise and thanksgiving that you will never leave us alone to walk through suffering alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Emily Massey began writing short stories and poetry as a little girl, entered the blogging world in her early 20s, and published her first book in 2015. She enjoys being a stay-at-home momma while still being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Believing she has been forgiven much, she loves much, and desires to point others to Christ and His redemptive and transforming power, especially by sharing truth found in God’s written word. If you would like to connect with Emily, you can visit www.emilyrosemassey.com

Here in America, we are very blessed to be able to not only freely read the Word of God, but many Christians in this country personally own several Bibles, especially if they have been a believer for many years. 

I received my first Bible as a gift when I became a member of my church in high school, which just so happened to be a Bible specifically designed for teens. Sadly, I did not dive into the Word of God much in high school or college, but it remained on my shelf nonetheless. It wasn’t until I graduated college that the Lord began to stir a hunger in my heart for reading the Bible. 

My second Bible was also a gift; this time from my future husband. In fact, he gave me that Bible on Christmas morning and by nightfall, I received another special gift from him- asking me to be his wife. 

A few years later, as I grew in knowledge of the Bible, I was interested in owning another translation, so I purchased my next Bible this time. I have owned that Bible since October 2011…

…I cannot believe it has already been nine years! 

But as you can see, it is definitely showing wear and tear after all these years. Recently, I have been finding pink flakes of the cover next to me on the pew at church, which reminds me of something the great British preacher, Charles Spurgeon, once said: 

“A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to a person that isn’t.”

I truly have been needing a new one, but I was hesitant; There is something special about a Bible that is starting to fall a part like this. It means it has been well-loved. This pink Bible holds a lot of precious memories and testimonies of the times in which the Lord carried me when I did not think I could go on.

But funny enough (or providentially enough), the decision to move forward with a new Bible was actually made for me recently- I received an email from PersonalizedbBibles.comasking:

“Would you be willing to receive a Bible from us and review or mention our website?”

I, of course, said yes!

As I browsed their awesome selection, it didn’t take long for my eyes to catch this amazing NASB Thinline Bible with large print (Lord knows I need it as I get older ) in my favorite color…TEAL! 

God’s timing is so perfect, especially considering I’m entering a new season as a mom of now three boys…

…this beautiful Bible is another great reminder to me to pick up the Word! 

Oh, how much I need the truth found in these pages to strengthen me as I learn how to juggle life with a newborn and two other little monkeys who I am homeschooling for the first year as well!

Not only does PersonalizedbBibles.com offer a wide selection of Bibles, both by style and appearance to different translations, you also have the option to add imprinting such as a personal name,  study group name, or a short inspirational inscription to personalize your Bible and make it special unique! 

Unfortunately, I was not able to get imprinting service on the particular Bible I chose due to prior imprinting issues with the cover texture, but I am so extremely happy with my new Bible nonetheless! 

(I just wanted to make you aware of this in case you pick the same Bible, or one with a similar texture). There are some examples of what an imprinted Bible looks like below if case you are interested in choosing the imprinted option to personalize your Bible.

If the Bible you choose does not have the same cover texture, then you can personalize your Bible for only $7.99 for 1 line or $14.98 for 2 lines! Just start by picking a Bible and then follow the instructions on that page to add imprinting.

How to add imprinting for your personalized Bible

Just pick a Bible and when the imprinting window comes up add your inscription.

You can add up to a maximum of 25 characters and spaces in total for EACH LINE of text.

Here is an example of a Personalized Bible:

 

Imprinting Details

Your inscription will be imprinted on the bottom right corner in gold or silver-colored foil to match the Bible printing and page edges. 

Snap Flap Bibles are imprinted across the flap if there is insufficient room on the Bible.  Zippered Bibles are usually imprinted on a small gold or silver plate which is fixed to the Bible. 

If the Bible has a colored hard or paperback cover we will imprint on a small silver or gold plate and stick that on the Bible. 

Names on some imitation leather Bibles, particularly European Leather are branded onto the Bible without using foil – this matches the publisher’s printing on these surfaces:

The default type is mixed case 18Pt Goudy script:

(The actual length of this name on the Bible = 1 5/8″)

 If you prefer all capitals please type the name in capitals and we will use block capital type:

(The actual length of this name on the Bible = 1 7/16″)

Imprinted Bibles are normally shipped on the same or next business day following your order.  If PersonalizedBibles.com cannot ship your order out within 48 hours, the company will contact you.

A huge thank you to PersonalizedBibles.com for reaching out to me and gifting me this wonderful NASB Thinline Bible! I am truly excited to use it in my daily reading as I grow in my walk with the Lord and discover more about our great God, knowing that His Word helps keep my life from unraveling. 

If you are in a similar situation as me where your Bible is falling apart (but your life isn’t ), then I highly recommend that you visit PersonalizedBibles.com! Tell them Emily Rose sent you! 

___________________________________________________________________________

*I received this Bible free as a blogger in exchange for a review of the product. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Emily Massey began writing short stories and poetry as a little girl, entered the blogging world in her early 20s, and published her first book in 2015. She enjoys being a stay-at-home momma while still being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Believing she has been forgiven much, she loves much, and desires to point others to Christ and His redemptive and transforming power, especially by sharing truth found in God’s written word. If you would like to connect with Emily, you can visit www.emilyrosemassey.com