Finding Hope in Unexpected Places

Finding Hope in Unexpected Places

by Holley Gerth

“Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”  Romans 5:3-4

When I first read the verse above, I wondered if my Bible had a typo. Wasn’t hope supposed to be at the beginning of the list? That’s certainly where I wanted it to be.
I didn’t like the idea of going through suffering, perseverance, and character to get to hope.
My thoughts reflect our culture today. We view hope as an emotion rather than an outcome of choices we make. We also think hope should be automatic. Then when we don’t find it right away, we despair. But this passage makes it clear that hope is a process.
The first step in that process is suffering. Loss is a part of life. We’ll all endure hardship and heartache on this side of heaven. When we suffer, we have two choices: press on or give up. Jim Rohn once said, “We all must suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.”

If we choose discipline and perseverance, then this pattern gradually becomes part of who we are—our character. Character doesn’t change based on circumstances or who is watching at the moment. As Dwight L. Moody said, “Character is what you are in the dark.”

Character also becomes a light in the dark because it eventually results in hope. This kind of hope is not a vague feeling or wish. Instead it’s a deep knowledge that you and God can get through anything together. That’s the heart of hope: choosing to walk with God through the valleys of life and finding that He will never leave you–and that you will never leave Him either.

We all wonder how our faith will fare when challenges come our way. If you’re still reading this, my guess is you’re choosing perseverance and character. You’ve faced what you never wanted, and your faith is surviving, perhaps even thriving. Even if you have doubts, fears, and many difficult moments, you’re pressing on and moving forward. And I’m cheering you on with every step…no matter how small or slow.

Take heart,  you are doing better than you know. Jesus is with you. Your friends are for you. And hope is on its way.

The Deed of Doing

The Deed of Doing

by Alec Niemi

As disciples we have been set apart to expend our time, talent and treasures on Christ’s message. “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:17)

The apostle Paul, speaking to the church in Corinth, gives us insight into how we should do this. (2 Corinthians 9:6-11).
The first thing he tells us is that we are to be generous. “whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (v 6b) Being generous means showing a readiness to give more of something than is strictly necessary or expected.
Secondly he tells us to be intentional with what we do. “what you have decided in your heart to give,” (v 7a) A deed is an action that is performed intentionally of consciously.
The third thing is that we are to do it voluntarily, “not reluctantly or under compulsion.” (v 7b)
His fourth instruction is that we do it cheerfully, “for God loves a cheerful giver.”(v 7c)
And then he tells us why… that, abounding in His grace, we might be sufficiently supplied…  “God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” (v8)

…for everything we do in furthering the Kingdom of God. “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.” (vs 10,11)

As we do what we have been called to do, let’s do it generously, intentionally, freely and cheerfully.

My prayer for us this week:
Heavenly Father thank you for teaching us that if we sow sparingly we will also reap sparingly, and if we sow bountifully we will also reap bountifully. You tell us that we must do just as we have purposed in our heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for You love a cheerful giver. And You are able to make all grace abound to us, so that we will always have all sufficiency in everything, that we may have an abundance for every good deed. Amen.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-

In Spite of the Circumstances   

by Idelette McVicker

“It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” Revelation 21:6 (NKJ)

Last week an eighty-something-year-old beautiful woman of God reminded me of one of the keys to living a Divinely inspired life: praising God in the midst of the most difficult, un-Kingdom-like circumstances.
At a time when she was feeling very stuck—hopeless even—she heard the whisper of God: “When you start praising Me, I will bring them in.”
“What am I going to praise You for?” she thought. “Everything I see is a mess.”
“For who I am,” came the answer.
She started doing exactly that: praising God for who God is, not for the circumstances she saw all around her. She focused on the character and nature of God, not the fragments of relationships and human emotions scattered everywhere. She started singing in the midst of her trouble and one by one God began to pick up the pieces … God, our amazing, faithful God, proved true to the promise.
Prayer: Thank You, God, for who You are: faithful, loving, patient, great, kind, compassionate, just … I look to You today and I praise You for who You are. Amen.

God Our Shield

by Katherine Kehler

“But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head” Psalm 3:3

I have been thinking about God being our shield. The word “shield” also means to protect, guard, defend, shelter, and screen. God protects us from harm’s way, guards us from danger, defends us against accusations, shelters us when we are weak, and screens everything that comes our way. Nothing can touch us until it goes through God’s screening process first.
Many of us have had the scary experience of a rock hitting our windshield. The windshield protected us from being hurt. Our homes shelter us from the elements of nature — rain, snow, extreme heat, and cold. But there is no shelter, no protector, like God Himself. The verse Deuteronomy 33:27 is a wonderful comfort to me: “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”
There may be times in your life when you feel like you have been hit by a ton of bricks. Believe it or not, that experience had to first go through God’s screening process. And His screening process is more accurate than that of any airport security system!
Painful experiences help us to trust God more. When our five-month-old grandson died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, (S.I.D.’s), I felt like I couldn’t bare it. But several days after the funeral, God showed me the reason for taking our grandson home so early. I was reading 2 Corinthians 1, and suddenly the last part of verse 9 became alive to me. I read, “This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God . . .”    And yes, Spenser’s death did cause me to go to God for strength and comfort.
There are many verses in the Bible that refer to God as our shield. I encourage you to look them up and read them. Here are a few of my favorites.
“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart” (Psalm 91:4).
“Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word” (Psalm 119:114).
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).
Father God, thank You for being a shield about us. Thank You for protecting us, sheltering us, defending us, and being a screen. You give grace and glory to each one of us and won’t withhold any good thing from us if we walk uprightly before You. We love You, Lord! Amen

Inner Strengthening

Inner Strengthening

by Dr. Bill Bright

“That out of His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you the mighty inner strengthening of His Holy Spirit“  Ephesians 3:16

In Christ are all the attributes and characteristics promised to His children as the fruit of the Spirit. And the Holy Spirit was given to glorify Christ.
•    Do you need love?
The Lord Jesus Christ is the incarnation of love. Paul prays that our roots may “go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep and how high His love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves (though it is so great that you will never see the end of it, or fully know or understand it“) (Ephesians 3:17-19).
•    Do you need peace?
Christ is the “Prince of Peace.” “I am leaving you with a gift,” said Jesus, “peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives” (John 14:27).
•    Do you need joy?
Christ is joy.
•    Do you need patience?
Christ is patience.
•    Do you need wisdom?
Christ is wisdom.
•    Are you in need of material possessions so that you can better serve Christ?

They are available in Him, for God owns “the cattle on a thousand hills,” and He promised to supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19).

All that we need is to be found in Christ and nowhere else. The supernatural life is Christ, for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

Bible Reading: Ephesians 3:17-21

Today’s Action Point:  Knowing that God’s unlimited resources make possible the mighty inner strengthening in my life, I shall focus my attention upon Him through reading His inspired Word and obeying His commands.

Unfailing Love

 

by Rev. Daniel Forster
“But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the LORD because he is good to me.” Psalm 13:5-6 (NLT)
It is human nature to doubt God’s unfailing Love. Love in its natural form is not unfailing, but quite fallible. We are often let down by the love of others and left with scars. Therefore, we can think of the love of God along the same lines, expecting that His Love will at some point fail us, as others have failed us.
This line of thinking, however, is far from the truth. His love is not only unfailing, it is forever faithful. Our actions, sins, and poor choices will never change the love God has for us. What greater Love is there than this—that the Creator of life itself would sacrifice Himself for His creation? It is the actions of God that declare His Love for us, not ours. His love is based on His character, not ours. He has paid way more than we could ever pay for our debt of sins. He sacrificed his own life in our place.
It is this demonstration of unfailing love that enables us to overcome our own dysfunctional view of love and be transformed, so we can love like He does, even forgiving those who do not love us in return. Because of His love, we sing along with David: “The Lord is good to me.”
Lord, we thank You and praise You for the unconditional Love You have shown us and continue to shower us with. Help us Lord to truly see this love and to allow it to transform our lives. Help us love others as You have Loved us, so they may see and know You. Amen.
Thought: What is holding you back from trusting completely in God’s love? If any doubts or scars come to mind, bring those to God in prayer and ask for help to grow in trust. Take time to reflect on His love today.

Following Jesus

Following Jesus

by Gail Rodgers

“God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NCV)
Father in Heaven,

I need You in my life. Forgive me for going my own way without acknowledging You. Thank you that You sent Jesus to die for my sins. Thank you that You forgive me. Cleanse my heart and come into my life today. Please help me to grasp Your ways so I can walk securely in them even in insecure places. I need Your perspective in my life.

Guide me in Your truth, Lord God. Help me to make time to read my Bible. Thank you that Your Word will guide me as a beacon and a light.

You are my Savior, my Rescuer and my Redeemer. Thank you that it is You alone who restores and renews my spirit and brings meaning to my life.

Today I put my trust in You. Thank you that You will give me the hope and help and peace I need in my journey through life. Thank you that You are my Savior.

In Jesus’ strong name I pray, amen.