Category: Hope

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The Heart of the Matter

This morning, like most mornings, I am just so grateful to be able to praise the Lord and trust in His goodness. He has always been and always will be. His desire is to shower us with His love.

“Hope never makes us ashamed because the love of God has come into our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who was given to us.

6 We were weak and could not help ourselves. Then Christ came at the right time and gave His life for all sinners. 7 No one is willing to die for another person, but for a good man someone might be willing to die. 8 But God showed His love to us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:5-8 NLV

Yesterday I spent quite a bit of time listening to good old gospel music and hymns of faith. These were songs I grew up singing in church. It had been years since I sang some of them but the words came flooding back through my mind. It’s amazing what is stored in there and when the heart does its own “search” the screen of our memory bank populates faster than the most powerful computer.

God has programmed our hearts to recognize truth, the truth of His love, and it takes precedence over all else. We spend a lot of our time searching for things to satisfy us in life but there’s really only One that can, his name is Jesus!

This is one of the songs that touched me the most. It was written in 1895 by William Newell, At Calvary. I hope you will take time to click on the link and listen to the words as they are sung.

Years I spent in vanity and pride,
Caring not my Lord was crucified,
Knowing not it was for me He died
On Calvary.

Refrain:
Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There my burdened soul found liberty
At Calvary.

By God’s Word at last my sin I learned;
Then I trembled at the law I’d spurned,
Till my guilty soul imploring turned
To Calvary.

Now I’ve giv’n to Jesus everything,
Now I gladly own Him as my King,
Now my raptured soul can only sing
Of Calvary!

Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!
Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!
Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span
At Calvary!

Without Calvary my life would be hopeless and without meaning. Because of Calvary I have joy, peace and forgiveness. Look for the wonder of the Lord in your life today, start by looking At Calvary! It’s the Heart of the Matter.

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Outnumbered!

Do you ever feel outnumbered? Possibly it’s because your opinions differ from others or maybe you’re not as smart, talented, educated, wealthy or witty as those around you. It may be that you have faced a physical enemy or it could be an emotional attack. What do you do?

I’m reminded of Elisha and his servant.

“Time after time, when the king of Syria was at war against the Israelites, he met with his officers and announced, “I’ve decided where we will set up camp.” 9 Each time, Elisha would send this warning to the king of Israel: “Don’t go near there. That’s where the Syrian troops have set up camp.” 10 So the king would warn the Israelite troops in that place to be on guard. 11 The king of Syria was furious when he found out what was happening. He called in his officers and asked, “Which one of you has been telling the king of Israel our plans?”

12 “None of us, Your Majesty,” one of them answered. “It’s an Israelite named Elisha. He’s a prophet, so he can tell his king everything—even what you say in your own room.” 13 “Find out where he is!” the king ordered. “I’ll send soldiers to bring him here.” They learned that Elisha was in the town of Dothan and reported it to the king. 14 He ordered his best troops to go there with horses and chariots. They marched out during the night and surrounded the town. 15 When Elisha’s servant got up the next morning, he saw that Syrian troops had the town surrounded. “Sir, what are we going to do?” he asked.

16 “Don’t be afraid,” Elisha answered. “There are more troops on our side than on theirs.” 17 Then he prayed, “Lord, please help him to see.” And the Lord let the servant see that the hill was covered with fiery horses and flaming chariots all around Elisha. 18 As the Syrian army came closer, Elisha prayed, “Lord, make those soldiers blind!” And the Lord blinded them with a bright light. 19 Elisha told the enemy troops, “You’ve taken the wrong road and are in the wrong town. Follow me. I’ll lead you to the man you’re looking for.” Elisha led them straight to the capital city of Samaria.” II Kings 6:8-19 CEV

The odds were not good – two against an army. Outnumbered! The servant was worried and possibly had considered deserting Elisha but the prophet had his eyes on the Lord! He knew God’s promises – He was more aware of who God is and what God was doing than he was of the army sent to capture him.

David was the same way when it came to Goliath. He knew God had delivered him from a lion and a bear and that God would do the same with this enemy, an uncircumcised Philistine – a man who had no covenant with God.

Then there was Daniel and the lions; the Hebrew children and the fiery furnace; Moses and the Red Sea; Noah and the flood; Jesus and the storm at sea; Peter locked in prison; Paul & Silas chained in a dungeon and Jesus in the tomb. Each one of these circumstances is a reminder that God is faithful and we are never outnumbered when we are with God!

We must keep our eyes on the Commander and not the battle – with God we are a majority in any situation.

“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 KJV

“What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32 God not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else? ” Romans 8:31-32 CEV

Take a page from Elisha’s battle plan – ” “Don’t be afraid,” Elisha answered. “There are more troops on our side than on theirs.” 17 Then he prayed, “Lord, please help him to see.”

When we are with the Lord – we outnumber the enemy!

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The Big Stuff

Trusting on God to handle the “big” stuff in our lives seems appropriate, right? But then we try to handle the “little” things on our own – surely we can handle them. No need to bother God!

Have you ever asked yourself “What’s big to God?”

Big things might appear to be cancer, divorce, terrorist attacks, destructive weather, who knows? While smaller things are the day to day occurrences; a broken washing machine, repairs on the car, problems at work, the kids’ friends, too much month and not enough money. These are the things we try to handle on our own; coming to our own conclusions; working out our own answers.

But what is “big” to God? He is the one who created the universe, who has been ever present from eternity past to eternity future, who mapped the planets, the sun, moon and stars; He created the earth and everything in it. What is “big stuff” to Him? Our “big” things barely make a blip on His radar screen however He tells us to bring everything too Him, that we may find help in time of need.

“Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 CEV

Two key words in this verse are anything and everything – that’s what we are to bring to the Father with thankful hearts knowing that He has a plan.

God has never been caught off guard by any request – He knows before we ask but He still is waiting for us to ask. He’s never leaned over to Jesus and said “Boy, I didn’t see that one coming. That’s a surprise to me; I wonder what I’m going to do.” No! He knows exactly what we need and how to get it to us.

He wants to be included in every aspect of our lives; the big, the small and the in-between. He will bring peace to the devastated and joy to the heart broken, He will heal the headache and the broken toe. He will give you wisdom as you develop a new project and He will help you balance the household budget. Give Him the large, that you can’t handle and the small, that you shouldn’t handle, let Him have it all.

“We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. That is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. 15 Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:14-16 CEV

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Not Without Hope

Today we will attend the memorial service of a long time friend. Don was a wonderful man. He had a generous heart and he never met a stranger. He loved the Lord and was committed to telling people how much Jesus loved them. His wife is a dear lady with the same love of Jesus and together they shared their faith by singing country gospel music.

As Christians, when we lose a friend or loved one to death it’s only a brief separation. We have God’s promise that we will see them again once we get to heaven.

“Jesus said to her, “I am the One Who raises the dead and gives them life. Anyone who puts his trust in Me will live again, even if he dies. 26 Anyone who lives and has put his trust in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26 NLV

It’s hard to say good bye because our hearts are wanting to keep that person close. We don’t want to lose that touch of a hug or the sound of their voice. But for them, death is like standing in a doorway. At one moment they are on this side and then with one step they cross over to the heavenly side. Although life on earth ceases, as Jesus said, they never die. They simply walk into life in heaven.

In heaven there is no sorrow, no tears, no pain! What a glorious thought.

We have hope – hope of heaven, hope of the Lord’s return, hope of eternal life.

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.” I Thessalonians 4:13-14 NLV

We grieve certainly but not like those who have no hope! We put our hope in God and in Him we find comfort, joy and peace.

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NLV

Thank you Father for filling us with hope!

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Beginning to Rain

Usually by this time of year we have already had a good number of hard rains. In Arizona we call it Monsoon Season. It starts about mid June and goes until mid September but this year it has been slow in starting. However, yesterday afternoon and evening we had a nice storm roll in.

Nice storm. Is that an oxymoron? How can a storm be good?

It cleanses the air and brings life giving water to the desert. We opened the doors and windows and let in the cool air and enjoyed the smell of rain. Even Glory wasn’t too unnerved by the few loud claps of thunder. What we did have was the rain, a good penetrating rain!

You could also hear the earth soaking it in and see the cactus growing fat, minute after minute. The birds kept us informed on the weather conditions. As the dark clouds were gathering there was a constant barrage of activity at the humming bird feeders. When the fall of rain became heavier, they were gone. As it started to lessen in intensity, they were back. It amazes me that these small creatures know how to prepare for a storm and when it’s over they are right there singing again.

The Lord send us life giving rain when we are going through the dry times. It may seem that we are parched emotionally, physically and spiritually. But then comes the rain…He brings us refreshing and new life. The Spirit of God waters us with a shower of love, encouragement and provision.

“I am the Lord, and I made you. I am the one who created you. I have helped you since you were in your mother’s womb. Jacob, my servant, don’t be afraid. Jeshurun, I chose you. 3 “I will pour water for thirsty people, and streams will flow through the desert. I will pour my Spirit on your children, and I will bless your family. 4 They will sprout like grass in the spring and grow like trees by streams of water.” Isaiah 44:2-4 ERV

“So keep on trying to know the Lord. His coming to us is as sure as the rising of the sun. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain giving water to the earth.” Hosea 6:3 NLV

Thank you Lord for starting my day with Your refreshing. The birds were singing about thirty minutes earlier than normal this morning and so I knew that they too were overjoyed by the cool morning and the moisture that we had received.

I love you Lord, and thank you for the glory that You share with us each day!

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Everyone Needs a Cheerleader

And the fans go wild…

Do you remember your high school or college years when you would go to the “big game”? The teams would be engage in battle; the rivalry would be intense. Often the home team would be down in points and the cheerleaders would do their best to get everyone in the stands up on their feet and cheering for the players.

Hearing the crowd cheering for you can be game changing!

The thought of a cheering crowd is what came to mind as I was reading my Bible this morning.

“Think about what we have in Christ: the encouragement he has brought us, the comfort of his love, our sharing in his Spirit, and the mercy and kindness he has shown us. If you enjoy these blessings, 2 then do what will make my joy complete: Agree with each other, and show your love for each other. Be united in your goals and in the way you think.” Philippians 2:1-2 ERV

Can you hear it from the grandstands of heaven? The cheers of encouragement coming from the mouth of Jesus; the Holy Spirit calling us in to the huddle and speaking words of kindness and mercy into our lives as he sends us out on the next play.

We are never in this Christian walk alone. God, our Father, owns the field, the lights, the ball and we can keep playing until we win!

“You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. 22 But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent. 23 But you must stay deeply rooted and firm in your faith. You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news. It was preached to everyone on earth, and I myself have become a servant of this message.” Colossians 1:21-23 CEV

We are on the winning team. There’s no greater coach than the Holy Spirit. His job is to strengthen us and give us proper training through the power of God’s word. We are on a team with other Christians. We need each other to accomplish the goal that God has given us.

“…But if you live to please the Spirit, your harvest from the Spirit will be eternal life. 9 We must not get tired of doing good. We will receive our harvest of eternal life at the right time. We must not give up. 10 When we have the opportunity to do good to anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers.” Galatians 6:8b-10 ERV

You may feel like it’s fourth down and you’re still nine yards from the goal but your front line is strong; there stands faith, joy, hope, mercy, peace and the Word. The gates of hell and all its players cannot prevail.

“But you, Lord, are a mighty soldier, standing at my side. Those troublemakers will fall down and fail— terribly embarrassed, forever ashamed.” Jeremiah 20:11 CEV

Run forward – all of heaven is cheering you on! You WIN!!!

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Remember the Past

I am so thankful for a good memory. It’s very important to me to remember the past. From those memories I draw encouragement for the present and hope for the future. The last few days I have been recounting the events of five years ago; that’s when we left Montana and came back to Arizona.

What an answer to prayer!

We said good bye to some very dear friends and we started our journey. We didn’t get far on our first day but the first steps were taken and that’s what was important. Each day we take steps in following the Lord. Each day, each step brings us closer to Him.

Sometimes we end up walking a new ground without the familiar love and support we have known. It’s in those “alone” times that we deepen in our relationship with the Father and listen more intently for the voice of the Holy Spirit as He gives us direction.

“The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. 2 He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. 3 He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that he is good. 4 Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave, I will not be afraid of any danger, because you are with me.” Psalm 23:1-4 ERV

Forward progress doesn’t always come in great distances covered. More often it comes from moment by moment, hour by hour, mile by mile forward movement in developing who we are in Christ. It’s important to stop and rest – to come aside, to be refreshed and then to pick up and begin again, faithfully following and moving forward in what the Lord has called us to do today.

Five years ago, we were excited about our move to AZ, we were joined on our journey by our son Koy and his girlfriend Kym. They met us in Salt Lake City and helped us complete the drive and the unpack at our new home. We so appreciated that, it’s good to have help for difficult chores.

You may not know the exact destination on your journey, you might be like the Apostle Paul who wrote these words of encouragement:

“I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his. 13 Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. 14 I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven. 15 All of us who have grown to be spiritually mature should think this way too. And if there is any of this that you don’t agree with, God will make it clear to you. 16 But we should continue following the truth we already have.” Philippians 3:12-16 ERV

Let memories of your past bring you hope and encouragement. The Father will never abandon us!

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Recipes for Worms

Ever have one of those pity parties where it’s just you and your emotions? I have to admit that occasionally I still find myself setting the table for that kind of gathering and I have to call myself on it and cancel the party because I know it doesn’t please the Father.

As a kid, I’m sure you all said this little chant once or twice. “Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll go eat worms. Big fat juicy ones, little tiny scrawny ones, oh, how they do .” Ya, I know kids stuff right? Not so much – that feeling is all to prevalent in adults as well but we just don’t sing the chant. Nobody, and I mean nobody, has a good recipe for worm cake so let’s just not go there.

The feeling that I’m all alone and that nobody really understands me, appreciates me or cares about me can be overwhelming. We’ve all had people let us down, turn against us or just ignore us as if we don’t exist. But! There is One who promises to never leave us or forsake us.

“God has said, “I will never leave you; I will never run away from you.” Now that’s good news but let me give it to you from the Amplified version.

“for He [God] [b]Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor [c]give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [d][I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor [e]let [you] down ([f]relax My hold on you)! [[g]Assuredly not!]
6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5b-6

Now read that again. The Amplified version gives you the depth of the meaning of the words the way they were written in the original language. This is how God feels about you – He’s there for you. He will not leave you!!!! His love never fails.

Jesus has never once accepted my invitation to a pity party. He doesn’t like worm cake. (I know that made you smile.) He does show up and ask me to leave my party and my self-pity and to join Him in a celebration of the Father’s love. He also reminds me not to get side-tracked by the rejection, insults or condemning words that others may speak. He wants me to stay focused on the Father’s word the way he did.

“God wants you to silence stupid and ignorant people by doing right. 16 You are free, but still you are God’s servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong. 17 Respect everyone and show special love for God’s people. Honor God and respect the Emperor.” I Peter 2:15-17 CEV

Our real enemy isn’t “stupid or ignorant people”, it is Satan and he would love to destroy our stand for the Lord by getting us to gripe, complain and become angry. He used the same tactics with Jesus. If he can’t do that then he would like us to become so wrapped in self-pity that we are ineffective.

It’s up to us to control our emotions and stay settled on God’s word.

“Great blessings belong to those who suffer persecution for doing what is right.
God’s kingdom belongs to them. 11 “People will insult you and hurt you. They will lie and say all kinds of evil things about you because you follow me. But when they do that, know that great blessings belong to you. 12 Be happy about it. Be very glad because you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven. People did these same bad things to the prophets who lived before you.” Matthew 5:10-12 CEV

Leave the worm muffins and pie for the birds and the fish. Look up! We are blessed today because God loves us. What can man do to you that could possibly compare to that!!

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No More Tears

I’m sure most of you have heard the stories of someone being on the brink of death and they have their whole life flash before their eyes. I’m not sure if that’s true or not, I can’t find anything in Scripture that tells us that’s what happens. However, we do have some Scriptures that tell us what heaven will be like and I’d like to share with you some of my thoughts this morning.

I guess this comes in part from spending the last ten days with my Mother. She has lived a full and wonderful life. She talks of the good things she has experienced and of her greatest joys here on earth; family, friends, and serving the Lord. And then she talks of heaven; seeing Jesus, being reunited with my father and other loved ones, meeting those people from the Bible whose stories she has read dozens of times.

She is so looking forward to heaven!

She really doesn’t want to wait any longer. She would like to go now but is content to wait on the Lord’s timing. We have talked about the joy of that moment; she wants us to have a party when she goes home.

“So my heart and soul will be very happy. Even my body will live in safety, 10 because you will not leave me in the place of death. You will not let your faithful one rot in the grave. 11 You will teach me the right way to live. Just being with you will bring complete happiness. Being at your right side will make me happy forever. ” Psalm 16:9-11 ERV

The Lord has promised, that when we receive the new life that Jesus died to give us, He will forgive all our sins and He remembers them no more.

“Never again will anyone have to teach their neighbors or their family to know the Lord.  All people—the greatest and the least important—will know me. 12 And I will forgive the wrongs they have done, and I will not remember their sins.” Hebrews 8:11-13 ERV

That is so amazing to me – God chooses to forget our sins! He doesn’t remind us of our failings; He isn’t keeping score to see if we’ve been good enough. He’s made us good enough because of our relationship with Jesus. When we accept His sacrifice, we receive His forgiveness.

So what will heaven be like? Constant joy! We will be in the Father’s presence and that is a place of constant joy.

“I heard a loud voice from the throne. It said, “Now God’s home is with people. He will live with them. They will be his people. God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain. All the old ways are gone.”

5 The one who was sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this, because these words are true and can be trusted.” Revelation 21:3-5 ERV

I recently heard a country song entitled “Worthy Watching”. It was sung by Johnny Lee. There is a line in the song that goes like this:

“When my life flashes before my eyes
It’ll be worth watching”

Once we receive Christ our life’s story is revised; our sins and shortcomings are blotted out and what lies ahead with definitely be “worth watching”. Thank you Lord for wiping away the tears!

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Wipe Away The Tears

Not So Happy Day…I woke up this morning and asked the Lord what I should write. I remembered an article I wrote several years back to Mothers’ with broken hearts.

There are woman all around me who aren’t happy about Mother’s Day but instead are dreading it.

This is for those of you who have recently experienced the death of a child either as an unborn, infant or even an adult. You’re not having a good day, you want to stay in bed with your head under the covers and avoid all who are celebrating.

Some of you have been told you will never have children and your heart is screaming “I’m broken…I ache…I may never recover and I can’t go on pretending everything’s ok.”

Ladies some of you may be dealing with abortion or giving a child up for adoption. Others may be facing life as a single parent because you’ve been abandoned. Some have a special needs child that you love dearly but drain your energy and you are exhausted most of the time.

The last group of ladies I want to include here are those of you who are estranged from your children, those whose children have left and you have no idea where they are or they are living a lifestyle that is far from you and even farther from the Lord. They may be in an addictive lifestyle or they may be in prison.

Mother’s Day is not a good day for you to say the least. You hurt and the thought of facing the day, a day filled with cards and flowers, cheery greetings and gifts is just unbearable.

Because I’m writing this too you, you can know that your Heavenly Father knows your heart, He knows your pain. He wants to comfort you. There are two verses that immediately come to mind

“If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. 29 Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest.” Matthew 11:28-29 CEV

“for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] 6 So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5b-6 AMP

Your Father knows your heart and how it’s breaking, He is here to heal it and to give you comfort. You are not alone!

“God blesses those people who grieve. They will find comfort!” Matthew 5:4 CEV

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