Category: Hope

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Hallelujah!!!

This morning I have tears streaming down my cheeks!

It was 8 days ago my computer died and I had no way to share with you each morning. I’ve been praying for you every day and trusting the Father to encourage you in your daily walk.

Yesterday I expected to receive my new computer but instead I received an email which read “shipping has been delayed, do you wish to cancel your order”.

NO!!

For a week, I have been trying and praying to connect to my site via my phone only to be met with “incorrect password” and never receiving the necessary email to reset it. Frankly, I was beginning to lose hope.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick”

I was heart sick for sure. Several dear friends have been holding me up in prayer. Thank you, thank you!!! One sweet friend encouraged me by reminding me that I didn’t need a strong internet signal to pray – very true.

Before I got up this morning, I heard very distinctly in my heart. Don’t give up, try again.

I was reminded of Noah, who spent years building an ark, telling his neighbors of the coming flood and had not one convert. Then there was David, who knew he had been anointed to be king of Israel and yet he hid from Saul for 13 years in the wilderness because Saul was trying to kill him. And then there was Jesus, who preached for 3 years and was crucified by the religious Jews.

My computer struggles are small potatoes compared to these monumental challenges but I know that the Father is just as concerned with me and you as He was for them.

So, this morning, I got up and tried one more time, a little differently, but try I did…and here I am to encourage you -don’t give up, don’t quit trying!

“Thanks be to God who always causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus.” II Corinthians 2:14

No matter what you’re facing don’t quit. Keep your trust in the Father, he is worthy of all our trust. Roll all your cares on Him!

“Casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you”. I Peter 5:7

Can you say Hallelujah?!

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Are You A Small Fry?

Do you understand the meaning of “small fry”?  It was reiterated to me yesterday morning.

Dave and I went out fishing first thing.  It was just after daybreak. The hatch of water bugs was in full harvest.  At first we thought we stepped into a swarm of mosquitos. No, not that. We were in a hatch of what appeared to be small dragon flies.

As they landed on the water’s surface the trout began to boil. It had been a long time since I had seen such a sight.  Everywhere there were ripples, the trout were coming to the surface to feed on the new hatch.

As we cast our bait we hoped there would be one or two trout that chose it over the freshly hatched bugs sitting on the surface of the water.

At shore’s edge, we observed the hunger of the small fry. Did you know that young fish are called fry? 

These little guys, less than 3 to 4 inches long, would come to the surface of the water to feed. Up they’d come, gulp, flip their tails and be gone. 

Does it shock you that I would think of a story in the Bible to relate to this adventure? 

Jesus met Peter, James, John and Andrew on the shore of the Sea of Galilee after they had had an unsuccessful night of fishing. 

“Master,” Simon answered, “we have worked hard all night long and have not caught a thing. But if you tell me to, I will let the nets down.” 6 They did it and caught so many fish that their nets began ripping apart. 7 Then they signaled for their partners in the other boat to come and help them. The men came, and together they filled the two boats so full that they both began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw this happen, he knelt down in front of Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t come near me! I am a sinner.” 9 Peter and everyone with him were completely surprised at all the fish they had caught. 10 His partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were surprised too. Jesus told Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you will bring in people instead of fish.” Luke 5:5-10 CEV

This was a net breaking, almost boat sinking load. But what I find interesting is that nowhere is there any mention to the size of the fish. Surely, some of the fish were small fry.

This is so much like Jesus. 

He never makes a distinction between large or small, rich or poor, educated or plain. In fact, Paul says that the Lord uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise.

This should be so encouraging. 

If you feel like a small fish in a big pond guess what?  God knows you’re there. Are you a small fry?  Not to worry, God has jobs that only small fry can fill.  You won’t find a whale in a mountain lake.

Father, let us realize that you have a specific job for each one of your children. We don’t need to be envious of the bigger fish in the lake. You are willing to use those of us that are small fry!

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I Know…

I know:

  1. the artist of this wonderful landscape
  2. the author of the world’s best seller
  3. the world’s largest cattle rancher
  4. the wisest man in the world
  5. the most compassionate person to have ever walked the earth
  6. Him and I call Him Father

Some times we get so focused on what we don’t know we forget to center in on Who we know.

“I say this because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth. 10 And because you belong to Christ you are complete, having everything you need. Christ is ruler over every other power and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10 ERV

When feelings of inadequacy come, and they will, it’s important that we are firmly established in who we are in Christ.

The Apostle Paul writes that we are complete in Christ, having everything we need!

He couldn’t have written this if it weren’t true. That’s the thing about the Bible, every verse is true. God doesn’t allow any exaggeration, half-truth, misrepresentation or bald-faced lie of His word. He pointed these things out everytime someone acted in such a way.

“You have known the Holy Scriptures since you were a child. These Scriptures are able to make you wise. And that wisdom leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by God. And all Scripture is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching the right way to live. 17 Using the Scriptures, those who serve God will be prepared and will have everything they need to do every good work.” II Timothy 3:15-17 ERV

God’s word provides us with all we need for every situation but there is one catch. Ready? We have to read it to know what’s in it. Simple but true.

“My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me.” Hosea 4:6 NLT

Let’s put it this way. If someone put $10,000 in your checking account but you didn’t know it, you would continue to operate on the balance you thought was available. But once you went on-line to view your account or received your statement in the mail your outlook would be entirely different. You would probably contact the bank to verify that the deposit was actually meant for you and not fradulent but once assured of that you would spend and/or save the money because it is rightfully yours.

God has given us something so much greater than that. He has given us Himself and placed all of who He is in Christ for our benefit! Reading His word gives us that knowledge.

There’s one more thing I feel you should know before I close:

“For I know that nothing can keep us from the love of God. Death cannot! Life cannot! Angels cannot! Leaders cannot! Any other power cannot! Hard things now or in the future cannot! 39 The world above or the world below cannot! Any other living thing cannot keep us away from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 NLV

And now, you know too!

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Don’t Go to the Party

There are some parties that we should never attend. Specifically, the pity party.

The guest list is disasatrous: loneliness, condemnation, self-loathing, imperfection, and low self-esteem.

If you’ve ever attended a party like that or you might be today’s guest of honor, I have Good News!

“We sinned against him, but he didn’t give us the punishment we deserved. 11 His love for his followers is as high above us as heaven is above the earth. 12 And he has taken our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west. 13 The LORD is as kind to his followers as a father is to his children. 14 He knows all about us. He knows we are made from dust. 15 He knows our lives are shor… 17 But the LORD has always loved his followers, and he will continue to love them forever and ever! He will be good to all their descendants, 18 to those who are faithful to his agreement and who remember to obey his commands.” Psalm 103:10-18 ERV

Don’t go to the party!

It seems we fall prey to that destructive kind of thinking at one time or another. Do you know why?

We forget what God says about us. What’s the first thing that jumps from the page when you read the verses above? For me, it’s “he didn’t give us the punishment we deserved.”

Jesus died for my sins so I don’t have too. He knew I was incapable of living a sinless life so the Father placed the responsibility for my sin on Jesus! The Father showers me with love and kindness – my sin has been blotted out. My failure has been expunged! The handwriting against me has been cancelled!!

No pity party here – send the guests back to hell, that’s where they came from!

Each day we can walk free of condemning thoughts, low self-esteem, by reminding ourselves what God has done for us through Christ Jesus.

“So I beg you, brothers and sisters, because of the great mercy God has shown us, offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him—an offering that is only for God and pleasing to him. Considering what he has done, it is only right that you should worship him in this way. 2 Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.” Roman 12:1-2 ERV

The more we focus on God’s love, the less we will focus on our short comings.

“But God’s free gift is not like Adam’s sin. Many people died because of the sin of that one man. But the grace that people received from God was much greater. Many received God’s gift of life by the grace of this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 After Adam sinned once, he was judged guilty. But the gift of God is different. His free gift came after many sins, and it makes people right with him.” Romans 5:15 ERV

Tear up the invitation; don’t go to the party! Remember, “the LORD has always loved his followers, and he will continue to love them forever and ever!”

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At the Cross

Our Easter weekends used to have a way of being a bit abnormal.

When the kids were small we founded an outreach ministry to the working cowboys and their children. One Easter Sunday we had folks preaching at four different rodeo arenas in AZ. Those were wonderful days of seeing the Lord meet the needs of the cowboy community!

How I praise Him for giving us that opportunity to take His good news to these special folks. Everyone needs to have someone tell them about Jesus’ love, his forgiveness and his wonderful plan to give us life everlasting. That was our way of taking the gospel into all the world.

Our world was alfalfa and cotton fields, youth rodeo arenas and ropings. Your world may be a medical office, an IT programming center, the front seat of a big rig, a classroom or a bank lobby. No matter the occupation or career we are all welcome at the foot of the cross.

He died so that we could live, He was oppressed so we could live free from fear and anxiety, His body was bruised and wounded so ours could be healed, His heart was broken so we could live in an unconditionally loving relationship with the Father. There is only one place to find this free gift and that’s at the cross of Jesus.

“He was hated and rejected; his life was filled with sorrow and terrible suffering. No one wanted to look at him. We despised him and said, ‘He is a nobody!’ 4 He suffered and endured great pain for us, but we thought his suffering was punishment from God. 5 He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well. 6 All of us were like sheep that had wandered off. We had each gone our own way, but the Lord gave him the punishment we deserved. 7 He was painfully abused, but he did not complain. He was silent like a lamb being led to the butcher, as quiet as a sheep having its wool cut off. 8 He was condemned to death without a fair trial. Who could have imagined what would happen to him? His life was taken away because of the sinful things my people had done.” Isaiah 53:3-8 CEV

The verses above describe what Jesus went through to pay the penalty for our sins. He was sinless and deserved none of it but He took our place. His death on the cross was only part of the story. Three days later, Easter, He rose from the grave victoriously. His life’s mission was complete. Our mission is to spread the news of what He has done.

“We are Christ’s missionaries. God is speaking to you through us. We are speaking for Christ and we ask you from our hearts to turn from your sins and come to God. 21 Christ never sinned but God put our sin on Him. Then we are made right with God because of what Christ has done for us.” II Corinthians 5:20-21 NLV

All are welcome at the cross!

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Great Things

Sunday afternoons are travel days at our house. Dave and I watch several travelogs and plan the destination for some of our next adventures. Beautiful places, remote places, interesting out-of-the-way places.

Yesterday we saw a place we never knew existed in Idaho, Craters of the Moon National Park. The whole area was created by a lava flow. It has amazing caves and interesting lava fields to hike and explore.

It is a testament to our great God!

“Let all that I am praise the Lord. O Lord my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty. 2 You are dressed in a robe of light. You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; 3 you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariot; you ride upon the wings of the wind. 4 The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants. 5 You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved.” Psalm 104:1-5 NLT

Please take time to read Psalm 104 in its entirety. It details God’s greatness in creating this earth of ours.

He has done great things!

“My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! 3 He will not let you stumble;
  the one who watches over you will not slumber. 4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. 5 The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.” Psalm 121: 2-5 NLT

The vastness, the variety, the exquisite beauty of creation tell the story of our all-powerful Father. But they also proclaim loudly His protection and provision for those He loves. Never does He fall asleep; He is constantly watching over us!

Our Father does great things!

Yesterday morning one of the worship songs we sang reminded us “He has done great things”.

“Come let us worship our King
Come let us bow at His feet
He has done great things
See what our Savior has done
See how His love overcomes
He has done great things
He has done great things

Oh hero of Heaven, You conquered the grave
You free every captive and break every chain
Oh God, You have done great things
We dance in Your freedom, awake and alive
Oh Jesus, our Savior, Your name lifted high
Oh God, You have done great things

You’ve been faithful through every storm
You’ll be faithful forevermore
You have done great things
And I know You will do it again
For Your promise is “Yes and amen”
You will do great things
God, You do great things”

Great Things lyrics by Phil Wickham

Creation declares the greatness of God’s power. Jesus declares the greatness of His love.

Experience the great things of our Father!

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Real Encouragement

I am overwhelmed when I stop to think of the friends I have been blessed with through the years. Their love and encouragement is priceless!

Encouragement.

In it’s simplest form encouragement is the act of infusing with courage. By definition it means “the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope”. Encouragement is something friends give to one another.

Encouragement is a light in our darkness and a warm blanket of comfort. It provides us with strength to move forward and hope in future.

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8 NLT

The Bible tells us we are blessed when we turn to the Lord for encouragement. In Him, we find hope and confidence. In Him, we flourish like a well watered tree. In Him, we produce good fruit.

Christ gives us courage and infuses us with encouragement. That’s what the Bible is all about – written words of encouragement and our friends are used by God to remind us that we can always trust in Him and depend on them.

Today, we are ending our quick study through the book of Colossians. I hope you have found it encouraging. In the last eleven verses of this book Paul mentions eight people who have worked with him, encouraged him while he has been imprisoned and who are now offering encouragement to these Christians.

The book started out with Paul’s greeting to be filled with grace and peace and ends with him urging us to encourage others in their faith. Some skip over these closing words, thinking they are insignficant. However, every word in the Bible has significance.

These final thoughts express appreciation for those who have worked with Paul to deliver the message of new life in Christ. It calls by name those who have worked closely with him, it validates them. And it reminds us to express appreciation for those who have walked with us in our trying times.

“Tychicus is my dear brother in Christ. He is a faithful helper and he serves the Lord with me. He will tell you everything that is happening with me. 8 That is why I am sending him. I want you to know how we are, and I am sending him to encourage you. 9 I am sending him with Onesimus, the faithful and dear brother from your group. They will tell you everything that has happened here…Epaphras, another servant of Jesus Christ from your group, sends his greetings. He constantly struggles for you in prayer. He prays that you will grow to be spiritually mature and have everything that God wants for you.” Colossians 4:7-9, 12 ERV

Give encouragement!

Let’s follow Paul’s example. I urge you to make a mental, better yet, a physical list of those who have been an encouragement to you. Pray for them, send them a greeting and thank them for the role they have played in your life. I guarantee your greeting will be an encouragement to them.

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I Know A Secret

Have you ever been asked to keep a secret?

When our oldest was about three she was helping me wrap some birthday presents for Dave. I told her it was a secret and she couldn’t tell “Daddy” what we had gotten him. Then we took the presents and put them in the hall closet for safe keeping.

Dave came home from work that evening and as he approached the little closet Kim threw herself against the door and frantically said “No Daddy, you can’t look in the door. It’s a secret!”

Dave and I both had a good laugh and needless to say, he opened his presents that night at dinner instead of the next day.

Some secrets are just too good to keep!

For years prophets had told of a coming Messiah, a Savior, but people ignored the message. Then Jesus arrived and he preached the message of restoration and forgiveness for all. He wanted everyone to know that the Father was lovingly reaching out to the world. They heard His message but they were angered by it and they crucified Him.

“We speak of God’s hidden and mysterious wisdom that God decided to use for our glory long before the world began. 8 The rulers of this world didn’t know anything about this wisdom. If they had known about it, they would not have nailed the glorious Lord to a cross…10 God’s Spirit has shown you everything. His Spirit finds out everything, even what is deep in the mind of God.” I Corinthians 2:7- 10 CEV

After Jesus’ death and resurrection the secret was out!

Everywhere people were believing this message that Christ died to bring, “God loves and forgives sinners. He has a plan for them to have a new and abundant life”. This was the message that Paul was bringing to the Colossians and to us.

“God’s plan was to make me a servant of his church and to send me to preach his complete message to you. 26 For ages and ages this message was kept secret from everyone, but now it has been explained to God’s people. 27 God did this because he wanted you Gentiles to understand his wonderful and glorious mystery. And the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God’s glory.

28 We announce the message about Christ, and we use all our wisdom to warn and teach everyone, so that all of Christ’s followers will grow and become mature. 29 That’s why I work so hard and use the mighty power he gives me.” Colossians 1:25-29 CEV

The mystery, the secret, is this: “Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God’s glory”.

Christ lives in me, in us! What a secret – it has to be shared.

What could the day present that Jesus couldn’t conquer? What problem could we have that Christ couldn’t solve?

Paul had been stoned, beaten, imprisoned and ostracized for preaching this message but that didn’t stop him because he knew that Christ lived in him and was strengthening him in every situation.

The secret’s out – we have been made right with God and He has given us abundant life!

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Singing in the Storm

Imagine with me that you and your closest friend had been arrested. Before you are taken to your cell you were beaten and then chained in a dungeon. You know you are innocent of any crime and still here you are!

What will you do next? Many of us would probably curl up in a corner and bemoan our fate. Life is unfair! Fear would seep in and probably cover us like a blanket. Hope would be gone BUT not if we had our hope anchored to God’s love and His promises. (we read about being anchored yesterday)

This is a real life story so let’s look at what these two friends did.

“After they had been badly beaten, they were put in jail, and the jailer was told to guard them carefully. 24 The jailer did as he was told. He put them deep inside the jail and chained their feet to heavy blocks of wood.

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, while the other prisoners listened. 26 Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the jail to its foundations. The doors opened, and the chains fell from all the prisoners.” Acts 16:23-26 CEV

Paul and Silas sang at midnight!

They prayed and they sang. Maybe they remembered the words from Psalm 23:

“You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.” Vs 5 NLT

Maybe they thought of Daniel being thrown to the lions or of those three Hebrews would were condemned to the fiery furnance. Whatever their thoughts, they were focused on the Lord and they were singing.

One of the songs we sang at on-line church on Sunday was running through my mind as I got up this morning. Here’s just a few of the lyrics of Raise A Hallelujah by Bethel Music:

I raise a hallelujah, in the presence of my enemies
I raise a hallelujah, louder than the unbelief
I raise a hallelujah, my weapon is a melody
I raise a hallelujah, heaven comes to fight for me


I’m gonna sing, in the middle of the storm
Louder and louder, you’re gonna hear my praises roar
Up from the ashes, hope will arise
Death is defeated, the King is alive!

No situation or circumstance is hopeless when we know the One who opens prison doors and sets the captives free. No situation can defeat us when our faith is established in Jesus. Our Father, the God of heaven, comes to our cry.

“Loving God means obeying his commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us, 4 because everyone who is a child of God has the power to win against the world. 5 It is our faith that has won the victory against the world. So who wins against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” I John 5:3-5 CEV

If you’re in the middle of a storm right now, warm up those vocal chords and get ready to sing. Anchor your hope in Christ – the King is Alive!!

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Anchored in Life

Dave and I like to watch sailing shows; there are several on YouTube where couples and families have left the sticks and bricks behind and taken to the water. They have some amazing adventures as they circumnavigate the globe.

Since the videos are never more than twenty to thirty minutes long most of the footage they show is of the “fun stuff”. Sailing in beautiful waters, meeting interesting island natives, fishing from the back deck, snorkeling – all of these are an enticement to this carefree lifestyle.

It’s not all fun and games. There’s a lot of work that must be done to keep things ship-shape. This last week two of the sailing couples each focused on the work that has to be done to keep their boats in good repair.

I was particularly interested when they showed the anchor and the chain that secures it. Sailing is a continual cycle of dropping anchor, retrieving it and moving on to the next anchorage. A good anchor is a must.

Anchors are used in both calm and rough seas. It’s important to be well anchored. If not, the boat will drift and move off course. I found that to be true with our small fishing boat. If we weren’t using our trolling motor to slowly move around an inlet we dropped anchor to keep us from drifting too close to the shoreline or getting caught up in a submerged tree or hitting a log.

We all need a good anchor. It’s an essential in life.

“God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. 19 This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls.” Hebrews 6:18-19 CEV

Hope in God’s promises is our anchor, not just when things are rough and stormy but also when life is calm and smooth. We place our confidence, our hope, in the Father’s promises and they hold us secure. It’s easy to drift off course and lose our bearings without this anchor.

“Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. 23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News.” Colossians 1:22-23 NLT

Let me encourage you to drop anchor. Make sure you are securely attached to the solid rock of God’s word. It will keep you from drifting – it will fill you with hope!

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