Category: Hope

  • Renewal  One-a-Day Friday  1/20/23

    Renewal  One-a-Day Friday  1/20/23

    …those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31). 

    I have, on occasion, taken Scripture verses a bit too literally.

    Once upon a time, I ran a marathon.  Actually, that’s not quite accurate; I ran part of a marathon and hobbled the rest.  This verse kept running through my mind.

    My hope was in the Lord.

    And yet…

    My strength was depleted.

    Though I was sore, I did not soar.

    I ran, and grew quite weary.

    I walked, and was faint.

    I crawled, and was blistered.

    So maybe God wasn’t talking about marathon running.  Maybe he was talking about our spiritual life.

    And yet…

    Sometimes I feel like my spiritual life is a lot like that marathon.  The pressures crowd in on me from every side, and I can’t find peace.  My hope is in him, but I just feel weak and low and tired and afraid.  It doesn’t look like my hopes will ever be made real.

    I’m sure you never feel this way—thanks for putting up with my dysfunction.

    As I write this, my mind goes to two places—painful and awkward, but that’s how my brain works.  First, I think of the verse from Job: Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.  My hope cannot be based on my circumstances; it must be based on God’s character.  Second, I have to realize that this race is not over yet.  I may feel like I’m about to drop, but I haven’t.

    Does that resonate with you, even a little?  Because I hate to feel alone.

    You feel like you’re about to drop, but you haven’t.

    By his grace, you keep putting one foot in front of the other.

    And that is our hope.

    I remember the end of that marathon.  After doing the death crawl for several eternities, I reached the 25 mile marker.

    1.2 miles to go.

    I prayed that God would give me the strength to finish at a run…and he did.

    I ran the end of the race.

    One might even say that I soared…but one would be wildly mistaken.

    Still, I finished strong in that race.

    And I will finish strong in this race.

    And so will you, Beloved—that’s a promise.

    Happy Friday

  • Hope   One-a-Day Thursday  1/19/23

    Hope   One-a-Day Thursday  1/19/23

    We’re going to finish this week with a focus on Hope, because…

    Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12).

    There’s a whole lot of sick hearts out there.

    We hope, we hunger, we long for something, and it tears at us.  We feel a hole in our hearts, and we yearn for that which will fill it.  And then, after weeks, months, years of patience, we obtain our hope, and all is bliss.

    Except when we don’t.

    And it isn’t.

    Then what?

    I’m going to open the week with a simple question:  What do you hope for?

    I said simple; I never said easy.

    Do us both a favor; don’t tell me—or God, or yourself, for that matter—what you think we want to hear.  Because, “I hope for Christ’s return, when I will be glorified with him and made complete in him,” sounds incredibly spiritual, and is a gold star answer in Sunday School, and is probably even true.

    But it’s not all, is it?

    Dump out your heart this morning.  Sift through all the bits and bobs.  What do you find yourself yearning for, aching for, hoping for?

    What is missing?

    Just something to ponder as you head into your week.

    Happy Thursday, Beloved.

  • Renewal  One-a-Day Friday  1/7/22

    Renewal One-a-Day Friday 1/7/22

    …those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31). 

    I have, on occasion, taken Scripture verses a bit too literally.

    Once upon a time, I ran a marathon.  Actually, that’s not quite accurate; I ran part of a marathon and hobbled the rest.  This verse kept running through my mind.

    My hope was in the Lord.

    And yet…

    My strength was depleted.

    Though I was sore, I did not soar.

    I ran, and grew quite weary.

    I walked, and was faint.

    I crawled, and was blistered.

    So maybe God wasn’t talking about marathon running.  Maybe he was talking about our spiritual life.

    And yet…

    Sometimes I feel like my spiritual life is a lot like that marathon.  The pressures crowd in on me from every side, and I can’t find peace.  My hope is in him, but I just feel weak and low and tired and afraid.  It doesn’t look like my hopes will ever be made real.

    I’m sure you never feel this way—thanks for putting up with my dysfunction.

    As I write this, my mind goes to two places—painful and awkward, but that’s how my brain works.  First, I think of yesterday’s verse: Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.  My hope cannot be based on my circumstances; it must be based on God’s character.  Second, I have to realize that this race is not over yet.  I may feel like I’m about to drop, but I haven’t.

    Does that resonate with you, even a little?  Because I hate to feel alone.

    You feel like you’re about to drop, but you haven’t.

    By his grace, you keep putting one foot in front of the other.

    And that is our hope.

    I remember the end of that marathon.  After doing the death crawl for several eternities, I reached the 25 mile marker.

    1.2 miles to go.

    I prayed that God would give me the strength to finish at a run…and he did.

    I ran the end of the race.

    One might even say that I soared…but one would be wildly mistaken.

    Still, I finished strong in that race.

    And I will finish strong in this race.

    And so will you, Beloved—that’s a promise.

    Happy Friday

  • Job  One-a-Day Thursday  1/6/22

    Job One-a-Day Thursday 1/6/22

    Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him (Job 13:15).

    Job was the poster boy for rough times.

    He was beaten up, knocked down, stepped on.  He had more reason than any of us to think that God had abandoned him.

    Yet what did he say?

    Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.

    Can you say that, Beloved?  Will you hope in him regardless of what happens in your circumstances?  Is your hope based entirely on God’s character, or is it based on your own wants and needs?

    Are there any limits to your hope in him?

    Any “if’s” to your love?

    Something to chew on today, Beloved.

  • Glory One-a-Day Wednesday  1/5/22

    Glory One-a-Day Wednesday 1/5/22

    …God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of Glory. (Colossians 1:27).

    I don’t understand how.

    I can’t fathom why.

    I just know what.

    And the what is that the Lord of the Universe has chosen to make his home in you.  Somehow, someway he lives in your heart, and that makes you completely, irrevocably his in a way that will always be a mystery.

    It is, nevertheless, true.

    And that truth is what gives us hope.  The security, the strength, the love that we can never earn is ours by right because we are his.  We are like street urchins who learn that we are, in fact, the lost heirs to the throne of the kingdom.  Vast, unimaginable riches are ours by birthright.  You don’t need to mourn the past—those debts are paid.  You don’t need to fret over the future—glory awaits.  You need only to let him live in and through you today, to let him build his home in your heart.  And that is exactly what he wants to do.  And that is your hope.

    You are his Beloved.

    You are his, Beloved.

    Happy Wednesday

  • Anchor One-a-Day Tuesday  1/4/22

    Anchor One-a-Day Tuesday 1/4/22

    We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19).

    Go with the flow.

    Drift with the tide.

    Float wherever the breeze may take you.

    Uh, no thanks.

    Ships that drift are not happy ships.  They have an awkward tendency to bump into things like rocks and reefs and other ships, with unfortunate results.  Ships need guidance and direction and, when it’s time to rest, an anchor to hold them secure.

    Yesterday I asked what you hope for.  As you looked at the things your heart aches for you may have seen all kinds of desires: physical healing, financial security, marriage, children, reconciliation with a loved one.  These are all worthy desires, but none will keep you from drifting, because none is guaranteed.  An anchor must be a sure thing, solid and unmoving.

    Like Christ.

    Our hope in Christ is unlike any other hope, because it cannot fail to come to fruition.  Frankly, there is no guarantee that the other hopes we have talked about will ever come to pass.  I would love it if you were healed, or got married, or became wealthy, but nobody has promised you those things—at least, nobody with the power to make them happen.  But Jesus has promised you some pretty powerful things.  He has promised to love you forever.  He has promised that you are his, wholly and completely.  He has promised to be with you, now and always.

    Jesus is not the God of Maybe.

    He is the great I Am.

    So don’t drift through your day, Beloved.  Set your anchor and let your soul rest.

    Happy Tuesday

  • Hope   One-a-Day Monday  1/3/22

    Hope One-a-Day Monday 1/3/22

    This week we focus on Hope, because…

    Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12).

    There’s a whole lot of sick hearts out there.

    We hope, we hunger, we long for something, and it tears at us.  We feel a hole in our hearts, and we yearn for that which will fill it.  And then, after weeks, months, years of patience, we obtain our hope, and all is bliss.

    Except when we don’t.

    And it isn’t.

    Then what?

    I’m going to open the week with a simple question:  What do you hope for?

    I said simple; I never said easy.

    Do us both a favor; don’t tell me—or God, or yourself, for that matter—what you think we want to hear.  Because, “I hope for Christ’s return, when I will be glorified with him and made complete in him,” sounds incredibly spiritual, and is a gold star answer in Sunday School, and is probably even true.

    But it’s not all, is it?

    Dump out your heart this morning.  Sift through all the bits and bobs.  What do you find yourself yearning for, aching for, hoping for?

    What is missing?

    Just something to ponder as you head into your week.

    Happy Monday, Beloved.

  • Soar One-a-Day Friday  9/6/19

    Soar One-a-Day Friday 9/6/19

    …those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31). 

    I have, on occasion, taken verses a bit too literally.

    Once upon a time, I ran a marathon.  Actually, that’s not quite accurate; I ran part of a marathon and hobbled the rest.  This verse kept running through my mind.

    My hope was in the Lord.

    And yet…

    My strength was depleted.

    Though I was sore, I did not soar.

    I ran, and grew quite weary.

    I walked, and was faint.

    I crawled, and was blistered.

    So maybe God wasn’t talking about marathon running.  Maybe he was talking about our spiritual life.

    And yet…

    Sometimes I feel like my spiritual life is like that marathon.  The pressures crowd in on me from every side, and I can’t find peace. My hope is in him, but I just feel weak and low and tired and afraid.  It doesn’t look like my hopes will ever be made real.

    I’m sure you never feel this way—thanks for putting up with my dysfunction.

    As I write this, my mind goes to two places—painful and awkward, but that’s how my brain works.  First, I think of yesterday’s verse: Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.  My hope cannot be based in my circumstances; it must be based in God’s character.  Second, I have to realize that this race is not over yet. I may feel like I’m about to drop, but I haven’t.

    Does that resonate with you, even a little?  Because I hate to feel alone.

    You feel like you’re about to fall, but you don’t fall.

    By his grace, you keep putting one foot in front of the other.

    And that is our hope.

    As I think about it, I remember the end of that marathon.  After doing the death crawl for several eternities, I reached the 25 mile marker.

    1.2 miles to go.

    I prayed that God would give me the strength to finish at a run…and he did.

    I ran the end of the race.

    One might even say that I soared…but one would be wildly mistaken.

    Still, I finished strong in that race.

    And I will finish strong in this race.

    And so will you, Beloved—that’s a promise.

    Happy Friday

  • Hope in Him  One-a-Day Thursday  9/5/19

    Hope in Him One-a-Day Thursday 9/5/19

    Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him (Job 13:15).

    Job was the poster boy for rough times.

    He was beaten up, knocked down, stepped on.  He had more reason than any of us to think that God had abandoned him.

    Yet what did he say?

    Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.

    Can you say that, Beloved?  Will you hope in him regardless of what happens in your circumstances?  Is your hope based entirely in God’s character, or is it rooted in your own wants and needs?

    Are there any limits to your hope in him?

    Any “if’s” to your love?

    Something to chew on today, Beloved.

    Happy Thursday

  • Mystery One-a-Day Wednesday  9/4/19

    Mystery One-a-Day Wednesday 9/4/19

    …God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of Glory. (Colossians 1:27).

    I don’t understand how.

    I can’t fathom why.

    I just know what.

    And the what is that the Lord of the Universe has chosen to make his home in you.  Somehow, someway, he lives in your heart, and that makes you completely, irrevocably his in a way that will always be a mystery.

    It is, nevertheless, true.

    And that truth is what gives us hope.  The security, the strength, the love that we can never earn is ours by right because we are his.  We are like street urchins who learn that we are, in fact, the lost heirs to the throne of the kingdom.  Vast, unimaginable riches are ours by birthright. You don’t need to mourn the past—those debts are paid.  You don’t need to fret over the future—glory awaits. You need only to let him live in and through you today, to let him build his home in your heart.  And that is exactly what he wants to do. And that is your hope.

    You are his Beloved.

    You are his, Beloved.

    Happy Wednesday