Lent Day 24: Hope-filled living


May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by
the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13 NEV

Blooming where they're planted
Rows of books line the bookstore. There's an entire section for DIY hopefuls. (That's probably not the name of the section: usually it's called "Self-Help" or something similar.) We assume we can self-improve and capture a good life for ourselves. We value "standing on our own two feet" and independence. What an impossible burden.

Those of us who follow Jesus go through the same circumstances as everyone else. We reach our goals or they fall by the wayside. We feel healthy or sick. Our families have good times and bad. Our jobs are fulfilling or drudgery. 

It's futile to think that becoming a Christian "fixes" us so that we never have another problem. To have that happen, we'd have to be in isolation. Even then we might not be our own best company.

But we serve the God of hope. The One who fills us with JOY. PEACE.

As we believe in him, the power of God's Spirit flushes through us, lifting despair and grief. He surrounds us with unconditional love and favor. He assures us of his watchful care. 

He sees us through whatever life brings our way. And he rejoices over our small triumphs and accomplishments with us. The Story we share is Good News indeed!

 Ask now about the former days,
long before your time,
from the day God created human beings on the earth;
ask from one end of the heavens to the other.
Has anything so great as this ever happened,
or has anything like it ever been heard of? ...
You were shown these things so that
you might know that the Lord is God;
besides him there is no other. ...

Acknowledge and take to heart this day
that the Lord is God in heaven above
and on the earth below.
There is no other.

Keep his decrees and commands,
which I am giving you today,
so that it may go well with you
and your children after you
and that you may live long
in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time. 
Deut 4:32, 35, 39-40 NEV

Popular posts from this blog

Lent Day 23: A life in hiding

Image
" You have been raised up with Christ. So think about things that are in heaven. That is where Christ is. He is sitting at God’s right hand.  Think about things that are in heaven. Don’t think about things that are only on earth.  You died. Now your life is hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3 Where are you hiding? And what are you hiding from? What would happen if you believed God had raised you from the dead and you were focused on heaven? What is you hid behind God' power instead of depending on your own?
Read more

Lent Day 31, 2024: Pruning that profits us

Image
It's painful to lose things. Sometimes we have to wave goodbye to a friendship, a job, or a home. Sometimes it seems like God is angry with us or that it's our fault. But Jesus offers a different perspective. Jesus talks about the value of the hard times, when things are pruned away.  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.   He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful (John 15:1-2) ." Sometimes what you leave behind is something that has outgrown its season or taken energy away from your true purpose: a fruitful life. Other times we don't know why  we are being reshaped.  It can hurt.  The writer to the Hebrews notes: " No  discipline  seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11)." Challenge: Think of som...
Read more

Lent Day 39: Sentenced for your crimes and mine

Image
When the Pharisees and other national leaders take Jesus to the Roman governor, they are looking for the worst punishment they can inflict, a cruel and painful death . Here are the details, from  John 18:28-19:16: Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.  So Pilate came out to them and asked, ‘What charges are you bringing against this man?’ ‘If he were not a criminal,’ they replied, ‘we would not have handed him over to you.’ Pilate said, ‘Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.’ ‘But we have no right to execute anyone,’ they objected.  This took place to fulfil what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die. > This is hardly a trial that seeks justice. Rather, it is a conspiracy to execute someone who threatens the power base and status quo. The reli...
Read more