Yesterday our Pastor spoke of Hope. Hope is in our lives everyday.

Yesterdays hope can be today’s reality. Gods Word says “hope deferred maketh the heart sick”.

Hope based in some semblance of reality… can be realized and fulfilled by our effort and persistence.

We should all hope for better and good things.
Hope brings us up in the morning to see it fulfilled in the day.
Hope drove us to today from days past.
Hope gives us light when we are in the dark.

In our own strength, Hope can fulfilled by using our gifts and abilities.
But where do they come from? We are gifted by God with our ability and talent. In us, God places hope and His Light which propel us forward.

Gods Intention in us…is the Hope we feel.

Our Hope is His Light shed into our hearts and lives.

To fully realize Gods Intention in us…the Hope we feel…we cannot misplace it. We cannot
aim it incorrectly. We cannot misdirect our effort to realize It. To refocus It ….away from God and His Desire for you probably leads to frustration.

It comes from above.

At Its foundation, the Hope in us is from Him….for Him.

Allow that Hope to open your heart to receive the Fullness of God…intended for you today.

Saw this phrase in an email today. Thought it held a lot of meaning.

When things are new…relationships, jobs, cars, etc. we are quick and intentional to pay attention, to cater, to care for and to protect.

When the first scratch on the new car, we are irritated but it’s there.
The third or fourth ding does not bother us as much.

The first argument a couple engages in is usually followed by immediate heartfelt apologies and regret and affirmations of love.

Time and repetition dulls us to those initial feelings. It diminishes our intent to hold close and protect those relationships and possessions.

Does the repetition of our sin cause any diminished intent on behalf of our Savior?

Don’t let life diminish your intentions

What do you talk about as you eat dinner with your family.
Hopefully, you do eat dinner with your family.

Do you ask questions of your children? Do you discuss your day? Their day?

Do you allow them to hear you vent? Is your venting destructive about someone else?

Dinner time conversation is great for young people. They do not act like it…but it’s where they are on equal footing conversationally.
You can reveal your character to them…and they to you.

Be careful that you do not spew on them any anger or frustration too often. They may feel that spewing is what adults do about other adults.

Be yourself… But operate around your dinner table as if Christ were at one of the settings.

Encourage the conversation.

But, be aware and beware the other occupants at your table hear your words and your inflections….
and your expressions.
They are learning who you are and what you think….in private, relaxed moments.

You are always teaching whether you know it or not.

How will you walk today?

Will you walk toward your goals?
Will you walk in your strengths?
Will you walk away from God toward another god?

Be encouraged to walk in the gifting and strength given you by God. It’s where you were created to walk. Walking away from or out of that takes you toward selfishness and ultimately toward failure.

God is walking with you today. That’s the promise to His People…
He will never leave you nor forsake you.
He is with you.

Do not ask Him to step aside, take a seat, and wait outside while you
go off on your own toward something.

He is BOUND by HIS WORD.

He cannot leave you.

Walk in, with and toward Him always and everyday.

How comfortable are you? Has your life reached the level of comfort to where you do not worry about basic necessities. If you live in the America, that’s predominantly the case.

Most likely, you will eat three times today. You will sleep tonight without threat of cold, hunger or
harm.

Any desperation in your life?

I have said this several times and believe it fully…
As followers of Christ, we must have desperate hearts in the midst of the comfort we live in.

Desperate hearts pursue God daily with urgency.

A desperate heart knows it cannot exist without the Mercy and Grace which is given to us by The Father.

A desperate heart searches The Word
constantly to inquire of God, to discover all of what is there.

Comfort cushions us against the hardness and harshness of life.

Comfort can create softness and distance from need.

Desperate hearts see miracles.
Desperate hearts spend time on their knees and cry out to God.
Desperate hearts care about people who do not know Christ….and go after them.

Desperate hearts see desperation in others, not being blinded by the comfort of an achieved life, they know it when they see it…and reach out to lend help.

You have been desperate before.

Seek God as you did the solution to the desperation you felt.

Desperate hearts see miracles.

As I was growing up, I heard one song so many times that the words are in my mind forever. The song was sung at the the most important times of the get together. The song made people act and move. It might not have been the song in and of itself, but the song served as a catalyst to the movement of feet and minds.

Even now the words give rise to provocation and solemnity.

“Just as I am without one plea.
But that Thy Blood was shed for me.
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come.”

These words draw us to The Savior, to Our God.

Our God continually bids us to come to Him…
for salvation, for renewal, for strength, for the needs of the day.

Answer the bidding.
It’s there daily.

How are you treating the people who bring you food in restaurants?
How do you treat the custodian in your building?

I heard once that the quality of a person could be seen in how they treat those who could do them no good.

Do you tip properly?

When have you paid for a meal for someone you see that is in a bad way?

JESUS told the parable of The Good Samaritan.
The wounded and hurt man would do the Samaritan no good.
In fact, the Samaritan knew it would cost him money, time and possibly future involvement to help this injured man.

But he did.

JESUS did.

And it was you He did it for.

Do the same for some who can do you no good….other than allowing you the blessing of service.

Other than your spouse and children…anyone on your mind or in your heart on constant basis?

When you see them, the thought arises…
“I need to speak to them.” or “I need to pray for them.”

If so, are you doing that?
If so, are you carrying out what your Spirit maybe telling you?
What The Holy Spirit may be promoting you to do??

If not, why?

JESUS spent His Ministry intervening in the lives of people He was calling, drawing, leading or correcting.

The Father prompted Him toward the disciples, prompted Him toward Saul and made him Paul, prompted Him toward Zaccheus and the Samaritan woman at the well.

JESUS obeyed the prompting and lives were changed.
That is why He was here.

When prompted…what are you doing??

Obeying ….or rationalizing away the move of God in your life toward someone He desires???

God may be using you to draw someone to Him.
It’s really not about you…you might be just “a tool”.

Or, it MAY be about you and an obedience issue.

As you read this you may be thinking of an instance in which God prompted you….,and a person who may respond only to you.

Allow it. Obey it.

Go speak what you were prompted to the person who is on your mind or heart.

Do that.

God will then do the heavy lifting.

Jeremiah 9:23 and 24
Read it.

As we enter a new year of days and new opportunities, consider these verses.

We are instructed to not glory in wisdom, might or riches. That covers most of life.

Wisdom is anything related to intelligence, knowledge, experience.
Might is anything related to strength, physical or otherwise, influence, power of any kind, individual or corporate.
Riches is money and anything it brings….earned or inherited.

We are to take no glory in any of these.

Why???

What do you have in any of these areas that God did not gift you the ability to get?
What talent did you develop that He did not give you the impetus or desire to grow?
Did you determine who your parents would be?
Did you set in place your genetic make-up?
Did you determine who your teachers would be?

A young athlete voiced this earlier in the year when asked
“What do you attribute your talent to?
He answered…”God”
He went on to say that his size and speed both came from God.

We do not possess what God has not gifted us.
Nor do we possess anything we have worked for ….because He placed in us the desire for it….and the desire and ability to work for it.

We are to be grateful, thankful and to take glory in that we know Him.

At this time of reflection on the past and of planning for the future….
I recommend we not glory in our past nor make the assumption we can plan our future.

Our past has come through Him.
Our future is in His Hands.

Determine to pursue, seek and know God more this year than in past years.
Set your mind, heart, and any strength He has given you to WALK with Him.

He executes kindness, judgement and righteousness.

Pursue and Abide in and with God.

In an old song,
“Sweet Hour of Prayer”…
a phrase states this…

“And as He bids me seek His Face, believe His Word and trust His Grace… I cast on Him my every care”

Glory not in wisdom, might or riches…..
Glory in the encouragement of that song.

That’s a profitable and permanent resolution.