A Hope-filled Life

A Hope-filled Life

by | Feb 10, 2023 | Faith, Hope, Trust

A hard winter freeze destroyed many plants and shrubs in my yard. They look pathetic, really.

I have four sweet olive trees, once evergreen, now leafless and sparse. I wondered if I would ever delight in their sweet scent again.

Upon further inspection, a green layer hides underneath that dry, gray bark. It speaks of beauty to come. Beauty from devastation. A speck of hope that, once touched by the sun of Spring, will find new life.

While a storm robbed it of its leaves and color, I look forward to the day I get to see its beauty once again, inhale its sweet fragrance and rest in its shade.

Does your life sometimes mirror that sweet olive tree? I know mine has at times.

Cold. Hard. Uninviting. Withdrawn and without hope.

But beneath our exterior, we hope for better things to come.

Beauty from devastation

Jesus Christ offers us that hope. He is the lifeblood within us. He brings beauty from our devastation. And he will give us new strength that allows us to grow and flourish.

Be encouraged, my friend. This season of sadness or emptiness will one day blossom into life again. Life that comes from the life-giver Himself.

If you know Him, you know He is faithful. Cling to Him in the good days as well as the not-so-good days.

If you do not have a relationship with God and don’t know the love of Christ, would you trust Him today? Jesus sees great value in you and tenderly calls your name. Receive His gift of salvation by putting your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Receiving His salvation means recognizing that you are a sinner, repenting of your sin, confessing with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead.

All who receive His salvation are changed by the Holy Spirit and are born again, becoming children of God and receiving eternal life with God.

That sweet olive tree appears dead. But it will look alive again one day. Thank God He can do the same with us. He can take a life that’s broken and without hope and transform it into a vibrant and full life.

Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 (ESV)

But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)

What are you boldly believing God for in 2023?

What are you boldly believing God for in 2023?

by | Dec 30, 2022 | Belief, Faith, Trust

He looked at them with compassion and touched their eyes. (Matthew 20:34)

I have read the story of Jesus healing the blind beggar several times over the last few months. Today, though, it encouraged me in a different way. As I think about the approach of a new year, I want to be like these two who spoke their request with boldness and faith, then put their faith into action. The Bible says they immediately received their sight and followed him.

As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

“Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him. (Matthew 20:29-34)

Healing faith

They played a part in their healing, too. Mark and Luke’s version of this story says that it was his faith that healed him.

That faith reminds me of another set of verses that tell us to believe and move mountains. (Mark 11: 22-26).

Also, Luke 11:8-10 tells us much of the same. It describes a man who knocks on his friend’s door asking for bread. His friend refused to get up because he was already in bed, however, Jesus said “because of the man’s boldness, he will get up and give him as much as he needs.”

What is your mountain?

That, my friend, is a lesson for us as we enter 2023. What is your mountain? What are you boldly believing and asking God for in 2023? What are you putting your faith in God to do for you this year? Whatever is ahead, let’s

  • Be bold. Make the ask.
  • Believe and have faith.
  • Praise Him big.
  • Follow Him. Serve Him big.

We play a role in our results as well. In each verse, they believed. They had faith. They knocked.

If I ask God to fulfill my dream, I must put in my work, too. If I ask God to heal me from a physical condition, I may have to change some patterns or habits to get there.

So, my desire for myself and my encouragement for you this new year is to be bold. Boldly believe God and ask him to move that mountain. Boldly dream the dream. Work hard to achieve it. Praise God for it. Serve Him through it.

I pray the Lord will bless you and keep you, make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May He turn his face toward you and give you peace in 2023.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

 

My stubborn heart

My stubborn heart

by | Sep 29, 2022 | Blessing, God, Trust

He wouldn’t budge!

At 18 months, I could not get my son Parker buckled in his car seat one night after church.

Problem #1

He didn’t want in the car seat.

Problem #2

Evidently, he was stronger than me.

As I tried to buckle the 5-point harness, he stiffened his body and stretched so I could not get him in. I must have tried for five minutes. In tears and frustration, I finally forced him down into the seat and quickly buckled him in.

Stubborn hardly describes that moment. He did not want to be constrained so he revolted.

I’m a little headstrong too. He just might have gotten that from me.

Stretch out your hand

Jesus had a run-in with a bunch of stubborn people as well. His mission was to bring people to God and offer them life to the fullest, no matter the day of the week.

The Pharisees had a real hang-up with Jesus doing good on the Sabbath. They were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus so they watched him in the synagogue to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.

On one occasion, Jesus encountered a man with a shriveled hand. Knowing he was being watched, Jesus instructed the man to stand up in front of the people. Upon questioning the Pharisees whether it was lawful to do good or evil, to save a life or kill on the Sabbath, the Pharisees stubbornly remained silent.

Here’s how Jesus responded.

He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Mark 3:5 (NIV)

If the Pharisees had only looked beyond their rules and regulations, maybe they would have seen the glory of God.

The injured man did.

The people did.

But the Pharisees missed it and left with a mission to kill.

What’s your story?

Are you holding on to something that’s not healthy for you?

Maybe it’s a

  • Habit that needs to go
  • A sin or injustice that needs to be forgiven
  • An unwarranted fear or criticism
  • A way of thinking
  • A worry that you just can’t let go
  • Bitterness you’re holding on to

Wouldn’t you rather release it and see the Lord perform a work in your life? In theory, I know I would. In action, however, I struggle.

Let’s be like the man with the shriveled hand. Let’s stretch out our hands and allow Jesus to restore and heal.

Dare to live in faith

Dare to live in faith

by | Aug 25, 2022 | Belief, Faith, Trust

The season is upon me.

The season of deep reflection and wet, burning eyes. The season of remembrance and while not as intense as it once was, a season of grief and loneliness.

When August begins, so do thoughts about the upcoming anniversary of my husband’s collapse and death five days later. On the heels of that week in September, his birthday month of October approaches. We celebrate Matthew for the man, the father, the husband, the son and the brother he was.

Of course, the holiday season follows October, bringing with it all the events we now celebrate without him. Until January rolls around, life just seems out of kilter.

Faith in action

It is during this season I must decide whether my faith is real or not. It is a true test of my faith.

In my head, I know that since Adam’s entrance on earth, God has never failed anyone who places their trust in Him. In my heart, I know He loves and cares for me more than any human ever has or ever will.

The book of Hebrews reminds me that faith is believing and acting on something I cannot see. It describes stories of how people responded to God in faith. These stories encourage us to have faith in our situations too.

They remind me that my story and my future are not based on what I can see, but what I cannot see. And that is God.

Faith depends on Jesus

Faith fully depends on Christ.

As A. W. Tozer shares in his devotional book Mornings with Tozer, “How many professing Christians boast in the Lord but watch carefully that they never get caught fully depending on Him?”

I don’t want to live my life with a “way out” in case Jesus fails. I want to depend fully on the One who gave His life for me.

I pray all of us will “get caught” fully depending on Jesus.

Dare to live for Jesus. Fully depend on Him in your tears, with your memories, with your loneliness and grief, and as you celebrate life’s moments.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)

What do you do with betrayal?

What do you do with betrayal?

by | Aug 18, 2022 | Forgiveness, Obedience, Trust

The rooster crowed, and his heart sank. How could he do the very thing he said he would never do? He had vowed he would lay down his life for Jesus. On that fateful evening, Peter denied he knew Him.

Lord of the second chance

What did Jesus do? Scripture never says He brought up Peter’s betrayal again. The Bible does say that Jesus gave him another chance to stand up for Him. He knew Peter’s heart and told him to feed his sheep. Jesus trusted Peter with those He loved.

Other Bible characters come to mind – Jonah, David, Samson to name a few. They all picked themselves back up and honored God with their lives.

Sometimes it’s hard to hand out second chances. But isn’t that what Jesus does for us? 

We may not think the “small” sins we commit hurt anyone else, but they usually do. As believers, going in the opposite direction from what God tells us to do betrays the one who loves us unconditionally.

If you don’t yet know Christ, salvation is that second chance from God.     

Seek forgiveness and receive peace

I know of someone who had an affair, destroying not only her own marriage but the other marriage in the relationship as well. Eight years later, she found Jesus. He forgave her and saved her, but He also prompted her to ask forgiveness from the other person impacted by her sin. That step of faith gave her the peace that comes from receiving forgiveness.

That’s what God does with betrayal. He forgives and allows a way for restoration and forgiveness. And He calls us to forgive and allow that person to earn our trust once more.

Has someone hurt you recently? Betrayed you?

Let’s learn from Jesus’ response to Peter. Forgive.

Learn from your storm

Learn from your storm

by | Aug 12, 2022 | Fear, God, Trust

Philippians 4:6

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

________________________

Today, I am grateful.

I took two of my boys and their friends to Lake DeGray in Arkansas this week. Yesterday, we enjoyed the sunshine while tubing and knee boarding. Because school had started in many places, we were literally the only boat on the lake.

After a couple of hours, we noticed some dark clouds off in the distance and I kept a watchful eye. I remembered a similar day a few years ago when we dodged storm clouds. God’s glory displayed itself as we saw both ends of the rainbow across the lake. That scene was breathtaking.

Yesterday was not that day. To my dismay, the weather conditions changed quickly.

Those dark clouds were accompanied by bolts of lightning. Lots of lightning. We discussed our options and decided to try to make it back to the marina. Halfway there, the storm hovered directly in our path, so we turned back.

Going as far as the boat rental company allowed, we sat, hoping the storm would travel south of us. When that didn’t happen, we braced for the storm. The rain became a wall of water. We were all drenched in seconds and could see nothing around us. Just rain. Then hail hit. With no visibility, our sunny, hot day at the lake became cold, scary and painful.

I tried to stay calm, but fear struck my heart. I simply did not know what to do.

But pray. While we laughed and joked, I’m pretty sure all four boys were also praying. One even remarked, “I’m sure glad I know where I’m going!” Another asked, “where?” “Heaven,” he shouted back over the roar of the rain.

Eventually, the sky to the north of us lightened some, so I decided to head that way, slowly. I no longer cared whether we were breaking the rules, we just needed out of the deluge.

I’m kind of embarrassed to share this story. I keep replaying it in my mind, trying to decide what I could have done differently. Maybe there’s a lesson in it.

The reminder and lesson for me? Sometimes in the middle of our personal storms, we, too, experience low visibility. We can’t see what’s in front of us, and we panic. But no matter our storm, we can trust Jesus. He knew exactly what we were going to see that day. He took care of us and gave us a lesson in gratefulness and an experience we will never forget.

Maybe God wants to show you something through our experience. The disciples once called out to Jesus to save them from a storm and he delivered them. Jesus is our protector, our deliverer. Sometimes we just need to hang on and ride out the storm.

After the storm? We took a break and grabbed ice cream and snacks. Then we went right back on the water and enjoyed the rest of the day on an empty lake.

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