God’s Hope

Never Lose Hope

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As caregivers we struggle daily to serve and honor the lives of the most fragile members of our society. The violence suffered tonight at the veterans home in California leaves me unspeakably sad. God have mercy is our prayer. Who will join with me in trusting Him to plant a seed of hope today?

pastorpete51's avatarWalking With Lambs

The still unfolding story of yet another deranged man with a gun – this time at a nursing home touched a nerve with me tonight. Whatever the motivation for the violence will soon be lost in another shouting match over 2nd amendment rights and gun control. The three dead employees will soon be forgotten by everyone but God. But in spite of the night of hatred, division and fear that seems to get darker by the hour there is still hope. God has not nor will He ever abandon us. If we cry He is listening. When we lie awake sleepless with anxiety, He stands watch. In the deepest despair He plants a seed of hope. God’s kingdom whether in the life of an individual or a community always starts with the tiniest of seeds. Will you plant your seed of hope with me tonight in prayer that together we…

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Hope of Healing

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That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses      Matthew 8:17 KJV

Did you know that God is so intimately concerned with our physical needs that He has even counted the number of hairs on our head? We have a great hope that whether in this life or in the next; God will heal every disease, restore all that is broken and renew our youth like the eagles!
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Whether sitting in a wheel chair in a nursing home or confined to a bed with a tracheotomy tube in order to breathe, Jesus offers the hope of complete and entire healing as one part of His promise of eternal life. That promise may be overlooked or forgotten by those in perfect health, but God does not forget. The same Jesus who was moved with compassion for lepers, the blind and the lame has promised to wipe every tear from our eyes. He not only has compassion for our aches, pains and disabilities but the Bible tells us that He took all of these onto his shoulders and carried them. If we continue reading in the chapter of Isaiah that Matthew quotes we see in the very next verse that it is by His stripes that we are healed. God is so very concerned for every one of our pains and infirmities that He allowed a whip to fall across the shoulders of Jesus. As He was wounded again and again we were being healed. Weak arms will be lifted, failing voices will sing again and deaf ears will hear the shepherd’s voice! When the things of earth have passed we will stand strong and eternally young in the presence of our ageless King!

Excerpt from 50 Days of Hope – A special devotional for residents, workers and family members of the long term care community.

50 Days of Hope

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The Greatest Hope

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A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. John 13:34

Every day our news is filled with the latest revelation of some scandal and the almost inevitable end of the career of some famous person. When we are hurt by those we love or begin to think of our own failures we can easily lose all hope.

But think of the last supper when Jesus washed His disciples’ feet while they were arguing about who was the best, Peter was just hours away from publicly denying that he knew Jesus  and Judas was planning to betray Him. Somehow in the middle of that tangled mess, Jesus still looked at His disciples with hope. The hope that Jesus placed in them was not based on the circumstances or the purity of their hearts. His hope for them and for us is based entirely on His choice to love. His love holds the key to His hope. By His love and grace, no matter how low we have fallen, can still make us into the man or woman He created us to be.  God’s hope has less to do with information about our past then with His plans for our future!

In light of God’s hope for us how much hope should we have for the people around us? When we begin to love others as He commands we will suddenly discover, there is still a great hope that we can share with the world today!