God’s Hope

Hope in the Lord

/ pastorpete51 / 6 Comments

O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows. He himself will redeem Israel from every kind of sin.
Psalms 130:7‭-‬8 NLT

Life has been so busy here planning for our upcoming trip, finishing and then promoting my book so my wife wholeheartedly agreed for a sunset tour of a nearby park we had never been to. What a blessing to take a little break from our daily routine and spend a few quiet moments watching the sun set over the Gulf. It is as if every evening, Jesus takes His artist’s brush and paints a message of hope just before the darkness settles in.

Maybe He is telling each one of us individually to recall His faithfulness to forgive, by painting the ocean red. There is the place that He has promised to cast our sins if we repent and turn to Him when we stray. There under the waves, all our own actions and anxieties that have robbed the lives of ourselves and our families can be forgotten and forgiven because of the Cross. How glad I am of that new hope available for me!

So here are some photos of last night’s quiet sunset. They are just a few samples of the masterpiece of God’s mercy and hope for anyone who is looking. Where is your hope today?

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Until That Day!

/ pastorpete51 / 2 Comments

For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day 2 Timothy 1:12 KJV

In this letter, Paul wrote to his dearest friend on earth, Timothy, while He was facing almost certain execution. Paul had been in and out of prisons for years and was growing old and maybe a little worn out. The false teachers trying to manipulate the church for financial gain, as well as the hypocritical religious leaders trying to have him killed finally seemed to have him where they wanted him. Yet Paul was able to say with confidence that no matter what, he was not going to be ashamed. Why? Because He knows Jesus and trusts that Jesus will take care both of him and of the things that Paul had been working to do. Isn’t it interesting how a few years earlier in Paul’s letter to the Philippian church, he said that He wanted to know Christ more. Now it appears that God has granted Paul his desire, and he could say, “I’m not worried any more. Jesus has got this! He will take care of me and He will take care of the church when I am gone. He will bring everything to pass that he has promised and I can rest in Him. I know Him and I also know that the day is coming when He will come and make everything right!”

 One day each of us will also face the end of our life. Though right at this moment we may wish we knew Christ better, we can draw courage from today’s verse that if we trust Him completely then on that day He will help us to know Him just as Paul did. Jesus will take over and keep everything we have put in His hands and then He will take our hand and lead us until that day!

We used to sing the hymn with these words and though the melody is old fashioned, the words never go out of style. I pray each of you to know Him fully and to trust Jesus until that day! Have a blessed week.!

Days of Hope

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men. Mark 1:17

There is nothing that says hope quite like going fishing. We put some bait on a hook and cast it into the water and then wait just hoping for a bite. I loved the photo I used for the featured image today because it is of a Father teaching His son to fish. He doesn’t just sit on the beach and say, “Okay go for it!” No! Instead, He is right there behind him, holding the rod and showing Him everything he will need to learn to catch fish. That is what our Heavenly Father wants to do for every one of us when we answer His call to become fishers of men. He promises to stand by us and help us every step of the way! For those looking for a large print devotional for yourselves or for a loved one I have written the book 31 days of Hope. It is filled with personal stories of Hope especially for those in long term care or who are facing life altering challenges. Though originally released in 2017, this edition features many new devotionals that reflect world changing effects of the virus in all our lives. Here is the link for the Kindle version. This may be just what you need to give to someone else as an encouragement. You never know what a little hope can do!