Hope For Today

One of the marks of character in a person is choosing to do the right thing when everyone else thinks they are getting it wrong.  The wisdom of their choice or action isn’t often seen for a while and it takes great courage to stick with what they know it’s right in that interim period.

We all want peace and lots of it and we are assured of it when we make a choice to love God’s instruction. So then the big question for us is, “What does it mean to love God’s instruction or as some translations put it, God’s laws?”

We are naturally bent towards living in self-will and we live in a sinful broken world.  We get stained and germed-up every day and need the cleansing and refreshing God makes available.  Just as we “clean as we go” in our homes each day, so God wants us to allow Him to clean us regularly as we go through our day.

As we consider being grateful today I thought we could focus on what it means to remain in a posture of gratitude a little longer than just a fleeting moment.

The story of God connecting with His people in public places like the tabernacle and the temple is told in chapter after chapter in the Old Testament part of the Bible.  So what does that have to do with us today? Amazingly, we are now meant to be those who demonstrate every day this connection between heaven and earth, this God who meets persons and persons who meet with God. 

What divides us? What happened to being curious together rather than suspecting anyone who sees an issue differently from us; or seeking to solve problems together rather than attacking each other; helping each other instead of competing with one another? Where has that sense of community, seeking the common good, and sticking together through hard times gone? What does Jesus have to say about it all?

We are not used to waiting for anything and most of us dislike it.  What do we do with the many times the Bible tells us we are to be patient and wait on the Lord?  Is there any good reason for us to do that?

Jesus Christ died on the cross and poured out His life’s blood for You and I so we could be forgiven for our sins and establish a new and life giving relationship with God. The freshness of heart and mind we can live in today after being washed by the Lord is incredible. Let’s live in that today.

Every day we have choices to make that have some visible impact on the day and more far reaching impacts which we don’t yet see over the long haul. So, once again today, lets choose to listen to God voice and by doing that, choose life.

At various times in our lives we’ve known feelings of chaos, dread, fear, and even panic.  It’s so common particularly when we feel out of control.  We don’t know what to do or where to turn. Thankfully, because we live with God, we have someone who is near and available to give us the help and comfort we need when difficult circumstances arise.

Anyone leaving a darkened room and entering into a lighted area knows how blinding the light can be.  It can be painful to our eyes and certainly limits our ability to navigate our way forward. We need time for our eyes to adjust to the light so we can see clearly. Each day, as we seek Him, God gives us directives to help us walk well and overcome sinful behaviour. This is good news, particularly for those of us who are learning how to live in the light after walking for many years under the convenience of darkness.