Hope For Today

Shame is such a powerful emotion that plagues many human beings.  It can be the shame we feel for the ugly things we said and did or the shame we felt after someone harmed or abused us, God wants us to overcome all of it and live life to the full.

In the same way that God has a plan for each of our individual lives, God also has a plan for our lives collectively in communities and countries.

How much of our lives do we live distracted by good, but less important things, to the neglect of what is most important?

What does it look like to follow Jesus in different seasons of life? Activities and jobs change; people walk with us for a while and then move along into other spheres; babies are born and the next thing you know they are grown up and having babies of their own. God gives us a helpful framework to shape our thinking and activities.

As we said last time, it’s normal to feel sad sometimes and fortunately for us, God is with us, noticing our sadness, and ready to help us find comfort and healing. The first thing we have to do, though, is often one of the most challenging.  We have to admit we are sad, instead of trying to cover it up, and we have to call out to Jesus for help. And then there are some practical things we can do that lift us up.

It’s normal to feel sad sometimes.  Where can we find help when we feel sad? There are many factors that bring sadness at various times. But usually the cause of the sadness is not the first question in our minds. What goes through our thoughts over and over again is:  Does anyone notice?  Does anyone care?  Does anyone understand? Is there anyone to help me? The strong answer is "Yes."

What are you afraid of today?  What kinds of things easily make us fearful?  What can we do so our emotions and behaviour choices are not controlled by our fears?  God keeps it simple for us.

We all experience hard times.  Disappointments come and we are brokenhearted.  Difficulties pile up and seem to crush us.  As followers of Jesus we are not exempt from these kinds of moments. But God - two beautiful words. But God is with us to comfort and support us and to show us a good way through the challenges.

When I read this question in a devotional I consult, it set me thinking. The question was, “Am I treating the gospel as a life hack or am I genuinely pursuing the kingdom of God? What was the author trying to communicate?

What are we thankful for today?  Or I suppose I should ask, are we conscious of things we have to be grateful for? How often do we rehearse the events of the day or even the past week and remember how God has been good to us?  I don't know of any practice that brings joy, builds strength, and gives hope more than the practice of giving thanks.

What do we know?  Who can we trust? In what way can we be assured that something is what is claimed and someone will do for us what they promise in the moment? These are significant questions and we hear stories that challenge us in the area of trust almost every day on the news.  I suppose that’s why I find the words from the Bible we will look at today comforting, particularly since there are many people through the centuries who have found them to be true.

We live in a culture and time that focuses on the needs and conveniences of the individual first.  It's something we are probably not often even that aware of but it's there. We check first if something fits into our schedule, our budget, our plans for what we want to do. We also live in a world of great need and human suffering, so much of it that we hit the "off" button because it seems overwhelming to us especially in light of the resources we think we have. God is inviting us today to look with His eyes, consider with His compassionate heart, and ask Him what we should do.