Hope For Today Videos

God takes us as we are.  Maybe it’s time we did the same with Him in return.

The Bible tells us that love is patient.  How many of us would profess to be patient? Most of us find it easy to be impatient and the only thing that matters in those moments is not how we got there but will we choose to stay that way.

To make restitution is to restore something to its proper owner.  When we have harmed someone, we take responsibility for the harm done and do all in our power to make it right. 

We are often reluctant to admit problems and deal with painful events as they occur.  We push them down into the deep recesses of our souls and put our best face on.  This is like shoving clutter into a closet and tightly closing the door before guests arrive. This works for a while but at some point we have to open the closet door and when we do that with overstuffed closet, everything inside falls out around our feet.

God wants each of us to come to that place where we first identify with Him and acknowledge who we are in Christ instead of seeking to be propped up by someone else.

The power of another person’s abusive words or actions is not stronger than the power of God’s love. Even though feelings of shame are some of the most powerful we experience, God’s love goes deeper and is able to lift us above it all.

Shame is not something God speaks into our lives.  Shame comes from the evil one. Yes, God will show us where we are going wrong and have done wrong but His whole way of doing it brings a desire to change and an experience of acceptance and gratitude.

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.