Hope For Today Videos

As we allow change and transformation into our lives, we can sometimes feel like we’re treading an unknown path.  The surroundings are unfamiliar and we do not feel confident in the direction we are going. Sometimes we long for the security of what was familiar when we were in troubled lifestyles.  We seek the relationships, the neighborhood, or just the known way of doing things.  Now, as we’ve embraced change we wonder: can we truly rely on God to provide for us and to keep us secure?

We celebrate and pray for workers on this Labour Day. We want to honour and give thanks for the collective labour force of people within our families, our communities, and our nations.

God pays attention.  God hears us when we call out to Him, even to the point of “inclining his ear” to us to make sure He hears what we are saying, catches every emotion, attends to the cry of our heart. How good is that?

We could all do with a few doses of love and mercy given to us – not because we necessarily deserve it or have done anything to earn it – but simply because the person – in this case, God, wants us to have something good and lovely and life giving. And then, how are we approaching others with grace and peace – those we know well, those who we hardly know; or even those people that bring out the worst in us? Are we doing all we can, in God’s power to offer them love and mercy simply because we want them to have something good today?

God is with us through everything we face. Even in difficult times if we will remember He's there for us we can change our day by changing our thinking.

What makes any behaviour destructive?  It’s not just things like drugs and alcohol that many assume, although substance abuse clearly does also lead to many destructive behaviours. The truth is that whenever we seek to sort out problems or avoid our feelings with anything other than the comfort and healing of God, we only create a path for continued suffering. 

It's hard to admit weakness or mistakes.  We've all spent so much time covering up those things in one way or another. It is a real challenge and never easy to hear truth and admit truth when there is something negative in our lives that needs to be faced.

Some things that seem small can be used by God, in His wisdom and power, to do great and even seemingly impossible things. L

God wants us to pray. Let’s do it effectively.

For centuries people have looked for loopholes – a loophole is way we try to gain an advantage even though we avoid doing what is actually required.  We look for shortcuts, ways of going around requirements, of finding faster and more convenient ways to achieve what we want. When we try to compromise God’s word for whatever attitude or behaviour we want to hang onto we are looking for loopholes.

Many of us want to have healthy bodies and therefore are careful about what we eat and drink. Some of us exercise.  Some of us do better at these things than others. Jesus wasn’t against us having healthy bodies but He taught us that the way we behave with our bodies is only as good as what we fill our minds and hearts with.

It is so easy to find fault with what others are doing and to criticize them.  The truth is, it doesn't help to focus on anyone’s flaws and failures, and it distracts from the time and energy we give to God's transforming work in our own lives. While we may think that we are controlling and changing other people by criticizing them, it rarely has that effect. God has a better option for us today.