Hope For Today "Courage"

We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Sounds scary and intimidating to us but here’s the good news.  God already knows it all.  We will not uncover and admit anything that is a surprise to Him.  God has already forgiven us and simply wants all the infection and pain to be revealed so we can live free from it and not have to live under the accusation and condemnation of the evil one any longer.

In a world where people believe many things – including some who believe there is no god – how do I know there is a power greater than myself?  How do I know that God has any interest in restoring me to sanity or even more important, has the ability to do so?  Our questions are valid and welcome.  We’re not the first to ask them and we won’t be the last.

Life is journey and the path before us has many unexpected things, including obstacles that seem impossible to overcome. We do have difficult times, even times of weeping. God’s way is for us to be blessed no matter what we encounter. 

We are not just insignificant no-bodies running around without purpose from the day we are born until the day we die. God has gifted each of us to do good and He wants to live in us today with power and love to accomplish those good things.

Living with God in our complicated world often presents difficult challenges such as: waiting for something we feel desperately in need of right now; not retaliating with anger when someone harms us; living with less when we could scam our way into having more; facing the consequences of revealing a difficult truth. In spite of the immediate pain we may feel, God promises that we will be blessed when we make the right choice and do the right thing.

God is giving us another chance today to humbly acknowledge our shortcomings and ask Him to remove them. I’m grateful to live today in the care of God, the God of another chance, aren’t you?

It’s Palm Sunday as we head into Holy Week.  This is the day where we remember and celebrate how Jesus, The King of Kings and Lord of Lords rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and was given a hero’s welcome.

God had filled our world with good things – truth, blessings, His presence, hope and purpose – just to name a few.  St. Patrick’s life is certainly a witness to God’s power to be with us through the many different seasons we face.

Just for today I will adjust myself to what is and not try to adjust everything else to my desires. I will trust that God is working all things for good in my life.

DON’T GIVE UP – PERSERVERE When troubles arise in our lives, we often feel helpless to cope with them.

Doughnuts have both dough and holes and when they are first cut from the raw dough, they don’t look good or taste good.

How do we respond when our lives are filled with trouble and pressure and stress?