July 26, 2022

Romans 8:18

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

These verses can seem like cold comfort in the middle of some of the awful things we go through. If, however, you can hear these verses and dwell on them deeply, they can become an anchor to your soul now and later, in the sunlight and the darkness. 

The Holy Spirit assures us that the presence of God, His person, the glory of who He is is so overwhelmingly big, heavy, and spectacular that it will more than compensate us for the suffering we’re enduring. We aren’t told exactly how, nor are we able to see that glory nearly enough now as it is a glory still to be revealed. But, looking at Jesus and His work on the cross for us, we can get a glimpse of something so deeply good that we can be enticed. All will be well!

Prayer prompt: Lord, help me to look at the cross and really know that you can bring glory out of suffering.

July 25, 2022

James 5:16

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Confession is simply the worst. I’m not sure there is anything more bitter in the mouth and yet sweeter in the belly. Our sin is like mold in the basement. The only way to get it out is to pull out everything, really dry out the area, and get light and air down to it. Do you have someone who can help air out your soul?

One counselor has said, “We are only as healthy as our secrets.” And that is true. God knows it all and He loves and forgives you. And He commands you to get others involved. In the gospel community, everyone admits they have sinned. It’s how you get in the door. When you come clean with your sin, you will find people who understand and who can help.

Prayer prompt: Lord, push me into community, so I can be enjoy confession.

July 22, 2022

John 3:16

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. “

It is important to go back to basics. The beginning point of Christianity is simply an admission: Jesus, I need you to save me. John 3:16 serves as the most basic introduction to Christianity that many have. And for good reason, it says the Gospel in a very brief and attractive way. Because of God’s great love, He acted toward us in the most sever and generous way by giving His Son who can become salvation for those who believe. 

While that verse can be the entrance to Christianity, don’t leave it behind as you move through the life of a Christian. It’s been said, “The gospel is not the ABCs of Christianity but the A through Z of Christianity.” In that one word, gospel, we have what we need to continue living for Him through disease, disaster, and just the deadening totally stop our society seems to have made. Cling to Him today remembering that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 

Prayer prompt: Lord, let me meditate on your love, your salvation, and the hand that has reached out to bring me to You.

July 21, 2022

John 13:35

35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Think about those classic spy movie scenes where the spy and his contact go back and forth through elaborate and silly phrases. At the end of the sequence, the spy’s identity is confirmed and he’s let into the back room. Passwords and secret handshakes, prearranged symbols to authenticate, to prove the genuine article. 

What’s our password in Jesus? What’s the thing we all really know, that gives the unmistakable scent, look, bearing, of someone who has known Jesus? The Lord told us: Love. To know God’s love is to be changed so thoroughly that love pours out of you. Is what characterizes you? Is that what you show to everyone you meet because you’ve been changed by Jesus?

Prayer prompt: Lord, teach me to run to those in need rather than away, knowing your love and showing it.

July 20, 2022

Matthew 26:50

50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.

It is important to know that Jesus was in complete control as He went to die. Each of the gospels make clear that Jesus knew what was happening, and allowed it. In this part of Matthew, as Jesus is arrested, He speaks calmly to Judas even calling him ‘friend’. 

It’s crucial for a leader to seem cool under fire, whether he is or not. It gives his orders credibility and his followers confidence. Jesus didn’t just seem cool, with a sweat-of-blood understanding of what was ahead, He still calmly went through with the cross. And He did it out of love for you. That’s a leader we can follow.

Prayer prompt: Lord, I will follow your banner into any battle.

July 19, 2022

2 Peter 1:3

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,

All things is a lot of things. All things that we need for life and godliness? All? I don’t know that I feel that way often, but here’s the promise. You are well supplied with everything you need for life and godliness.

And it comes from one place: knowing the one who called us into His own presence. The God who found us as enemies and made us friends has called us to His feast, His house, and His family. We have everything we need because we have Him. Have you let that sink in? Imagine what it would feel like to have the confidence of knowing you have everything you need.

Prayer prompt: Lord, teach me to trust your abundance!

July 18, 2022

Romans 8:30

30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Do you ever feel like the Christian life is a tight rope? You managed to find the start of this walk, but you could fall at any minute. Progress seems to be achingly slow. Making it to the end seems so unlikely that it’s probably impossible. How do you find the hope to keep walking?

This verse in Romans 8 flips us around. We’re not walking a tightrope, He is. He has predestined, called, justified and will glorify you. He will. If you look back at the verse, all the verbs apply to Him, not you. Breathe in, breathe out, work passionately, and always trust that He is going to finish the work He started. 

Prayer prompt: Lord, thank you for caring so deeply and keeping me so tightly held.

July 15, 2022

Romans 8:26

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 

There are some people who are too smart, too important to really feel like you could talk to them in a normal way. There are some emotions that are too big or nuanced to fit into the words you know, and some that don’t fit into the words available to anyone else either. There are so many experiences and situations that are beyond our understanding, so how do we put our finger on the right question, the right request? 

You have a translator. The Bible teaches that because the Holy Spirit is God He has God’s wisdom, perspectives, and protocol. He knows how to say what you should have said, how to articulate what you are feeling, and how to ask what you would have asked if you grasped the situation perfectly. So pray, and trust the power of the perfect prayer, which the Holy Spirit is helping you pray right now.

Prayer prompt: Lord, thank you for being available at all times with the perfect mediator for my prayers.

July 14, 2022

Jonah 2:1-2

1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,

“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,

   and he answered me;

 out of the belly of Sheol I cried,

    and you heard my voice.

What kind of God takes calls from the belly of a fish? I would be so embarrassed to have to call someone from prison, with that message on the front end asking if they will accept a call from such and such penitentiary. What if they say no? What if they say yes, and I have to speak to them, not as an equal, but as a guilty criminal?

In these verses, Jonah is confident that God heard his prayers, even from the bottom of the sea, in a fish Jonah was swallowed by because of his disobedience to God. We really aren’t God’s equals, and we do speak to Him as those who are guilty. And He still hears us. His love is so magnificent, that God hears you, even calling from whatever pit you’re in. Do you call?

Prayer prompt: Lord, may I call out to you at all times, running to you rather than away.

July 13, 2022

1 Corinthians 15:19

19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

I don’t know that I can honestly say I envy the saints in Scripture. Hebrews reminds us that while there were big victories, some of those men and women were tortured, mocked and flogged, imprisoned, stoned, sawn in two, killed with the sword, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. Yet, is my life supposed to be different from theirs? 

What is it about my Christianity that makes me think I can afford to get comfortable in this world? What did they see in the life to come that made them so willing to suffer? We can never forget that Christ does not give us hope for this life only. He came to bring us to a better life, a life so good, we have a hope that will sustain us through literally anything. Don’t live for this life only.

Prayer prompt: Lord, this world is not my home. Please don’t let me get too comfortable here.

July 12, 2022

2 Corinthians 9:6

6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

In this verse, God is dealing with giving, and look at how He sees it: as sowing. The money you give to God’s Kingdom work is like a seed. Too often, we think of giving as something lost, but that’s not how we see an investment. I think you’d stop investing pretty quickly if you never expected a return. But that’s not what giving to God’s work is like. There is a return.

When we give to God’s work, we are asking God to take this meager sum and do something with it, just like when we hand money to an investment banker. What can He do with it? He’s asking you if you want to give a little, and see a little return, or if you want to sow a lot and watch something big happen? Well, what do you think? 

Prayer prompt: Lord, give me excitement and imagination when I think about how You will use my Kingdom investment. 

July 11, 2022

2 Corinthians 9:7

7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

How can it be possible to give cheerfully? Can you imagine people excitedly waiting in a long line to put their check in the little box on a Sunday? Or a husband getting grief from his wife because he just couldn’t wait and gave online before they could do it together? Ludicrous. Except for that verse in the Bible. 

It is possible. Start by remembering the amazing wealth of blessings God has given you, thinking about the scary hold money can have on your heart, and to looking out on all the good giving through your church is going to do. When you start to see and remember, without the compulsion that Religion heaps on, it is indeed possible to be, even hard not to be, a cheerful giver!

Prayer prompt: Lord, give me the joy of giving as I remember the kindness You’ve given to me!

July 8, 2022

Ecclesiastes 4:12

12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Every Sunday, every Community Group night, is there a little speed bump to get over? Is it possible that you have to motivate yourself to go spend time with Christians? The Bible tells us why: we are more easily defeated if we’re alone. 

Others will keep your momentum going, your momentum will keep others going. God designed us to work together and to work better when we’re together. The people at Hope Church need you and you need them. If you can see that, and really believe it, you won’t be easily broken. Become another brick in God’s unbreakable structure.

Prayer prompt: Lord, help me to invest in Your community, so I will not be easily broken.

July 7, 2022

Isaiah 55:1

“Come, everyone who thirsts,

    come to the waters;

and he who has no money,

    come, buy and eat!

Come, buy wine and milk

    without money and without price.

Grace is a word that loses its meaning through over use. You may hear it 50 times on a Sunday and only vaguely understand what’s being communicated. These verses in Isaiah perfectly paint the picture. 

Imagine walking into the nice restaurant, the anniversary restaurant, and looking down the menu. If there was no price listed, you would assume it’s Market Price which is code for way too much, but no, it’s just free. It’s like opening your dad’s pantry, it’s his, but you’re welcome to it, free! That’s grace. That’s what God has for you, for anyone who calls on the name of Jesus. Come and be satisfied!

Prayer prompt: Lord, fill us up to bursting with Your grace, so much so that we never look anywhere else for satisfaction.

July 6, 2022

Matthew 26:40-41

40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Peter had a hard night on Jesus’ crucifixion. He bounced from full-throated proclamations of undying devotion, to sleeping on the job. Then from sword swinging defense of Jesus to fearfully denying that he had ever known Jesus. That guy was a coward and a bum at best and a traitor at worst. But I do the same thing, and I bet you do too.

How are we going to grow out of our weak-kneed denying of Jesus, and wake up from our sleepy lack of devotion? We have to watch and pray. Jesus has given us His Spirit to fill us up and give us strength. Have you cried out to Him today to use His grace to bring boldness to your voice and strength to your hands? 

Prayer prompt: Lord, make us bold as we pray for your grace.

July 5, 2022

Galatians 2:20

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Is there something you would leave everything for? Imagine what it would have to be, like a letter confirming you are the heir to a vast fortune, or the only true heir to a throne and a kingdom in some paradise far away. What would that feel like? It would take a minute to confirm it, and believe it, but then how quickly would the new better life wash away the old?

The Gospel story is one of God leading you from a dungeon into light, then into full understanding of His glorious love, to share in His presence and joy forever. We fail to enjoy that when we go back to old ways of thinking and living. Paul, the writer of Galatians, saw clearly that his old life was over, crucified with Jesus, and now a new life with Jesus has begun. Do you have that life in Jesus? Why go back to anything else?

Prayer prompt: Lord, remind me of the promises, blessings, and hope so that I live for your Kingdom.

July 4, 2022

Romans 8:32

32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

When I read about the grace that God is able to give us (see yesterday’s post) it can bring a warmth from the inside out, like hot chocolate. He can give us so much more than we even know to ask for! But will He? The check on that incredible promise is the question, will He give it? 

God has all the blessings, He could rain them down, but will He? That’s when we go back to the cross. God didn’t hold back the most unthinkable blessing given at the most unspeakable cost. If He didn’t hold back the biggest thing, why do you let yourself wonder if He will hold back the little ones?

Prayer prompt: Lord, never let me forget the cross, the undeniable proof that You will never withhold what I need.

July 1, 2022

2 Corinthians 9:8

8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

I often think about the room in Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka Factory that is made completely from the most delicious sweets. If you think too long, it gets a little gross. I’m sure you would get sticky and the sweets would get dusty or dirty or people would sweat on them. But if you just let it exist as an ideal, it’s magical and attractive. Why doesn’t an all powerful God give us goodies like that? 

Each word in this verse should go off like a bomb, shaking that question to pieces. Grace from God will abound, pour out, roll over like a wave, so that being totally sufficient, having everything you need, at all times, you can really get to work. Not only has He, the Supreme God, rolled all our needs to dust under His overwhelming provision, He’s also given us a wonderful task and purpose! What more could we want?

Prayer prompt: Lord, please make me always dependent on and expectant of Your abounding Grace!

June 30, 2022

Daniel 3:16-18 

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Is God’s goodness dependent on your circumstances? Is God only good if things are good? The guys in this passage told the King of the world that it didn’t matter if God saved them or not. God is still able to save, still worth our worship, and still undeniably good. That is how it’s possible to have joy in suffering. I don’t say happiness, or pleasure, but joy is possible in suffering. Even if I burn up, God could have saved me. If He didn’t, that’s His decision and I trust that He is good. Do you trust Him? If not, go to the cross where Jesus entered the furnace for you. Love like that, and mercy like that, only come from a very good God.

Prayer prompt: Lord, I know You are good and You are bigger than my ideas of what is best for me.

June 29, 2022

Psalm 2:12

12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Does God get mad? He is certainly extremely forgiving and loving, but is there another side? Anger can be like fire that breaks out and destroys whatever it touches, we’ve seen that kind of anger in ourselves or the Hulk. But that’s not what anger is for, and that’s now how God expresses anger. There is a righteous anger that destroys what is dangerous or evil. Dads with dad bods can summon incredible strength and resolve when their family is threatened. Shepherds like David famously killed bears and lions attacking their sheep. What would it be like to be before God’s anger? What would it be like to be protected by God’s anger? Isn’t it amazing that we can take refuge in Him?

Prayer prompt: Lord, don’t let me deny Your righteous anger as we see it in Scripture. Let me know and rejoice in the refuge I have in You.