Sometimes I am accused of being too joyful and hope-filled. But come on! Is there such a thing as being too hopeful? Not in my book because my hope is in Christ and there is not such a thing as having too much Christ. You see, my joy or hope is not based on circumstances, wishful thinking, or denial of pain. My hope is based on God and his Word telling me God will have the last word and not…
Christmas is a wonderful time of year. But sometimes we are not feeling it. We might have experienced a loss of a dear family member or we’re struggling with an illness. Or maybe it’s the first Christmas after a bad break-up. There are a million reasons why Christmas might be a tough season. I feel for you. And I pray for you. Just know that Christmas is not about feelings it’s about the hope that comes from our Savior being born and that makes…
Often I tell people to collect Bible verses to quickly remind them of God’s goodness in a time of need. Because when you’re feeling distressed you don’t have much energy to dig deep. Then it’s a huge blessing to have a first aid kit for weary pilgrims handy. Your own collection of special Bible verses that you know work time after time. Make sticky notes, type notes on your smartphone, collect them in a beautiful box or memorize them. Whatever…
Christian hope is a different kind of hope. It’s not based on wishful thinking or false hope. Christian hope does not depend on our own positivity and we are not hope-makers either. Instead, Christian hope is based on Christ and what he has done for us. Jesus is our hope. And that hope never lets us down. How freeing it is to realize that God is the source of hope. He is always the same. Hope is also not something…
Are you feeling down? Is your soul singing unexpected blues? Are you weary, burned-out, at the end of your rope? Don’t worry. There are loads of fresh hope reserved just for you. You might not believe it right now. But bare with me. Do you remember how Jesus, in his sermon on the mount, calls people happy or blessed who are hopeless? Why on earth would he do that? Read it yourself: “Happy are people who are hopeless, because the…
Spiritual exercise is necessary for robust spiritual health. There is no way around it. Any muscle that goes unused becomes weak. Any faith that does not get exercised becomes weak. So what are you waiting for? You even have your own spiritual trainer, the Holy Spirit, available 24/7. Let’s continue our journey towards a strong spiritual immune system. In the first part of the series I presented a formula for spiritual health. We need to have a healthy diet and…
Are you feeling down? Is your soul singing unexpected blues? Are you weary, burned-out, at the end of your rope? Don’t worry. There are loads of fresh hope reserved just for you. You might not believe it right now. But bare with me. Do you remember how Jesus, in his sermon on the mount, calls people happy or blessed who are hopeless? Why on earth would he do that? Read it yourself: “Happy are people who are hopeless, because the…
