Month: November 2017

Follow the Star Devotional Day 3
Our Only Hope

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord
Psalm 31:24

If you want to know what “hope” looks like, look at Jesus. That little life in the stable would give us a life that works on the streets. And that star was just the beginning of what God was doing and going to do but that night that light was all they had in that dark place. That star was God saying, “I’m coming” or “I’m here”. That star was the fulfillment of His word a 1,000 years earlier.

Jesus came into this world as God in the flesh to take the power the devil had over life away from him and give it to us. Jesus showed us how to live this life and share this life with others. When we do life His way, this life works. His life is our hope for this life and after. Like the devotional said, “He began, redeeming the world to Himself, setting everything right, and turning hope into reality once and for all.

And having redeemed life; He has released us to live this life his way. And we have hope for this life because Jesus had hope for this life. Why not, He was God and He would go on and suffer an imaginable death for this hope that each one of us can have when we confess Him as Lord. Jesus could and can bring this life as we know to an end at any time. If He had done that at the grave, we would have missed out on this great hope.. He was thinking about us way back then before the earth even existed. So, He came and redeemed this life to release this life in us and through us to a world that needs hope

Jesus is the only hope for this world and He has placed this hope in the heart of every person who worships Him as Lord. And because Jesus came once, as God had said He would, we can believe He will come again as He has said He would. We have this hope then that motivates us to live this life the way He did. Why? Because this life is the only real hope this dark world can turn to and it’s the only hope that’s worth living for. So, what would happen if we really lived out this hope we believe in. What does that mean? What would that life be like? What kind of wise man are you?

Follow the Star Devotional Day 2
Hope Shines in the Darkness

The people living in darkness have seen a great light
Matthew 4:16

The devotional for today takes us to an uncomfortable place. Darkness can have a bright spot in finding the help and healing we all need. A true change requires a true confess. Again, one of the first things we learn in recovery and healing is that we can no longer live our lives in denial of the darkness. Those who refuse to look at the darkness are never able to recognize the light.

One example the devotional gave us today is the effect the daily headlines have on our lives. We can let the news stir up anger, fear, hopelessness and despair or we can let the news show us just how dark the world has become. People need light. People need a life that works. But if we refuse to honestly go to that dark place we will probable never see our need for a light on life. So, what happens is that we deal with everything but the darkness. It’s like choosing to walk though the kitchen blindly and carefully rather than just turning on the lights.

The darkness can serve a good purpose if we choose to step into that darkness so that we can see the light. We don’t have to live in rebellion to see the light, we just need to be honest about the darkness that is in our lives. From that point we can see that we need help and look for some light on how to live this life.

You know what? Darkness cannot shut out the light. It doesn’t have the power to do so. And you know what else? God’s light shines in the darkest darkness and that light gives us hope of a life that works. That star the wise men followed offered the world the light of hope for a life that works in a world that wasn’t working so well.

God’s light will always bring us hope in a world where darkness seems to rule the day. Darkness cannot hold back the light. And the light of Jesus will always bring us hope of a life that works in a world that doesn’t because it lives in darkness. Follow the star!

Follow the Star Devotional Day 1
Hope’s Long Journey
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word, I put my hope.” Psalm 130:5
Hope really isn’t a copout; is it? Hope isn’t a moment of instant gratification that makes us forget our misery or hunger. Hope is something more substantial than a pretty ring, new shoes, a few extra bucks or a lucky escape. Hope is a light and a true promise that we build our lives around and we wait for patiently because it offers something that we now only want but need in life.
Those temporary things are nice, don’t get me wrong. They, at times, restore our hope in humanity but I don’t know that hope can be temporary. I lead a recovery and healing group and I know that a little break from the judge isn’t the hope that will change a life. Real “hope” is life-changing, I think. It’s not a wish or a want, it’s a word, a work, a will that can change the life of those who receive it.
Now that’s a pretty big definition of “hope” and you may want to make it a little more accessible than that definition does. But I want a life that works, not a simple excuse for life or temporary escape from life. And I think we will wait for something that substantial. Won’t you?
I don’t like waiting in lines. In fact, I so dislike it that unless my wife tells me that I need to wait, I’m gone. That’s why I like living in rural America. We don’t wait in line to often. But I will wait for something that’s important or worthwhile. Advent is about waiting for something God is doing that is worthwhile. Hope brings light into our lives. It reveals a life that works and will work forever. Jesus is that light. That baby in a manger isn’t just a life in a stable but a life for the streets. Jesus life is a light to all mankind. God is here and is doing something great and for those who wait for Him, there is a promise that will change the lives of any one of us who not only believes that there is light but confesses the light for his/her life. The devotional told us to create space in our hearts to receive the light of the world. That sounds like good advice. What do you think?