You have a LIVING HOPE!

This past Friday, on this blog, I shared this passage with you and then Jen Thompsen spoke at our Women’s Breakfast on Saturday and talked about it. So, here it is again.

First though, let me say what a great job Ivy Coker and her team did for the nearly 200 ladies that came to the breakfast.

Also I’d like to thank the men who cooked and served to make sure the ladies had a great time.

My wife Michelle was a natural at welcoming everyone and introducing Jen.

And then Jen…thank you so much my friend for sharing your heart, as well as, God’s Word. What an amazing message about the hope and strength we have in Jesus!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5 NIV)

You are not in control

You are not in control…of a lot of things. You can’t control many of the circumstances that are just around the corner. However, there is something within your grasp.

You can choose to TRUST in God, the One who IS in control.

You can choose to OBEY when the Spirit prompts you.

You can choose to LOVE even when others aren’t loving to you.

You can choose to PRAY, not just as a last resort, but as a first response.

You can choose JESUS…each and every day!!

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5 NIV)

You can get back up!

It’s very possible, if you did set some new goals for this year (or resolutions), you’ve already blown it. However, I have some great news: Failure isn’t FINAL!

Let’s say you were trying to read your Bible every day but you already missed three in a row now. Well, start back up. It’s not  time to give up…it’s time to start new.

Let me say it again. FAILURE ISN’T FINAL!!

“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NLT)

Are you hurting?

Pain is a part of life. We do just about everything we can to avoid pain, but it still seems to find us.

The Apostle Paul had to deal with pain, even after he prayed about it. It might be important to note that we don’t always (including the Apostle Paul) get what we want when we pray to a loving God. However, we still have God on our side.

Read these verses, then plan on walking with God’s strength through your pain. He may not give you what you want, and it may not even make sense at the time, but your God is with you. His strength is all you need.

“Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NLT)

What would you do?

I was blessed to spend a few days in Zion National Park earlier this week. If you follow me on my photography pages on Facebook/Instagram under “jpsphotoart” you’ve seen some of the images and videos already.

On one hike, where this image was taken, I found myself halfway between enjoying a hike a snowy day and all out worship! I kept saying WOW under my breath, and sometimes not so under my breath.

What do you do when you see God’s glory??

I know this passage is about Mount Zion, but I felt like I was there…

“The Lord, the Mighty One, is God, and he has spoken; he has summoned all humanity from where the sun rises to where it sets. From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines in glorious radiance.” (Psalm 50:1-2 NLT)