The Only Hope We Have

The other day I was reading an article about a woman who was in tears when she met one of the Presidential candidates. She even got two hugs from him. In an interview later on, she told the reporter, “He’s the only hope we have!”

How sad! I feel very sorry for this woman who thinks that the only hope she has is in this one man who has yet to fulfill his promises and has never been fully tested. I’d rather put my hope in the Lord.

God is faithful. Unlike what many would have you believe, the Lord hasn’t left the scene despite our tough economic situations. And even if events get worse, He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. God always keeps His word.

Some may ask then, “Why did God allow this economic upheaval to happen?”

Have you ever thought it might be to test our hearts? It was man’s greed that led to the making of bad loans and to the accepting of debt that was beyond people’s means. God didn’t cause the crisis, but just like with any sin, there are consequences to pay. Unfortunately, those consequences are affecting many throughout the world.

So, where is your hope? Is it in man, money, or the Most High? Only One is our true hope. What will you choose?

That's the Ticket

We took our son to a video game center for his birthday. He, his siblings, and a friend each got a card worth a certain number of tokens. With those cards they could play all sorts of games, including interactive video games. They all, however, primarily chose the games that gave out tickets that could be redeemed for prizes.

My sons decided to join forces to gather as many tickets as possible. They worked hard to play certain games that paid the most. When it came time to redeem the tickets, they kept pulling out bunches upon bunches from their pockets. They ended up having over 2,500 tickets!

Of course, the prizes they really wanted cost far more than they had, but they still were able to pick up a few items they liked. The boys decided to keep the rest on account to be used at another time.

Most kids don’t realize how much is spent to earn those little prizes they get at the end of their playing. They just have a blast running from one game to the next, building up their points to get something fun. The parents, though, know that those toys and trinkets have cost them far more than their actual worth.

We have a ticket waiting for us that is priceless. Its cost was far more than most people realize, and the amazing thing is that it didn’t cost us one cent. The ticket was the sacrifice paid by a loving God when He came down to earth in the form of a human to die on a cross so that our sins could be forgiven. Only when we accept this ticket (Jesus) can we get a one way pass to Heaven. No ticket, no entry.

Is your ticket of value, or is it only worth a few trinkets? Ask Jesus into your heart and your Heavenly pass is secured for your future.

Attendance Counts

The schools in our district are trying to encourage perfect attendance. Huge signs with the words “Attendance Counts!” are displayed, prizes are awarded, and students are recognized in order to stress the importance of making it to school every day.

Uninterrupted teaching is the primary reason. A child has a tough time learning if there are multiple absences. Consistency and repetition help encourage the student to achieve success.

How is your attendance when it comes to spending time with God? Are you noticeably absent? Do you only open your Bible to seek out some forgotten Scripture, or is your Bible just another book on the shelf that needs dusting every few days?

If we claim we want a closer relationship with God, then we must daily attend fellowship with Him. This includes prayer and Bible reading. We need constant interaction to keep us accountable and to help us learn more about our awesome Lord. The more time we spend with God, the more we align ourselves with His will.

God doesn’t expect perfect attendance. We won’t be penalized if we forget to pray or skip a day reading His Book. But He does desire an intimacy that requires our time and attention.

Looking to develop your relationship with the Most High? Make your attendance count!

Mid-Week Reflection

Psalm 117

"Praise the LORD, all you nations;

extol Him, all you peoples.

For great is His love toward us,

and the faithfulness of the LORD

endures forever.

Praise the LORD."

Opportunities Knock

I love it when the Lord opens up doors of opportunities that I wasn’t expecting. An inquiry led to at least two assignments for a magazine with an additional offer to write about a topic they introduced. How good the Lord is!

Some might think, “But you took the initiative. It was your efforts that opened up the opportunity.”

Yes, but they could have said, “No, we’re not interested at this time.”

I believe God interacts in my life. He is my Lord and my God. Nothing that comes my way is by accident. He guides and directs. He orchestrates and allows. I have the freedom to choose my direction in life, but I know that if I ask Him to lead and I do what is pleasing in His eyes, then the opportunities that open up for me are from Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (NKJV).”

Are you looking for doors of opportunities in your life? Let the Lord lead and see what He opens up for you.

Way Too Tired

Sometimes a blank piece of paper is very inviting. It gives me an opportunity to express myself, whether in putting down words or drawing pictures. However, there are times when my mind is as blank as the page in front of me and I have no inkling of where to start.

I’m in one of those blank states right now. I’ve been thinking and praying about a good subject to write about, but all I can do is yawn and try to keep my eyes open as I stare at my empty word processing page. You see, I stayed up way too late the night before, folding laundry and trying to watch a show about finance. So my bare page is a result of being far too tired to be productive.

Yet, you may say, I have put something down since you are reading that something at the moment. My argument is that I’m muddling through out of discipline for my craft. It lacks the inspiration I desire when I write for my blog.

So forgive my lack of insight for today. I promise to get a better night’s rest for tomorrow so both you and I can benefit from my hearing God’s word.

Beyond the Predictable

It’s almost mid-October and we finally have a bit of cooler weather here in Southern California. We actually had to pull out the extra blankets we had packed away and had to grab a jacket in the morning.

I welcome the change in temperature. The hot days were getting tiresome. It’s now the time to pull out the warmer clothes and bake coffee cakes and pumpkin bread. Of course, you can never fully pack up the summer clothes. It could be 90° for Thanksgiving or 85° for Christmas.

It would be nice to have some accurate predictions for our weather, but I guess that would be impossible. No one but God can know precisely what the weather will bring, although people can get close. I like the days when they forecast sunshine, but we get hail instead. I always keep an umbrella in my car, just in case.

Our economy right now is like Southern California weather: unpredictable. It’s a good thing I don’t take the forecasts too seriously. No matter what projections there are, whether good or bad, they won’t be accurate enough for me to totally trust them. I’d rather trust in God, who has promised to care for His people even in the droughts (tough times).

I love this passage from Jeremiah 16:7-8, “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit.”