Tag: hope
-
Faith through Disappointment (the one about bitterness)
Consider the alternative When we feel disappointment sometimes we give ourselves permission to be angry for a while. That’s actually okay. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging how someone has hurt us. In fact, it is healthy to be honest about our feelings. However, there are enough scriptures that warn us about holding onto our hurt to make…
-
Faith Through Disappointment (part 2)
Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” (emphasis mine) Hosea 3:1 Remember what we learned a couple of weeks ago: God knows disappointment.…
-
Faith, Hope, And How They’re Connected
This week let’s think about walking in faith. There are times that it is easy and times that it is hard. It is easy to walk in faith in the areas that you don’t really feel threatened. For most of us, the call to come to church isn’t hard because we aren’t threatened. The same…
-
Truth and Trust
Have you said in your heart or heard a friend say, “I just don’t feel that God is very close to me.”? In that moment, although we may not realize it, we are wrestling with who to believe – our feelings or God. I think it matters who we believe! Let’s think today about that…
-
Making a Difference for Eternity
I don’t know who said it, but I know that our world seems to live by this axiom, “He who dies with the most toys, wins.” However, we all know that it isn’t our stuff that makes a difference. Just look at the people in your life that have made a difference in you… It…
-
Troubleshooting with God
When I was a kid, I did a lot of troubleshooting. No, I didn’t call it that back then, but I did it. When I was faced with a problem like a ball stuck on a roof, I would think through possible solutions until one presented itself. Sometimes, I would do foolish things to solve…
-
Starting Anew with Hope
Think back for a moment to this annual event: going back to school. Every year children gear up for school in August. Mom’s are getting their youngest ready for kindergarten. Students are planning what they and their friends are going to wear for that first day. There is a sense of excitement in the air. Students…
-
A Love That NEVER Changes
Sometimes, theology seems dry and stale. Take the issue of God’s eternity. It is a great truth that God is eternal, yet it seems to just be intellectual knowledge for us. How are we supposed to apply the eternal nature of God? What is it supposed to do for us? The psalmists knew. We read…
-
The Christian Atheist – A Scary Thought
Today we think about one of the oddest actions in the world. No, it isn’t when people who don’t believe in God act like they don’t believe in Him. It isn’t when people who are iffy about God act like they don’t believe in Him. No, the oddest action to me is when those who…
-
The Mystery of Knowing God
Mysteries. They catch my fascination. I love a good who-done-it. They stretch my mind. They capture my imagination. They make me want to solve the puzzle before it is revealed. Have you ever thought of the wonderful mystery of knowing God? I mean, He is there – the King of the universe – and He…
Pastor John D Jakes 