Free Devotional

Ministering weekly for the last 23 years in Allied Skilled Nursing I have often wished there were more resources available for the residents. The reality of being partially disconnected from the local community and even their local church I see first hand the struggles and needs of people who have become my friends and extended family. Today I am making available a 31 day devotional called 31 Days of Hope for free this week in ebook form. If you are a family member a resident or a nurse this I pray thia month of readings will be a lifeline of hope that will draw you closer to God who is the truly Good Shepherd who has given us eternal hope in every dark place of life!https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075RRB5ZR

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All Hope

Day 31    –  31 Days of Hope

As we have come to the end of this series that God has led me on I have traveled with you. Whether you are battling cancer as my wife is, are seated in a nursing home or face life shaking situations of kinds i can not imagine I pray God will minister to you His miraculous hope that will last through it all. Be blessed and remind yourself that not knowing all the answers is okay. God’s hope does not depend on our abilities or wisdom but on His own!

When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned  Acts 27:20

 

Paul was being carried as a prisoner in chains in a ship in a storm. He had no control of his destination or the means of his travel. Does this verse sound in a little like what you are experiencing in your life? When the landmarks of sun and stars disappear behind storm clouds it is easy to forget that others are going through storms right by our side. With wind and waves beating at the sides of your boat you want to hang on to something while time crawls by so slowly that we lose sight of others right next to you.

But in that night when everyone else lost hope, Paul received a message from God. God promised deliverance and not only to him, but also for the soldiers holding him prisoner, the sailors in charge of the boat and even his fellow prisoners. So today in your very real situation remember that God is not only with you in your biggest storm but that He is offering you all hope and hope for all who traveling by your side.

Hope at the Table

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Luke 22:19

As Christians some of us share communion once a month, some every week and others each time they meet. But whenever we pause to share in the bread and the cup we are carrying on a retelling of the hour on the cross when Jesus freely gave His life to pay for our sins.

Often I reflect on my own sins and ask Him to forgive me before I receive. Sometimes as I serve I look at each person as they come and think of how in a deep and holy way we are remembering that we all belong to Christ. Nothing has been preserved of the songs the first believers sang. We have no pictures of what they looked like. There isn’t even a single plate from which they ate. We can only guess where that first supper was eaten. But the common thread that our Lord Jesus has kept alive throughout more than 20 centuries is the Hope we have every time we come to His table.

 

We have hope that our sins are forgiven. We have renewed hope that we can learn to love one another. We are given a living demonstration of His love as the bread is broken and the cup is shared. We have new hope at the table that one day He will return for you and for me!

 

 

 

Hope in Silent Hours

Day 17 – 31 Days of Hope

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.  Psalm 62:5 ESV

In the quiet of early morning before one word has been spoken to anyone God gives hope. His hope is not usually in the form of an immediate answer to our problems or the rush of adrenaline that comes when a new door of opportunity opens. God’s hope comes like the gentleness of a stream still flowing in the long hot days of August. God’s hope is like the soundless ripening of fruit in the apple orchard.

God’s hope is sure, unchanging invincible. Even when the battle seems to have turned against us or the tide is running out on our lives He remains true to His promises. He alone is enough and these long and heavy miles we are walking lead us only more directly to His throne. When our resources have failed He is our supply. When our plans have ended short of the goal, He is the way When our friends have forgotten. He remains closer than a brother. He has allowed us times of lonely silence so we can hear His voice, and His alone. In those moments near the cross we understand more deeply the words from the hymn. “No not One”

There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus

No not one. No not one!           Johnson Oatman 1895