31 Days of Hope – Free Devotional

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
 From where does my help come?
 My help comes from the Lord,
 who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 ESV

The Bible tells us that faith hope and love are three things that will last forever. Faith is how we stay connected to God, Love is what keeps us there, but hope is how we get there in the first place! Without hope, life drags on but we feel as if the vitality is gone. In those situations, we look everywhere, just as Psalm 121 say, “Lifting up our eyes to the hills… the distant horizon, wondering where our help will come from. The good news is that God is there beyond the hills and He is also right here by our side. We need to put all of our hope in Him because He will never fail! This week, I am offering the book 31 Days of Hope for free beginning today and running through Saturday June 1st. If you would like your copy simply click on the link below or search for 31 Days of Hope by Peter Caligiuri on Amazon. Have a blessed week everyone!

Our Special Guest

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. Hebrews 11:6 NLT

Just as we were about to begin our service at the nursing home this Friday, we were visited by Faith. No, not the faith of Hebrews chapter six, but by Faith, the miniature horse, from Honey’s Mini Therapy Adventures. Over the last two years I have been blessed to have seen the value of Faith and her stablemates, Baily (who plays a keyboard) and Honey. It is amazing to watch how the people are encouraged and blessed by simply having the opportunity to touch these quiet and gentle visitors. It reminded me that Faith – the faith of the Bible is also a quiet visitor to our church services and our hearts. Often the greatest changes that are made in our hearts and our relationships come silently as we simply believe and trust in the eternal promises of God.

Jesus has promised to visit whenever two or three are of us are gathered in His name. He assures us that no matter what our situation, our problem or our age, that He will hear our prayer and come. Then, that calm assurance that only God can give will flood our hearts and minds. Now imagine that if God can use mini horses to bring a blessing to long-term care facilities, what He could do with you. Bringing cards on holidays, offering to read for people or brightening up the day room with flowers on special occasions are more important than you can possibly know. Each one of these small acts of service tell people that they are not forgotten, someone cares about them and that their life matters. These are little bridges that we build to carry the message of hope of the message of Jesus Christ. What the bridge looks like matters far less than the faith that crosses it, because without faith, it is impossible to please God!

Turning Our eyes to Jesus

And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.
Luke 12:29-30 KJV

As the cicadas sing in summer, or the wind softly swipes over the snowdrifts in winter, God begins each day slowly and quietly. The Bible often tells us, that in those early morning hours, Jesus rose up and went off alone to spend the opening moments of His day with the Father. If Jesus needed to dedicate time to prayer each day, how much more do we. Before drinking our coffee or checking our email, we must set aside time just to be with Jesus, read His word and listen carefully for all He has to say. I pray you will be blessed by this simple song session from a few months ago as we met at Sunshine Village for our monthly prayer and praise. Have a blessed day everybody!

Back to Basics

By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 1 John 3:16 NJKV

After all is said and done, after all the organizing, fund raising and special programs, what makes nursing home outreach, or any other ministry of the church work, is the love of God. Until we simply begin to use our meetings as opportunities to love folks, we will be missing out on God’s basic plan.

Jesus didn’t come to earth to show off his miraculous powers, or to build an impressive organization. Jesus made the trip from Heaven to earth to demonstrate the Father’s love by forgiving an adulteress who was about to be stoned, by delivering a naked demon possesses man who nobody wanted to be around and for offering Heaven to a criminal who was dying on the cross right next to Him. Jesus came for these people, one by one and day by day, just as He also came for you and me. Nothing has been clearer to me since our return from our travels and getting together again with my friends at each facility. People matter. Our lives are short and the only eternal moments we have on earth are the ones we use to love ne another. Until we are ready for the challenge of loving others in nursing home ministry, nothing else we do will have any real lasting value. So, if we’re ready to love, then lets get back to the basics of building relationships, and as we build relationships, then God will form and build the ministry that He has entrusted to each of us! Are you ready for the adventure?