A LIVING HOPE

A LIVING HOPE

1 Peter 1:3

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.

Easter is a time of joy.  We rejoice that Jesus is alive. 

Easter is a time of victory.  Sin is defeated, and Jesus is alive.

Easter is a time of hope.  The hope of Heaven, the hope of His presence, the hope of His care.  

He is our living hope.  We don't worship a dead God; we worship a living One.  Even though Jesus died for us, He didn't allow death to defeat Him.  It is through His resurrection that we have hope.  It is through His resurrection that we have victory.

Rejoice today that our Savior is alive.  And that He is still very active in our lives.

Jesus, thank You for being our living hope.  Bring us joy in Your resurrection today.  In Your name, Amen

PRECIOUS AND HONORED

PRECIOUS AND HONORED

Isaiah 43:4

Because you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you

A recent blog I read reminded me just how the Lord feels about me.

Some days are hard.  Some days are good.  I have had more hard days recently.  I admit; it's my outlook.  I have failed to take comfort in God and to rejoice in His love for me.

Some days I wonder if anyone notices my effort; at work, at home, out among friends.  It's easy to feel neglected and ignored.  It's a lot harder to rebuke those feelings and find value in Christ.

I am precious in His sight.  Even if no one sees me, He does.  He gives me value when no one else does.  He calls me precious.

I am honored in His sight.  Sometimes I feel as if I'm worthless, and that my efforts are in vain.  Jesus honors me.  In my mind, he stands up and greets me, like an honored guest.  He calls me honored.

today, I will refocus on Jesus.  I will once more refuse to find my worth through people.  I will seek the Lord and His love for me.  Precious and honored.  That's what I am.  

That's what you are.  Precious and honored.

Are there days you feel neglected, ignored, looked over?  Know that Jesus loves you, and that you are precious and honored in His sight.

Jesus, thank You for valuing me, for loving me.  Keep my eyes fixed on You.  In Your name, Amen.

AN EMPTY CULTURE

AN EMPTY CULTURE

1 Peter 1: 18 and 19

For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.

There are times when I realize that this culture in which I live in is empty.  It promises satisfaction, but it doesn't deliver.  Our culture tells us to have more things, more money, more, more,  more.  If we possess this or that, we will be happy, content, and our problems will disappear.  I have discovered that material possessions do not make me happy.  They certainly can't keep me content for very long.  And my problems are still there, even more so by the money I spent on the very thing that would make me happy.  Of course, then I feel guilty for having spent that money on such a needless item.

I long to seek God's culture.  His culture satisfies me to my most inner being.  Yet, it is so hard to fight against the culture into which I was born and to seek after the Lord's.  His culture promises that if you give, you will receive.  Humble yourselves, and you will be lifted up.  Become weak so you can be strong.  Give sacrificially, and you will be blessed.  Become last so you can be first.  

The deeper our relationship with Christ, the more unrewarding our culture becomes.  The more we seek Him, the less appeal the world has.  We see the bright beauty of the Lord, and we are able to recognize the dull glow of the world.

Let's each of us seek the Lord with renewed life, longing, and love.  Let us reject the world and its empty promises and hold tighter to Jesus, who alone can satisfy us.

Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your culture, for calling for a different way of life.  I repent of my selfishness, my desire to possess more.  Give me more of a giving heart, one that seeks to honor You in all she does.  In Your name, Amen.

DREAM REBORN

I love to read.  Have I mentioned that?  I often read fiction.  I don't usually read non-fiction. Sometimes, if I can read it fast and don't have to take my time with it. 

I have heard good reports about this book.  At first, I wasn't interested.  A lot of non-fiction books that I pick up are dry and boring within the first couple of chapters.  The more I learned about Kisses From Katie , the more I wanted to read it.  I kept my eye on it at the Christian bookstore, waiting for it to go on sale.  Just in case.  On Black Friday, I walked into the store, and there it was, on sale, staring me in the face and calling my name. So, I bought it.  When I got home, I placed it in my pile of unread books.  

Recently, I picked it up and started to read it.  I'm not finished with it yet (I'm only on the sixth chapter).  However, from the very first chapter, I am hooked.  This book is giving me hope. 

Hope that had died.  Hope that I had given up.  Hope that is now being resurrected and causing me to wonder what the Lord has in store for me.

Let me explain. . . 

Ever since I knew what adoption was, I was intrigued by it. The Lord planted a seed in my young heart.  From time to time, growing up, I considered having my own child (once I was married, which hasn't happened).  Always, I wanted to adopt.  Gradually, the desire to have my own natural child died.  Gradually, the desire to adopt someone else's child grew.  I became fascinated with it.  I was drawn to stories and movies about adoption.  As I became an adult, the desire never left.  

I had given up adoption and marriage only a few months ago.  Until this book.  

As I read the pages quickly turning into chapters, hope sprang up in me.  

Maybe, just maybe, the Lord is calling me to adopt.  Without being married.  

Now, I probably will not go to a foreign country, like Katie, but maybe the Lord is going to use me.  Maybe He is about to give me the desires of my heart; adopting a child.

Now, there is just one problem.  I do not live on my own yet.  I cannot afford to support myself just yet.  Every time I think I'm getting there, something major happens, and I have to start all over.  

Recently, I have been feeling led to change careers.  To look for a higher paying job with benefits.  To return to school, even though it will be training classes for adults.  To keep buying things to move out with.  To prepare.

My dream is reborn.  And, instead of choosing the child I would like to adopt, I will be open to whoever the Lord has in mind for me.  Newborn all the way up to 17 years old.  I will no longer limit God.  I will be His vessel, His servant.  

Along with this hope and dream comes excitement.  Excitement of what awaits me.  Excitement of how Jesus is going to use me.

Thank You, Jesus, for resurrecting my dreams, my hopes.  Use me and lead me.

ANABELL'S LETTER

I was very excited to read my latest letter from Anabell.  She wrote the most informative letter yet.  I just had to share it with you.

To my dear sponsor Stacey Stouffer.  Dear sponsor I greet you affectively and may God bless you next to shoe around you. I tell you that my family is very well and I'd like to tell you that we celebrate New Year with all our family.  We celebrate Mother's Day and it's a day for them.  I tell you that pigeons are pretty and I'd like to see them more often every day.  We also celebrate Easter at church and I accepted Jesus since I was 9 and I'll be 14 on October 11.  I'm well.  My dog Oso is black with white strips.  My favorite letters are the ones you send me and I keep them in a folder.  I tell you that we're learning about our inner self and our teacher is Paty and she's very good with us in my class we're 28 kids.  My favorite food are tacos and pizzas.  I've a twin sister and my mom is 44 years old.  My sister has my same age.  My mom's name is Feliciana and my sister's Ana Martha and I'm Anabel.  I thank you for your sponsorship and all the letters you send me and for the birthday gift, with which I bought a pant, underwear, and a pair of shoes, also socks and the amount I got for this was 491 lps.  May God bless you always and protect you wherever you are.  I ask your prayers to God for me and my family.  With affection.

MY SON FROM TOGO

I just discovered this updated picture of my son in Togo, Emmanuel.  He is 9 years old.  Isn't he a handsome young man?  I am so proud of him, even though I have only sponsored him since April.
 
I call him my son because that's how I view him; he is my son.  Emmanuel lives with his grandparents.  He has a younger brother named Winner.  Don't you just love that name?

I look forward to many more years of sponsoring Emmanuel.  I am his first sponsor, and I pray I am the only one he will ever have.  The Lord has burdened me with him, and I know that He will use me to influence this boy's life for Him.

MANY TROUBLES

Psalm 34:19

Many adversities come to the one who is righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.

Troubles are a part of life, whether you believe in Jesus or not.  For the Christian, though, we are promised many of them.  This makes you pause, doesn't it?  Jesus never promised a life free of trouble or pain.  He said, "in this world, you will have trouble."  Have you noticed that we usually don't experience one trouble at a time, but they heap on us rapidly?  And we wonder how much more we can take.

Even though many troubles come, we as Christians  have hope.  We know Who to turn to.  Our hearts and minds become fixed on Jesus, the only One who can rescue us.

Jesus promises to deliver us from the troubles that come.  Whether it's an unexpected bill being paid, or physical or emotional healing, or even in eternity, we will be delivered.  Jesus hears our cries, and He will act.  

As I reflect on my past, I can testify that Jesus has delivered me from a lot.  Past abuse, emotional problems, anxiety, partial loss of income, and so many more.  Through it all, I have found that Jesus never fails.  And, when the next trouble comes, I can boldly say, "Bring it one!"  Jesus and me, we can handle anything.

Is your life full of troubles today?  Are you losing sight of Jesus?  Cry out to Him.  Expect Him to deliver you.  He will fulfill His promise.  He will be with you.

Jesus, thank you for your faithfulness, for your love, for your joy.  Deliver me from these troubles that are heaped upon me.  Reveal Your power and your strength to me.  In Your name, Amen.