Tag Archives: Hope

When You Don’t Feel It

Posted on by

0

Sometimes we can feel like God is not there. We can feel like we are all alone in the dark. We can feel like our prayers are bouncing off the walls, that God is not is listening, that God does not care, and that He isn’t even there.

We all have felt that way at some point.

Some of us may feel that way even know.

One of the reasons why I love the book of Psalms so much is that they speak to nearly every human emotion we have – joy, pain, fear, worry, trust, everything. Today, listen to what is says in Psalm 13:

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

imagesThe Psalmist says, Lord, will you forget me forever? Will you hide your face from me? Will you answer me? Will I be defeated?

The Psalmist things that God has abandoned him. He feels like he is all alone. He is in the darkness. He feels lost and alone.

What does he do?

He said even though I don’t feel it, I trust in your steadfast love. My heart will rejoice because of that salvation. I will sing to the Lord.

Even when He didn’t feel it.

Because here’s the thing. The Lord is there, even when you don’t feel it. He hears your prayers, even when you don’t feel it.

We KNOW this to be true, His word says He will never leave nor forsake us. He will never abandon us. He will always be present.

We KNOW this to be true, even when we don’t feel it. He is.

Trust. Trust not in what you may feel today, trust in what you KNOW today. God is there. Even if you can’t see. Even if you don’t understand. Even if you don’t feel it.

He is with you today. You know it to be true. Trust in it, even when you don’t feel it.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

What I am Thankful For

Posted on by

0

300px-StJohnsAshfield_StainedGlass_GoodShepherd_Dk_FaceThere’s a lot of things that we can be thankful for in regards to our faith.

We can be thankful for the goodness of God. We can be thankful for all the good things in life that God gives us, for the Bible tells us that all good gifts from God.

We can be thankful for the truth of God in scripture. In prayer. In worship.

We can be thankful for His grace and mercy that He gives when we fall down and ask for help.

We can be thankful for His peace that gives. For His hope. For His joy. For His strength.

All these are things that we can list on our things that we are thankful for. And they are good things. But, today, let me tell you what I am most thankful for. Listen to the words of Hebrews 4:14-16:

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

It’s that phrase in verse 15. “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness.” I am thankful that Jesus understands.

The word tells us that Jesus was fully God and fully human. And in that, He is able to understand our temptation, for He was tempted as we are. He understands our hurts, as He was hurt. He understands our tears, as He cried. He understands us.

And it isn’t just that He understands, but He has sympathy. He has compassion. He has grace for us.

He lived as we live, walked as we walked. He understands. No matter what it is, right now, Jesus understands.

He is not uncaring towards your hurts, pains and loss. He understands. He cares. He is there.

That is what I am thankful for. Jesus understands what we are going through.

And He never gives up on us.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Hope

Posted on by

0

hopeIt’s so easy in life to hope in so many things.  To hope in our strength.  To hope in our might.  Our talent.  Our abilities.  Our worth.

There are so many things in life that we can place our hope in.

But, so many of these things will not last.  All of the stuff of earth will in time fail or become frail.

Our strength will grow weary.  Our might is fading.  Our talent and abilities are not perfect.

And so, what do we do?  What do we do when find our “best” is not enough. What do we do when we find that we can’t do it?  Fix it?

We turn to the place that we should actually start with. We turn to the place where our hope is actually found, where life, power, and strength are actually found.

We turn to God. We turn to Him and His strength. Listen what it says in Psalm 18:1-2 this morning.

I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

The Lord is our strength.  He is our rock, our shield, our hope.  He is the one that we can count on.

He is the one that will save us.

Today, we don’t trust in your own might or in your own ability. Trust in Him and in His.  And He will not fail you.  He will not disappoint you.  He will not leave you.  No matter what.  You can trust in Him, today.

Today, may He be our hope. And that hope will never fail.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Those Forgiven Much

Posted on by

0

Forgiven & LovedWe talked yesterday at Asbury about forgiveness. Forgiveness really is the one thing that makes relationships possible. It’s the thing that makes faith possible. It’s the thing that makes love possible.

Without forgiveness, there would not be much hope for anything that is good in life. Forgiveness makes it all possible.

We are all going to be hurt at some point. We are all going to be wronged at some point. We are all going to be in a position where we have to choose to forgive or not. And it’s tough. And we can’t do it on our own.

We can’t “will” ourselves to forgive. We can’t just “make” ourselves do it. It’s something that only God can do though us. Listen to the words that Jesus speaks today in Luke 7:47-48:

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus forgives a woman, and He talks about since she is forgiven, she loves. And then He says, he who is forgiven little loves little.

Those of us that have been forgiven much, we should love so much more. We can’t truly forgive, we can’t truly love, we can’t truly do any of these things until we know this one true fact.

We are forgiven. You are forgiven. God loves you, wants to know you, wants to spend time with you. You are forgiven.

You are loved.

Now, love others. Our forgiveness for others flows from our forgiveness from God. Those who are forgiven much will love much.

Today, as those that have been forgiven so very much, may we love so very much.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

April 16 – Evil Doesn’t Win

Posted on by

4

If you have been following me for any length of time, you know that April 16 is not my favorite day of the year.  This is the day that I remember the power of evil and sin to destroy lives.

And it’s the day that reminds me that in the journey of my life (and our lives) that evil doesn’t win.

And each of us, we know the power of evil. We see it in the world. We saw it on 9/11. We witnessed it yesterday in Boston, and many, many lives were forever changed and disrupted. We have seen the force and power of evil.

Evil has it’s moment. But evil doesn’t win.

That said, I don’t like April 16.

mama-saraOn April 16, 1978, my mother was murdered.  I have always called her “Mama Sarah.”  She was killed as she was walking out of our house, with me in her arms. She was walking out of the house because she did not want me raised in an abusive situation, in a situation full of drugs and destruction. She was walking out of the house because she wanted me to have a better life.

She was walking out of the house because she loved me.

And in that, she laid down her life for me.  Literally.  I sometimes tell folks I have the burden and blessing in my life of having had two people lay down their life for me, Jesus and Mama Sarah.

And, every day I wake up and know that I am here, I give thanks for no greater love.  I give thanks that I, literally, should not be here.

And if you’ve ever wondered why I’m a little on the ADD side, this is why. I’m not going to waste a second that God has given me.

And every time I look at my daughter Sarah and mourn over the fact that she will never know the grandmother she was named for, I give thanks for no greater love.

I have experienced in my life the power of evil to bring destruction.

But I’ve also seen this.  I’ve seen that evil doesn’t win.  See, when Mama Sarah died, I was adopted by her mother and step father. I call them mama and daddy, because that’s who they are.

By the way, if you want to know the power of evil, consider this. Mama Sarah was murdered on her mother’s birthday, April 16. And she was buried on my birthday, April 18.

Evil has it’s moment. But it doesn’t win.

I was adopted and raised by my mama and daddy.  And if I had not been raised by them, I wouldn’t have been raised in the church I was raised in.  Which means that I may not be a Christian. Which means that I may not be a preacher. Which means that I may not be here, doing what I’m doing.

I may not be affecting your lives and your faith.

If I hadn’t been raised by my adopted parents, I wouldn’t have went to Bouge Chitto, which means I wouldn’t have went to Co-Lin which means I wouldn’t have met Holly, which means I wouldn’t have my family.

God brought good out of this terrible tragedy.

Was my mother’s murder a good thing?  No.  Or course not.  My heart aches for it.  But, the power of God is not that He stops bad things from happening.

But that He can bring good our of anything.

Even the worst evil.

Evil doesn’t win. My life is a testament to that.

Romans 828 says this:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

All things will work for our good. And His glory.  I am thankful.

It may look bad.  But know this.  Evil doens’t win.  Let us have that hope. And let us rejoice, even in our tears.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

God Wins

Posted on by

0

One of the things that I’ve always stressed in ministry is this. Things will not always be easy. There will be times of trial, times of hurt, times of tears, times of worry, times of stress.

That’s a given. That’s a certainty. We see that in our lives. We know that from our experiences. We just know that. Things will not always be easy.

Even the Bible confirms that. We can even look within God’s Word and understand that man, sometimes it’s just going to stink. Sometimes, there’s no getting around it. It’s just going to be hard.

But you know what, even in that, it’s going to be ok. Listen to what is says in John 16:31-33:

Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

keep-calm-for-i-have-overcome-the-worldJesus tells us there will be times when the disciples face troubles. They will be scattered. They will leave Jesus alone. Times will get tough, bad, and painful. It will not be fun.

The same is true for us. We know that. We can count those times in our minds right now.

But, keep reading. In the world you will have trouble. But, He has overcome the world. Yeah, it may be bad. It may be hard. You may not like it. You may feel like giving up.

Don’t. Do not give up. The world cannot win. The pain cannot will. The trials cannot win.

They will come. Sure. But Jesus has overcome them. He has triumphed over them. He has conquered them. He has won.

Yeah, troubles come. That’s ok. Remember what matters.

God wins. And through Him, so do we. It’s going to be ok.

God wins.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Our Most Important Task

Posted on by

0

Our most important task in life, and in faith, is not do anything. We can think there are things we are supposed to do.

Not just in our jobs or with our families or with our communities.

But in our faith. There are things we are supposed to “do” to make God love us, to change ourselves, to change the world.

There’s all the stuff that we are supposed to accomplish. But, what does Jesus tell us? What does He tell us that our most important task is?

Listen to what He told us in John 15:4-5:

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

vine and branchesAbide in me. A branch cannot bear fruit, unless it is in the vine.

Your most important task today is not to “do” anything. But, it’s to be in relationships with God. Focus on Him. Chase after Him. Live in the fullness of His life and His grace.

Focus on Him. Our main goal is not about what we “do.” It’s about who we “are.” Live as His child today. Focus on your walk with Him. Pray. Read His word. Be in connection with Him and others that love Him.

That’s our job. That’s our task. Focus on God. Make Him the center of our lives. If we do that, then all else that we need to do will fall into place.

May Jesus Christ be the center of our lives and of all that we are. That’s our most importnat task.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Fear Has Lost

Posted on by

0

I was reading through the text of the resurrection as found in Matthew today, when something pop out at me.

By the way, people will sometimes ask me, how do I know when God is speaking to me in scripture? How do I know what God is trying to say? What should I look for? What should I listen for?

One of the things I tell them is this. When you are reading, pay attention to what pops out at you. What word, through, concepts sticks out to you. What grabs your attention.

Focus on that. Focus on that word, phrase or concept. Listen to what God may want to say to you in that. Ponder that word, phrase, or concept. Let it roll around in your mind for a second.

Listen in that.

For me, that’s one of the ways that God speaks to me in scripture.

Today, in reading Matthew 28: 5-10  that happened to me. Listen to what happens here. See if you noticed what I noticed, or see if you notice something different:

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

do-not-be-afraidWhat popped out at me was this. In this passage, a command is given twice. Do not fear. Do not fear. Do not be afraid.

In the light of the resurrection, this is so important for to hear and to know.

We have nothing to fear.

Death – defeated.

Sin – defeated.

The chains of sin – broken.

The power of the devil – defeated.

All that we can fear has been defeated. All that could stop us is done away with. That was the message of the angels. That was the message of Jesus.

And that’s a message for us today. No matter what you are facing today, do not fear. Do not be afraid. Do not given into that fear.

Jesus Christ is alive! Sin, death, and the grave are defeated! Life has won. Faith has won.

Fear has lost.

Today, don’t be a afraid.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

What do we Trust?

Posted on by

0

urlWhere is your hope today? Who do you trust? What do you trust? Where is our hope?

There are lots of things that we can trust in. We can trust in our own abilities. We can trust in our status. We can trust in our might. We can trust in ourselves.

Or, we can trust in others. Our friends. Our surroundings. Our families.

We can trust in out possessions. Our worth. Our stuff.

We can trust in so many things. But in the end, there in only one thing we can place our trust in.

Listen to what Psalm 62: 8-10 says today:

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

This Psalm reminds us that God is our hope. He is the one that we place our trust in. Not the lowly. Not the mighty. Not the powers of this world. Not in extortion. Not in robbery. Not in wealth. Not in riches.

None of these things should be our hope.

None of these things should be what we trust in. For they are all fleeting. They are all frail. They will not last.

They will pass.

God is eternal. God is trustworthy. God is our refuge. God is our strength. God is our hope.

Today, do not place your trust in your own might or strength or stuff. Do not place your trust in the things of the world.

Place your trust in God. And He will not fail or disappoint you.

Today, trust in Him.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.

Contentment

Posted on by

0

urlAre you content?

Not happy. Not complacent. Content?

Well, to answer that question, I guess we have to first know what contentment is. There are a lot ways that you can define contentment. Some would it say it’s being satisfied. Some would say that it’s not worrying. Some would say that it’s not being stressed.

I guess those are all good answers. But, I see being content as being “home.” Knowing you are where you need to be. Knowing all is right, all is good, all is as it should.

Well, to put it like that, then none of us should be content. None of us are in that perfect place, none of us have life like we’d love it to be, none of us have that feeling.

Well, I don’t know about that. Let’s see where this contentment comes from. Listen to what Paul says today in 1 Timothy 6:6-7:

Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

Paul says that there is much to gain from Godliness with contentment. We brought nothing into the world, we take nothing out. That’s the source of contentment.

Not the “stuff” of the world. If we are striving and living all of our lives after the things of the world, then we will never be content. If your life revolves around those things, money, success, fame, power, attention, status, things such as that, you will never have enough.

You will never be content. You will always need more. You will always want more.

But, if come to this realization this morning, you will find contentment. You are loved. God loves you. He died for you. He gave Himself for you. You are His.

Your identity, your worth, it is not tied to these things, it is tied to God. It is tied to what God, through, Jesus, has done for you.

You can be content. For you have all that you could ever wish for. You have all that you could ever desire. You have all you could ever want.

You are loved. You can be content in that.

Rest. Rest easy in that. You are loved. You prized. You have worth. Rest in that. Be content in that. The other stuff will pass. This will last.

You are a child of God. That’s where contentment is found.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones.