“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 ESV In Christian circles, this verse gets thrown around a lot – especially when something bad happens and we don’t understand why. It feels like anytime a Christian asks… Continue reading Not What You Expected
Day 6: July 12, 2017 From my childhood, I have heard the story of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego and the fiery furnace. As an adult, I thought I knew everything there was to know about it, and quite frankly, I felt like I had outgrown it. Until I heard someone highlight the verse that would later… Continue reading A Childhood Story Revisited
Read Job 38 & 42 Reflect Think back on the suffering and loss Job had just undergone (see Job 1 & 2 for a refresher). Is this how you would have expected God to answer? What do you learn about God’s character from chapter 38? Why is it so important to focus on the WHO… Continue reading Week 2
Grace “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions,… Continue reading Give Them Hope, Part 7
An End “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). One family that is heavy on my heart as I write this is the family of a girl we… Continue reading Give Them Hope, Part 6
Security “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). In a world where… Continue reading Give Them Hope, Part 5
Life “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live’” (John 11:25). This is the single greatest source of hope we have. It is the promise upon which all other promises hinge. Life, and not just any life, but new life.… Continue reading Give Them Hope, Part 4
Comfort “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as… Continue reading Give Them Hope, Part 3
Presence “[F]or he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5). While Jesus hung on the cross, God turned His back and the sky grew dark. He could not look upon the sin that Jesus carried . . . for us. He was abandoned so that we would never have to… Continue reading Give Them Hope, Part 2
Victory “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” (John 16:33) I sometimes feel sorry for the doctor’s that work at Children’s (or anywhere for that matter). They are limited by test results, medical… Continue reading Give Them Hope, Part 1
