Hope For Life http://hopeforlife.org Thu, 17 May 2012 14:00:43 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 “And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”” (Nehemiah 6:3) http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/and-i-sent-messengers-to-them-saying-i-am-doing-a-great-work-and-i-cannot-come-down-why-should-the-work-stop-while-i-leave-it-and-come-down-to-you-nehemiah-63/ http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/and-i-sent-messengers-to-them-saying-i-am-doing-a-great-work-and-i-cannot-come-down-why-should-the-work-stop-while-i-leave-it-and-come-down-to-you-nehemiah-63/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 14:00:43 +0000 Tim Archer http://hopeforlife.org/?p=1692 If you are doing something for the Lord, it’s likely that someone else will want to make you stop. They’ll question your motives. They’ll question your methods. They’ll question your doctrine. With all kindness, we need to say, “I’m doing the Lord’s work. I won’t stop for man’s foolishness.”

]]> http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/and-i-sent-messengers-to-them-saying-i-am-doing-a-great-work-and-i-cannot-come-down-why-should-the-work-stop-while-i-leave-it-and-come-down-to-you-nehemiah-63/feed/ 0 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (II Peter 3:9) http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/the-lord-is-not-slow-in-keeping-his-promise-as-some-understand-slowness-he-is-patient-with-you-not-wanting-anyone-to-perish-but-everyone-to-come-to-repentance-ii-peter-39/ http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/the-lord-is-not-slow-in-keeping-his-promise-as-some-understand-slowness-he-is-patient-with-you-not-wanting-anyone-to-perish-but-everyone-to-come-to-repentance-ii-peter-39/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:26 +0000 Steve Ridgell http://hopeforlife.org/?p=1607 God wants everyone to be saved.  It is not God’s desire that anyone spend eternity away from His presence.  He wants this so much that He let Jesus die to save us.  But it our choice.  God has already made His.

]]> http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/the-lord-is-not-slow-in-keeping-his-promise-as-some-understand-slowness-he-is-patient-with-you-not-wanting-anyone-to-perish-but-everyone-to-come-to-repentance-ii-peter-39/feed/ 0 “Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!”” (2 Kings 5:13) http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/naamans-servants-went-to-him-and-said-my-father-if-the-prophet-had-told-you-to-do-some-great-thing-would-you-not-have-done-it-how-much-more-then-when-he-tells-you/ http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/naamans-servants-went-to-him-and-said-my-father-if-the-prophet-had-told-you-to-do-some-great-thing-would-you-not-have-done-it-how-much-more-then-when-he-tells-you/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 14:00:56 +0000 Tim Archer http://hopeforlife.org/?p=1690 What has God asked you to do that you don’t want to do? What has he said that just didn’t make sense to you? Naaman was told to dip himself in the Jordan River to be cleansed of leprosy… and he didn’t want to do it! It seemed silly to him. Our job isn’t to decide whether or not God is right in what he tells us; our job is merely to obey.

]]> http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/naamans-servants-went-to-him-and-said-my-father-if-the-prophet-had-told-you-to-do-some-great-thing-would-you-not-have-done-it-how-much-more-then-when-he-tells-you/feed/ 0 Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. (Joel 2:13) http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/rend-your-hearts-and-not-your-garments-return-to-the-lord-your-god-for-he-is-gracious-and-compassionate-slow-to-anger-and-abounding-in-love-and-he-relents-from-sending-calamity-joel-213/ http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/rend-your-hearts-and-not-your-garments-return-to-the-lord-your-god-for-he-is-gracious-and-compassionate-slow-to-anger-and-abounding-in-love-and-he-relents-from-sending-calamity-joel-213/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:38 +0000 Steve Ridgell http://hopeforlife.org/?p=1653 If you have drifted away from God and wondered if you could ever really come back to the Lord, then here is your answer.  Yes!  Don’t focus on the external, but give God your broken heart.  God loves you.  He wants you to experience His graciousness and compassion; not His anger.  Today is the day you can return to God.

]]> http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/rend-your-hearts-and-not-your-garments-return-to-the-lord-your-god-for-he-is-gracious-and-compassionate-slow-to-anger-and-abounding-in-love-and-he-relents-from-sending-calamity-joel-213/feed/ 0 Let There Be Light! http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/let-there-be-light/ http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/let-there-be-light/#comments Sun, 13 May 2012 11:00:37 +0000 Tim Archer http://hopeforlife.org/?p=1679 When I was in college, I sang in the school choir. One year, we took a tour that included stops in New Mexico. Traveling through the state, we paused to visit the Carlsbad Caverns. There’s one moment from that tour that stands out in my mind. The guide offered to allow us to experience total darkness. She turned out the lights, leaving us in such blackness that we could not see our hands in front of our faces.

That’s the kind of darkness that existed in the beginning, when God created everything. The Bible says, “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.” (Genesis 1:2)

Think about that time, then picture the moment when a divine voice shattered the void with the cry: “Let there be light!” Can you imagine the wonder of that moment, when divine light bursts forth into the blackness of the shapeless universe?

The apostle Paul says that that moment is relived in each of our lives when God shines his light into our hearts. “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6) This incredible light, the light of the glory of God, the light that burst forth in creation, now shines in us.

Paul goes on to tell the Corinthians that God has put this light in “jars of clay,” meaning our human bodies. Then he reminds them that these jars are slowly falling apart! However, the treasure that God has put inside those jars grows more precious every day.

We forget about this. We focus on the human side, the mortal side, the part of us that is aging and deteriorating. When we do so, we forget the wonder of the light that God shines into our hearts.

God wants to take your “jar of clay” and make it into a treasure. He wants to take the light that pierced the primeval darkness and place it inside of you.

Do you choose to be the light of the world? Or will you remain a part of the darkness? Will your value come from your aging physical self or from God’s light within you? It’s your choice.

]]> http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/let-there-be-light/feed/ 0 “Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.” (1 Samuel 3:9) http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/therefore-eli-said-to-samuel-go-lie-down-and-if-he-calls-you-you-shall-say-speak-lord-for-your-servant-hears-so-samuel-went-and-lay-down-in-his-pl/ http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/therefore-eli-said-to-samuel-go-lie-down-and-if-he-calls-you-you-shall-say-speak-lord-for-your-servant-hears-so-samuel-went-and-lay-down-in-his-pl/#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 14:00:09 +0000 Tim Archer http://hopeforlife.org/?p=1688 Though God probably won’t speak out loud to us as he did Samuel, he does seek to speak to us through his Word. We need to read the Bible with the same thought in mind: Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.

]]> http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/therefore-eli-said-to-samuel-go-lie-down-and-if-he-calls-you-you-shall-say-speak-lord-for-your-servant-hears-so-samuel-went-and-lay-down-in-his-pl/feed/ 0 I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. (Romans 16:1) http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/i-commend-to-you-our-sister-phoebe-a-servant-of-the-church-in-cenchrea-romans-161/ http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/i-commend-to-you-our-sister-phoebe-a-servant-of-the-church-in-cenchrea-romans-161/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 14:00:04 +0000 Steve Ridgell http://hopeforlife.org/?p=1600 What a great way to be known.  Phoebe is described as a servant.  What one word will describe you today?

]]> http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/i-commend-to-you-our-sister-phoebe-a-servant-of-the-church-in-cenchrea-romans-161/feed/ 0 “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/and-if-it-is-evil-in-your-eyes-to-serve-the-lord-choose-this-day-whom-you-will-serve-whether-the-gods-your-fathers-served-in-the-region-beyond-the-river-or-the-gods-of-the-amorites-in-whos/ http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/and-if-it-is-evil-in-your-eyes-to-serve-the-lord-choose-this-day-whom-you-will-serve-whether-the-gods-your-fathers-served-in-the-region-beyond-the-river-or-the-gods-of-the-amorites-in-whos/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 14:00:17 +0000 Tim Archer http://hopeforlife.org/?p=1665 We don’t like to think of ourselves as servants. But the truth is, we will always be serving someone, be it God or be it pleasure, power, money, etc. Today’s a good day to make a choice: choose to serve God.

]]> http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/and-if-it-is-evil-in-your-eyes-to-serve-the-lord-choose-this-day-whom-you-will-serve-whether-the-gods-your-fathers-served-in-the-region-beyond-the-river-or-the-gods-of-the-amorites-in-whos/feed/ 0 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes an dshowers righteousness on you. (Hosea 10:12 http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/sow-for-yourselves-righteousness-reap-the-fruit-of-unfailing-love-and-break-up-your-unplowed-ground-for-it-is-time-to-seek-the-lord-until-he-comes-an-dshowers-righteousness-on-you-hosea-1012/ http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/sow-for-yourselves-righteousness-reap-the-fruit-of-unfailing-love-and-break-up-your-unplowed-ground-for-it-is-time-to-seek-the-lord-until-he-comes-an-dshowers-righteousness-on-you-hosea-1012/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 14:00:59 +0000 Steve Ridgell http://hopeforlife.org/?p=1604 Today is your opportunity to sow righteousness.  Seek the Lord.  Look for opportunities to do the right thing.  Enjoy the fruit of God’s unfailing love for you.

]]> http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/sow-for-yourselves-righteousness-reap-the-fruit-of-unfailing-love-and-break-up-your-unplowed-ground-for-it-is-time-to-seek-the-lord-until-he-comes-an-dshowers-righteousness-on-you-hosea-1012/feed/ 0 “And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’” (Acts 13:22) http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/and-when-he-had-removed-him-he-raised-up-david-to-be-their-king-of-whom-he-testified-and-said-i-have-found-in-david-the-son-of-jesse-a-man-after-my-heart-who-will-do-all-my-will/ http://hopeforlife.org/2012/05/and-when-he-had-removed-him-he-raised-up-david-to-be-their-king-of-whom-he-testified-and-said-i-have-found-in-david-the-son-of-jesse-a-man-after-my-heart-who-will-do-all-my-will/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 14:00:26 +0000 Tim Archer http://hopeforlife.org/?p=1646 Wouldn’t it be great to have God say that you are the very kind of person that He wants you to be, that you are “after His own heart.” You can be just that. God’s Spirit can make us over into the image of Christ, if we’ll only let Him.

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