Hope for Each Day Deluxe, page 22
HEBREWS 4:16
Frequently people say to me, “God answered my prayer!” Usually they mean God granted them whatever they had requested, either for themselves or for others.
God always answers the prayers of His children—but His answer isn’t always “Yes.” Sometimes His answer is “No,” or “Wait”—and they are answers just as much as “Yes.”
Think of Paul, pleading with God to remove his “thorn in the flesh” (probably a painful illness). But God’s answer was “No” (see 2 Corinthians 12:7–10). God had something better—a path leading him into deeper dependence on God and His grace. Or think of Jesus, praying as He faced the agony of the Cross: “If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). But God’s answer was “No”—because there was no other way for our salvation to be won.
God knows far better than we do what is best for us. Thank God even when He says “No” or “Wait.” His answer is always perfect.
HOPE FOR TODAY
I long to have a faith that rejoices as much in a “no” as in a “yes,” knowing my God has heard my cry and loves me enough to do what is best and not what feels good to me in the moment.
OCTOBER 4
GOD’S PLANS ARE BEST
As for God, His way is perfect.
PSALM 18:30
Things didn’t always work out the way Paul planned.
Expecting to preach in Asia Minor, “they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit” (Acts 16:6). Looking forward to instructing the new converts in Philippi, Paul and his companion instead found themselves thrown into prison (see Acts 16:11–40). Encouraged by the response to the gospel in Thessalonica, he was suddenly assailed by a mob and accused of having “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). As a result he was forced to flee.
But in every instance God was in control! Paul was forbidden to preach in Asia Minor—because God was opening the door to Europe. Paul found himself in jail—and as a result the Philippian jailer and his family were converted. Paul had to flee Thessalonica—and Berea, the next town, “received the word with all readiness” (Acts 17:11).
Things don’t always work out the way we plan. But if we commit our way to Christ and walk in obedience to Him, we discover His plans are always better.
HOPE FOR TODAY
We may never know what would have happened if, in a certain situation, we got “our way.” We can know that His way is perfect, and ours is not, and we can rest in that. Not my will, but Thine.
OCTOBER 5
MATERIALISM
“You cannot serve God and mammon.”
LUKE 16:13
The Bible strictly forbids idolatry. One of the Ten Commandments declares, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image; . . . you shall not bow down to them nor serve them” (Exodus 20:4–5).
But almost anything can become an idol—something we worship and serve in place of God. It might be success, or pleasure, or possessions, or money, or anything else we let control our lives. They aren’t necessarily wrong in themselves, but they become idols when we make them the most important things in life.
The Bible rejects idols for at least two reasons. First, idols are false. They cannot save us or change our lives for the better. Second, idols cut us off from God. We substitute them for God—and as a result, we turn our backs on Him and never come to know Him and love Him as we should.
Has any idol taken God’s rightful place in your life? Don’t let it happen. God has commanded, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).
HOPE FOR TODAY
An idol lies, and it never satisfies. It steals your worship and offers nothing in return. Worship the Lord and only Him. He has proven His love for you in a way no false god ever could.
OCTOBER 6
STRANGERS IN THE WORLD
I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires.
1 PETER 2:11 NIV
Aliens from other countries are rarely shown the “welcome mat.” They are often accepted reluctantly or with a tongue-in-cheek attitude. They may even find themselves victims of discrimination, rejection, or intolerance.
The Bible says that we are “aliens and strangers in the world.” Our citizenship is in Heaven, and there is our real home. As long as we live on this earth, we don’t quite fit in. Our customs are different, our goals are different, our ways of living are different, and our concerns are different.
And as Christ’s followers (instead of followers of this world), we may find ourselves scorned, rejected, or even persecuted. If so, we shouldn’t be surprised. Jesus warned, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).
But never forget: you are a citizen of the kingdom of God. And someday you will be home!
HOPE FOR TODAY
If we are strangers in the world and are meant to stand out, what does it say about us if we blend right in? Shouldn’t we be concerned if we feel comfortable and at home?
OCTOBER 7
YIELDED TO GOD
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are?
ROMANS 6:16 KJV
Of Eric Liddell, the missionary and great runner whose story is told in the film Chariots of Fire, someone has said he was “ridiculously humble in victory, utterly generous in defeat.” That’s a good definition of what it means to be meek. Eric Liddell was fiercely competitive, determined to use his God-given abilities to the fullest. But his meekness, kindness, and gentle spirit won the admiration even of those he defeated.
Meekness involves being yielded. The word yield has two meanings. The first is negative, and the second is positive. On one hand it means “to relinquish, to abandon”; on the other hand, it also means “to give.” This is in line with Jesus’ words: “He who loses [or abandons] his life . . . will find it” (Matthew 10:39).
Those who submit to the will of God do not fight back at life. They learn the secret of yielding—of relinquishing and abandoning—their own lives and wills to Christ. And then He gives back to them a life that is far richer and fuller than anything they could ever have imagined.
HOPE FOR TODAY
We’ll never regret yielding to the will of God. We trust Him with our lives, knowing that anything of value we lose will be restored (Joel 2:25). There is freedom in yielding that can’t be found in fighting for control.
OCTOBER 8
GOD’S MESSAGE
“He who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life.”
JOHN 5:24 NASB
I know little about nuclear fission or uranium and other elements used in making nuclear explosives. Yet I believe in the atomic bomb, and so do you. But how can we believe that it exists if we don’t understand it or have any scientific knowledge about the way it works?
The answer is obvious. Others understand nuclear fission, even if we don’t, and others have seen what happens when a nuclear reaction takes place, even if we haven’t. We read what they say, and we accept it as the evidence of reliable witnesses.
I spend much of my time perusing the pages of a book—the Bible. In it I discover that centuries ago God acted and spoke, and reliable witnesses have written it down. God even guided them as they wrote, so that now I read the very words of God Himself.
I may not understand everything there is to know about God—but I know Him and trust Him, because I read of Him in the Bible. Most of all, I know He came down to this earth in the person of His Son, and “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).
HOPE FOR TODAY
Advanced degrees are nice, and the ability to read Greek and Hebrew is impressive. Yet, over the years, many of the most moving testimonies have been from those who claimed the promise: “because the Bible tells me so.”
OCTOBER 9
SURROUNDED WITH SONG
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.
PSALM 32:7
Someone has said that when faith is strong, troubles become trifles.
That doesn’t mean our troubles aren’t real, or that we act as if they didn’t exist. God takes them seriously—so seriously that He sent Jesus Christ into the world to deal with their root cause, which is sin.
But just as Jesus triumphed over death, so He helps us triumph over trouble. Even in the midst of troubles, the Bible says, “I will turn their mourning to joy” (Jeremiah 31:13).
How does it happen? By looking in faith to God. He has not abandoned us, and He has plans for our future. He can even give us an optimistic spirit—somewhat like the Englishman I heard about during World War II who stood looking at the deep hole in the ground where his bombed-out home had once stood. “I always did want a basement, I did,” he said. “Now I can jolly well build another house like I always wanted!”
HOPE FOR TODAY
Have you watched someone experience unspeakable loss and learn to smile again? Did you endure something you thought you would never survive and, yet, here you are? Only God brings beauty from ashes.
OCTOBER 10
THE CLOUDS OF LIFE
The LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way.
EXODUS 13:21
Clouds will come. They are part of life. But by God’s grace we need not be depressed by them. Just as clouds can protect us from the brightness of the sun, life’s clouds can reveal the glory of God, and from their lofty height God speaks to us.
Like the children of Israel, we are travelers to the promised land. As they traveled through the wilderness, the Bible says, “The LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way.”
Perhaps, like them, you are passing through a wilderness right now. It may be the wilderness of a broken marriage, or a financial reversal, or a major disappointment, or a threatening illness. It may even be a wilderness of doubt or sin.
But God is with you in the wilderness, and He goes before you to encourage and guide you. He brought the children of Israel through the wilderness—and He will bring you through it as well, as you look in faith to Him. Never forget: “He is the living God, and steadfast forever” (Daniel 6:26).
HOPE FOR TODAY
The children of Israel knew that the presence of God was in the cloud, and they only moved when it moved. We can view our clouds the same way; God is still with us, and we wait for Him to move.
OCTOBER 11
REDEEMED BY LOVE
You were redeemed . . . with the precious blood of Christ.
1 PETER 1:18–19 NIV
The word redeem means to “buy back”—to recover by paying a price. The word redeemed can be illustrated from the ancient world by the position of a slave who had been captured in battle or enticed into serving one who was not his legal master. His real master, however, intent on recovering his slave’s service and love, would buy him back—redeem him from the enemy—at great personal cost.
That is what God did for us. Captured by Satan and enticed into his service, we were slaves of sin, without any hope of deliverance. But God still loved us, and He was determined to restore us to His household. By His death on the Cross, Jesus paid the price for our deliverance, a price far greater than our true value. He did it solely because He loved us. Now we have been redeemed!
HOPE FOR TODAY
An object is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. God looked down from Heaven, saw us stained with sin and trying to cover ourselves, and was willing to sacrifice His Son to redeem us.
OCTOBER 12
DETERMINED DISCIPLES
“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.”
JOHN 8:31
A disciple in Jesus’ time was someone who followed a teacher or philosopher. A disciple was both a learner and a follower—believing the teacher’s message and then putting it into practice.
Jesus gave the word disciple added meaning, however, because His disciples also went out to tell others about Him. A disciple of Jesus, therefore, is someone who has committed his or her life to Jesus, and seeks each day to learn, to follow, and to share Him with others. Does this describe you?
No, the first disciples weren’t perfect, and neither are we. Like them, we need to learn more and follow more, and share more. But all of us who belong to Christ are called to be disciples. Unlike the original disciples, we can’t physically spend time with Jesus, but we can learn from Him by reading His Word. We can follow Him by obeying His will. And we can share Him with a world that desperately needs to be saved.
HOPE FOR TODAY
What have you done today to learn more about God? Are you following Him more today than yesterday? What are you doing to share Him with others? The answers will reveal your devotion to being a disciple.
OCTOBER 13
AN ALTERED ATTITUDE
Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful.
JOEL 2:13
From time to time I have had people pour out their hearts to me because their sins had been discovered and they were in serious trouble. They wept bitterly because they had devastated their marriage or ruined their reputation.
But later someone would tell me they were back in the same situation. They had not learned from their experience, and seemed determined to bring even more chaos into their lives.
What was the problem? The problem was lack of repentance. Their tears were tears of self-pity—but not of repentance. True repentance is a turning from sin—a conscious, deliberate decision to leave sin behind—and a conscious turning to God, with a commitment to follow His will.
Repentance is only one part of our response to Christ (and even the strength to repent comes from God). But it is an essential part, for without it we cannot claim Christ is our Lord. The Bible says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret” (2 Corinthians 7:10 NIV).
HOPE FOR TODAY
Are you living in regret or repentance? To turn away from our sins is not enough; we must also turn to the Lord. Only He can create a new heart within us and give us the strength to live differently.
OCTOBER 14
TRIUMPH THROUGH TRUST
Neither death nor life, . . . nor things present nor things to come, . . . shall be able to separate us from the love of God.
ROMANS 8:38–39
There are two ways to respond to adversity: discouragement or trust.
The problem with giving in to discouragement is that it only makes things worse, for with it may come bitterness, anger, jealousy, revenge, and so forth. We may even try to escape through drugs or alcohol. But do any of these solve the problem? No!
God has a better way—the way of trust. Sometimes He may show us that we were in the wrong. When that is the case, we need to confess it, repent, and seek His forgiveness. Sometimes, however, we can only accept what is happening and ask God to help us endure it and triumph over it.
One of the best ways to overcome adversity, I’ve found, is to praise God right in the middle of the turmoil. Turning to God’s Word will also encourage us; many of the psalms, for example, were written in the midst of suffering and adversity. Follow the psalmist’s example: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:2).
HOPE FOR TODAY
It’s easy to praise after the fact when we receive the healing, the restored relationship, and the financial windfall. It is a true and mature faith that praises God in the midst of the trial and trusts Him even before the outcome is revealed.
OCTOBER 15
AN UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD
God is not ashamed to be called their God.
HEBREWS 11:16
We live in an upside-down world. People hate when they should love, quarrel when they should be friendly, fight when they should be peaceful, wound when they should heal, steal when they should share, do wrong when they should do right.
I once saw a toy clown with a weight in its head. No matter how it was placed, it invariably assumed an upside-down position. It could be placed on its feet or on its side and when let go it flipped back on its head.
The clown illustrates why the disciples seemed to be misfits to the world. To an upside-down man, a right-side-up man seems upside down. To the nonbeliever, the true Christian is an oddity and an abnormality.
Yet this isn’t the whole picture, for all around us are people who sense something is wrong with their topsy-turvy lives, and they yearn to be right side up. Will you pray for them and ask God to help you point them to life’s only solid foundation—Jesus Christ?
HOPE FOR TODAY
We can never make a person right-side up any more than we can right ourselves. Only God can cause a person to see that he or she is, indeed, upside down, but we can point him or her in the right direction.
OCTOBER 16
HOPE FROM GOD’S WORD
The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
ISAIAH 40:8
A missionary in China who was imprisoned by the Japanese during World War II managed to take a forbidden Gospel of John with her into prison. She carefully hid it, and each night when she went to bed, she pulled the covers over her head and memorized one verse. She did this until the day she was freed.
When the prisoners were released, most of them shuffled out, but the missionary was so chipper someone said she must have been brainwashed. A Life magazine reporter who had interviewed her said, “She’s been brainwashed for sure. God washed her brain.”
I urge you not only to read God’s Word but to memorize it. You may find it hard at first, but as you repeat a verse or a group of verses over and over to yourself, you will find they begin to take root in your soul. The psalmist declared, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). Then when adversity or troubles arise, those verses will come back and give you hope.
Frequently people say to me, “God answered my prayer!” Usually they mean God granted them whatever they had requested, either for themselves or for others.
God always answers the prayers of His children—but His answer isn’t always “Yes.” Sometimes His answer is “No,” or “Wait”—and they are answers just as much as “Yes.”
Think of Paul, pleading with God to remove his “thorn in the flesh” (probably a painful illness). But God’s answer was “No” (see 2 Corinthians 12:7–10). God had something better—a path leading him into deeper dependence on God and His grace. Or think of Jesus, praying as He faced the agony of the Cross: “If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). But God’s answer was “No”—because there was no other way for our salvation to be won.
God knows far better than we do what is best for us. Thank God even when He says “No” or “Wait.” His answer is always perfect.
HOPE FOR TODAY
I long to have a faith that rejoices as much in a “no” as in a “yes,” knowing my God has heard my cry and loves me enough to do what is best and not what feels good to me in the moment.
OCTOBER 4
GOD’S PLANS ARE BEST
As for God, His way is perfect.
PSALM 18:30
Things didn’t always work out the way Paul planned.
Expecting to preach in Asia Minor, “they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit” (Acts 16:6). Looking forward to instructing the new converts in Philippi, Paul and his companion instead found themselves thrown into prison (see Acts 16:11–40). Encouraged by the response to the gospel in Thessalonica, he was suddenly assailed by a mob and accused of having “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). As a result he was forced to flee.
But in every instance God was in control! Paul was forbidden to preach in Asia Minor—because God was opening the door to Europe. Paul found himself in jail—and as a result the Philippian jailer and his family were converted. Paul had to flee Thessalonica—and Berea, the next town, “received the word with all readiness” (Acts 17:11).
Things don’t always work out the way we plan. But if we commit our way to Christ and walk in obedience to Him, we discover His plans are always better.
HOPE FOR TODAY
We may never know what would have happened if, in a certain situation, we got “our way.” We can know that His way is perfect, and ours is not, and we can rest in that. Not my will, but Thine.
OCTOBER 5
MATERIALISM
“You cannot serve God and mammon.”
LUKE 16:13
The Bible strictly forbids idolatry. One of the Ten Commandments declares, “You shall not make for yourself a carved image; . . . you shall not bow down to them nor serve them” (Exodus 20:4–5).
But almost anything can become an idol—something we worship and serve in place of God. It might be success, or pleasure, or possessions, or money, or anything else we let control our lives. They aren’t necessarily wrong in themselves, but they become idols when we make them the most important things in life.
The Bible rejects idols for at least two reasons. First, idols are false. They cannot save us or change our lives for the better. Second, idols cut us off from God. We substitute them for God—and as a result, we turn our backs on Him and never come to know Him and love Him as we should.
Has any idol taken God’s rightful place in your life? Don’t let it happen. God has commanded, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).
HOPE FOR TODAY
An idol lies, and it never satisfies. It steals your worship and offers nothing in return. Worship the Lord and only Him. He has proven His love for you in a way no false god ever could.
OCTOBER 6
STRANGERS IN THE WORLD
I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires.
1 PETER 2:11 NIV
Aliens from other countries are rarely shown the “welcome mat.” They are often accepted reluctantly or with a tongue-in-cheek attitude. They may even find themselves victims of discrimination, rejection, or intolerance.
The Bible says that we are “aliens and strangers in the world.” Our citizenship is in Heaven, and there is our real home. As long as we live on this earth, we don’t quite fit in. Our customs are different, our goals are different, our ways of living are different, and our concerns are different.
And as Christ’s followers (instead of followers of this world), we may find ourselves scorned, rejected, or even persecuted. If so, we shouldn’t be surprised. Jesus warned, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).
But never forget: you are a citizen of the kingdom of God. And someday you will be home!
HOPE FOR TODAY
If we are strangers in the world and are meant to stand out, what does it say about us if we blend right in? Shouldn’t we be concerned if we feel comfortable and at home?
OCTOBER 7
YIELDED TO GOD
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are?
ROMANS 6:16 KJV
Of Eric Liddell, the missionary and great runner whose story is told in the film Chariots of Fire, someone has said he was “ridiculously humble in victory, utterly generous in defeat.” That’s a good definition of what it means to be meek. Eric Liddell was fiercely competitive, determined to use his God-given abilities to the fullest. But his meekness, kindness, and gentle spirit won the admiration even of those he defeated.
Meekness involves being yielded. The word yield has two meanings. The first is negative, and the second is positive. On one hand it means “to relinquish, to abandon”; on the other hand, it also means “to give.” This is in line with Jesus’ words: “He who loses [or abandons] his life . . . will find it” (Matthew 10:39).
Those who submit to the will of God do not fight back at life. They learn the secret of yielding—of relinquishing and abandoning—their own lives and wills to Christ. And then He gives back to them a life that is far richer and fuller than anything they could ever have imagined.
HOPE FOR TODAY
We’ll never regret yielding to the will of God. We trust Him with our lives, knowing that anything of value we lose will be restored (Joel 2:25). There is freedom in yielding that can’t be found in fighting for control.
OCTOBER 8
GOD’S MESSAGE
“He who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life.”
JOHN 5:24 NASB
I know little about nuclear fission or uranium and other elements used in making nuclear explosives. Yet I believe in the atomic bomb, and so do you. But how can we believe that it exists if we don’t understand it or have any scientific knowledge about the way it works?
The answer is obvious. Others understand nuclear fission, even if we don’t, and others have seen what happens when a nuclear reaction takes place, even if we haven’t. We read what they say, and we accept it as the evidence of reliable witnesses.
I spend much of my time perusing the pages of a book—the Bible. In it I discover that centuries ago God acted and spoke, and reliable witnesses have written it down. God even guided them as they wrote, so that now I read the very words of God Himself.
I may not understand everything there is to know about God—but I know Him and trust Him, because I read of Him in the Bible. Most of all, I know He came down to this earth in the person of His Son, and “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).
HOPE FOR TODAY
Advanced degrees are nice, and the ability to read Greek and Hebrew is impressive. Yet, over the years, many of the most moving testimonies have been from those who claimed the promise: “because the Bible tells me so.”
OCTOBER 9
SURROUNDED WITH SONG
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.
PSALM 32:7
Someone has said that when faith is strong, troubles become trifles.
That doesn’t mean our troubles aren’t real, or that we act as if they didn’t exist. God takes them seriously—so seriously that He sent Jesus Christ into the world to deal with their root cause, which is sin.
But just as Jesus triumphed over death, so He helps us triumph over trouble. Even in the midst of troubles, the Bible says, “I will turn their mourning to joy” (Jeremiah 31:13).
How does it happen? By looking in faith to God. He has not abandoned us, and He has plans for our future. He can even give us an optimistic spirit—somewhat like the Englishman I heard about during World War II who stood looking at the deep hole in the ground where his bombed-out home had once stood. “I always did want a basement, I did,” he said. “Now I can jolly well build another house like I always wanted!”
HOPE FOR TODAY
Have you watched someone experience unspeakable loss and learn to smile again? Did you endure something you thought you would never survive and, yet, here you are? Only God brings beauty from ashes.
OCTOBER 10
THE CLOUDS OF LIFE
The LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way.
EXODUS 13:21
Clouds will come. They are part of life. But by God’s grace we need not be depressed by them. Just as clouds can protect us from the brightness of the sun, life’s clouds can reveal the glory of God, and from their lofty height God speaks to us.
Like the children of Israel, we are travelers to the promised land. As they traveled through the wilderness, the Bible says, “The LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way.”
Perhaps, like them, you are passing through a wilderness right now. It may be the wilderness of a broken marriage, or a financial reversal, or a major disappointment, or a threatening illness. It may even be a wilderness of doubt or sin.
But God is with you in the wilderness, and He goes before you to encourage and guide you. He brought the children of Israel through the wilderness—and He will bring you through it as well, as you look in faith to Him. Never forget: “He is the living God, and steadfast forever” (Daniel 6:26).
HOPE FOR TODAY
The children of Israel knew that the presence of God was in the cloud, and they only moved when it moved. We can view our clouds the same way; God is still with us, and we wait for Him to move.
OCTOBER 11
REDEEMED BY LOVE
You were redeemed . . . with the precious blood of Christ.
1 PETER 1:18–19 NIV
The word redeem means to “buy back”—to recover by paying a price. The word redeemed can be illustrated from the ancient world by the position of a slave who had been captured in battle or enticed into serving one who was not his legal master. His real master, however, intent on recovering his slave’s service and love, would buy him back—redeem him from the enemy—at great personal cost.
That is what God did for us. Captured by Satan and enticed into his service, we were slaves of sin, without any hope of deliverance. But God still loved us, and He was determined to restore us to His household. By His death on the Cross, Jesus paid the price for our deliverance, a price far greater than our true value. He did it solely because He loved us. Now we have been redeemed!
HOPE FOR TODAY
An object is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. God looked down from Heaven, saw us stained with sin and trying to cover ourselves, and was willing to sacrifice His Son to redeem us.
OCTOBER 12
DETERMINED DISCIPLES
“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.”
JOHN 8:31
A disciple in Jesus’ time was someone who followed a teacher or philosopher. A disciple was both a learner and a follower—believing the teacher’s message and then putting it into practice.
Jesus gave the word disciple added meaning, however, because His disciples also went out to tell others about Him. A disciple of Jesus, therefore, is someone who has committed his or her life to Jesus, and seeks each day to learn, to follow, and to share Him with others. Does this describe you?
No, the first disciples weren’t perfect, and neither are we. Like them, we need to learn more and follow more, and share more. But all of us who belong to Christ are called to be disciples. Unlike the original disciples, we can’t physically spend time with Jesus, but we can learn from Him by reading His Word. We can follow Him by obeying His will. And we can share Him with a world that desperately needs to be saved.
HOPE FOR TODAY
What have you done today to learn more about God? Are you following Him more today than yesterday? What are you doing to share Him with others? The answers will reveal your devotion to being a disciple.
OCTOBER 13
AN ALTERED ATTITUDE
Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful.
JOEL 2:13
From time to time I have had people pour out their hearts to me because their sins had been discovered and they were in serious trouble. They wept bitterly because they had devastated their marriage or ruined their reputation.
But later someone would tell me they were back in the same situation. They had not learned from their experience, and seemed determined to bring even more chaos into their lives.
What was the problem? The problem was lack of repentance. Their tears were tears of self-pity—but not of repentance. True repentance is a turning from sin—a conscious, deliberate decision to leave sin behind—and a conscious turning to God, with a commitment to follow His will.
Repentance is only one part of our response to Christ (and even the strength to repent comes from God). But it is an essential part, for without it we cannot claim Christ is our Lord. The Bible says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret” (2 Corinthians 7:10 NIV).
HOPE FOR TODAY
Are you living in regret or repentance? To turn away from our sins is not enough; we must also turn to the Lord. Only He can create a new heart within us and give us the strength to live differently.
OCTOBER 14
TRIUMPH THROUGH TRUST
Neither death nor life, . . . nor things present nor things to come, . . . shall be able to separate us from the love of God.
ROMANS 8:38–39
There are two ways to respond to adversity: discouragement or trust.
The problem with giving in to discouragement is that it only makes things worse, for with it may come bitterness, anger, jealousy, revenge, and so forth. We may even try to escape through drugs or alcohol. But do any of these solve the problem? No!
God has a better way—the way of trust. Sometimes He may show us that we were in the wrong. When that is the case, we need to confess it, repent, and seek His forgiveness. Sometimes, however, we can only accept what is happening and ask God to help us endure it and triumph over it.
One of the best ways to overcome adversity, I’ve found, is to praise God right in the middle of the turmoil. Turning to God’s Word will also encourage us; many of the psalms, for example, were written in the midst of suffering and adversity. Follow the psalmist’s example: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:2).
HOPE FOR TODAY
It’s easy to praise after the fact when we receive the healing, the restored relationship, and the financial windfall. It is a true and mature faith that praises God in the midst of the trial and trusts Him even before the outcome is revealed.
OCTOBER 15
AN UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD
God is not ashamed to be called their God.
HEBREWS 11:16
We live in an upside-down world. People hate when they should love, quarrel when they should be friendly, fight when they should be peaceful, wound when they should heal, steal when they should share, do wrong when they should do right.
I once saw a toy clown with a weight in its head. No matter how it was placed, it invariably assumed an upside-down position. It could be placed on its feet or on its side and when let go it flipped back on its head.
The clown illustrates why the disciples seemed to be misfits to the world. To an upside-down man, a right-side-up man seems upside down. To the nonbeliever, the true Christian is an oddity and an abnormality.
Yet this isn’t the whole picture, for all around us are people who sense something is wrong with their topsy-turvy lives, and they yearn to be right side up. Will you pray for them and ask God to help you point them to life’s only solid foundation—Jesus Christ?
HOPE FOR TODAY
We can never make a person right-side up any more than we can right ourselves. Only God can cause a person to see that he or she is, indeed, upside down, but we can point him or her in the right direction.
OCTOBER 16
HOPE FROM GOD’S WORD
The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
ISAIAH 40:8
A missionary in China who was imprisoned by the Japanese during World War II managed to take a forbidden Gospel of John with her into prison. She carefully hid it, and each night when she went to bed, she pulled the covers over her head and memorized one verse. She did this until the day she was freed.
When the prisoners were released, most of them shuffled out, but the missionary was so chipper someone said she must have been brainwashed. A Life magazine reporter who had interviewed her said, “She’s been brainwashed for sure. God washed her brain.”
I urge you not only to read God’s Word but to memorize it. You may find it hard at first, but as you repeat a verse or a group of verses over and over to yourself, you will find they begin to take root in your soul. The psalmist declared, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11). Then when adversity or troubles arise, those verses will come back and give you hope.
