Hope for Each Day Deluxe, page 24
OCTOBER 30
FINDING FULFILLMENT
Let your soul delight itself in abundance.
ISAIAH 55:2
When Satan tried to trap Jesus at the beginning of His ministry, he used the same temptations he uses today.
One trap was the lure of things. Jesus had fasted for forty days, and Satan tried to take advantage of His hunger by urging Him to use His supernatural power to turn stones into bread. But Jesus replied, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Not from Satan’s mouth, but from God’s!
Bread is important—but it isn’t all-important, as Satan was suggesting. Pleasure and recreation have their place—but they mustn’t have first place. Money is necessary, but money must serve us; we are not to serve it.
Isaiah said, “Listen carefully to Me . . . and let your soul delight itself in abundance” (Isaiah 55:2). Yes, delight in abundance—the abundance God gives you, both material and spiritual. Especially delight in the abundance of joy that comes from His presence. Satan will always offer you substitutes. Refuse them!
HOPE FOR TODAY
What substitutions have you been tempted to accept? Ask God to give you the wisdom to recognize a poor substitute or a quick fix and the self-control to wait for what is best.
OCTOBER 31
THE HIGHEST CALLING
“Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
LUKE 14:33
When the Standard Oil Company was looking for a representative in the Far East, they approached a missionary and offered him $10,000. He turned down the offer. They raised it to $25,000, and he turned it down again. They raised it to $50,000, and he rejected it once more.
“What’s wrong?” they asked.
He replied, “Your price is all right, but your job is too small.” God had called him to be a missionary, and anything else was not worthy of his consideration.
What should we be for Jesus Christ? Most Christians are not called to be missionaries or preachers, but they are called to follow Christ. They are called to be faithful wherever He puts them—in the school, in the home, in the factory or office, in the neighborhood and nation. They are called to be controlled by the Spirit and to bear the fruit of the Spirit. They are called to be Christ’s ambassadors wherever God puts them.
Nothing less than God’s call is worthy of our consideration.
HOPE FOR TODAY
God’s calling is noble whether He calls you to parenthood, a million-dollar company, or the mission field. The determining factor in a position’s worth is not the monetary pay but whether or not it’s within God’s will. What’s God’s call on your life?
NOVEMBER
And the LORD, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.
DEUTERONOMY 31:8
NOVEMBER 1
PRAYER PARTNERS WITH GOD
The Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
ROMANS 8:26
Have you ever faced a situation that was so overwhelming or so confusing you didn’t even know how to pray about it? Have you ever been so overcome with grief or burdened by heartache you couldn’t put your emotions into words—much less pray about them?
What a comfort these words should be: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us . . . in accordance with God’s will” (Romans 8:26–27 NIV).
Think of it: even when we don’t know how to pray, the Spirit knows our needs, and He brings the deepest cries of our hearts before the throne of God. In ways we will never understand this side of eternity, God the Holy Spirit pleads for us before God the Father.
Turn to God in every situation—even when you don’t feel like it. The Spirit is interceding for you, in accordance with God’s will.
HOPE FOR TODAY
Have you ever gone through a trial and felt an unexplainable peace that you were certain meant that someone was praying? How amazing to think that someone may just be the Holy Spirit Himself!
NOVEMBER 2
TRUE HAPPINESS
Happy is the man who has the God of Jacob as his helper.
PSALM 146:5 TLB
Sometimes I almost wish Thomas Jefferson had not inserted those words in the American Declaration of Independence about “the pursuit of happiness.”
He was correct, of course; God has given us the “right” (or at least the freedom) to pursue happiness. The problem is that millions think this must be the primary purpose of life, and they spend their lives frantically pursuing it. In the end, however, their search ends in disillusionment.
Happiness is a by-product of something greater, not an end in itself. Happiness cannot be pursued and caught, any more than one can pursue a sunny day, put it in a bottle, and then bring it out on a rainy day to enjoy again.
True happiness comes from a different pursuit—the pursuit of God. He has promised, “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). That promise is true—because God also pursues us. He even sent His Son into the world to pursue us and bring us to Heaven.
Only God gives true happiness.
HOPE FOR TODAY
It’s not unreasonable to desire happiness; it’s just that we’re often mistaken in how to achieve it. The person who longs to be happy is, in reality, a person desperate for God Himself.
NOVEMBER 3
FAMILIES OF FAITH
Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established.
PROVERBS 24:3
The family is the most important institution in the world. It was God’s idea in the first place. It was not the invention of sociologists or economists or government bureaucrats who decided it would make society operate more smoothly. Families existed before cities and governments, before written languages, nations, temples, and churches.
In the home, character and integrity are formed, values are made clear, and goals are set. These last a lifetime. And if they aren’t formed correctly, that, too, will result in patterns—bad patterns—that last a lifetime, if God doesn’t intervene.
Today, Satan is attacking the family as never before. But what are our defenses against such attacks?
As always, our best defense is the Word of God. Read the Bible together as a family. Have family devotions. Pray for one another daily by name. Be on guard against the forces that tend to pull families apart today. And most of all, commit your marriage to Christ, and make Him the center of your home—and your life.
HOPE FOR TODAY
With every new invention and technological advancement, time and attention are being taken away from the family. This lack of togetherness weakens the foundation and faith of the family unit. What is the state of your family?
NOVEMBER 4
THE UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE
Teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.
PSALM 90:12
We are not the masters of our fate. We think we control our lives—but we don’t. In an instant life can radically change—a car accident, a heart attack, a child’s raging fever. Frustrated researchers conquer one deadly virus, only to discover one even more lethal.
The psalmist pointed out our basic dilemma: “The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10 NIV). Even if we live to a ripe old age, he said, we seldom know peace.
No book is more realistic about the human situation than the Bible. It won’t let us get by with frothy platitudes or unsupported optimism. But it also gives us hope. It tells us Christ can change our lives, and He has prepared a perfect place for us in Heaven.
Even your next breath is a gift from God. Don’t take life for granted, but “gain a heart of wisdom.”
HOPE FOR TODAY
Many people look back with regret and remorse at the years that slipped away from them. The psalmist said that it’s a wise person who understands that time is fleeting and expresses gratitude for every breath.
NOVEMBER 5
SATISFYING THE SOUL
Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.
PSALM 119:35 NIV
The Bible teaches that a person is more than just a body—each of us is actually a living soul! Our souls are created in the image of God. God Himself has implanted His own nature within us!
Just as our bodies have certain characteristics and appetites, so do our souls. The characteristics of the soul include intelligence, emotions, and will. The human soul or spirit longs for peace, contentment, and happiness. Most of all, the soul has an appetite for God—a yearning to be reconciled to its Creator and to have fellowship with Him forever.
In our world, we give most of our attention to satisfying the appetites of the body and practically none to the soul. Consequently we are one-sided. We become fat physically and materially, while spiritually we are lean, weak, and anemic.
The soul actually demands as much attention as the body. It demands fellowship and communion with God. It demands worship, quietness, and meditation. Nothing but God ever completely satisfies, because the soul was made for God. Don’t starve your soul.
HOPE FOR TODAY
When was the last time you intentionally denied yourself food, drink, or rest? Be sure to tend to your soul's needs just as attentively.
NOVEMBER 6
THE WEAPONS OF FAITH
This is the victory that overcomes the world, our faith.
1 JOHN 5:4 RSV
One of Satan’s sly devices is to divert our minds from the help God offers us in our struggles against evil, telling us we have to fight the battle alone. But God knows we need His help.
The Bible warns, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). What would you do if you met a lion? You’d probably run, and you’d probably grab any weapon you could to fend it off if it attacked.
And that is true in our struggles against evil. When evil and temptation stalk us, our first response should be to flee. And when they still attack, we should use every weapon we have to drive them away. The good news is this: God has provided the weapons! His Word, His angels, His Spirit, the encouragement and prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ—these and more are “weapons” God provides.
We aren’t in this battle alone—so why act like it?
HOPE FOR TODAY
Jesus spent time with His Father frequently during His earthly ministry. This dedication to prayer gave Him the strength He would need to endure temptation, betrayal, and physical suffering. Believers would be wise to follow His example.
NOVEMBER 7
WHAT IS JOY?
The joy of the LORD is your strength.
NEHEMIAH 8:10
Some people think Christians should always be smiling and happy, and something is wrong if they aren’t.
But this isn’t necessarily true. Jesus stood outside the tomb of His friend Lazarus, and we read that “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). As He approached Jerusalem “He saw the city and wept” (Luke 19:41) because of its spiritual blindness and guilt. He knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane and was “in agony . . . [and] His sweat became like great drops of blood” (Luke 22:44).
Don’t confuse happiness with joy. Happiness comes with happy circumstances; joy wells up deep inside our souls as we learn to trust Christ. Joy does not mean that we are never sad or that we never cry. But joy is a quiet confidence, a state of inner peace that comes from God.
Life’s troubles will rob us of our happiness, but they can never rob us of the joy God gives us, as we turn in faith to Him and seek His face.
HOPE FOR TODAY
The world doesn’t need believers to put on our “happy faces” to prove our faith is real. True joy radiates from within and makes its presence known regardless of circumstances. Let’s be more concerned with authenticity than appearances.
NOVEMBER 8
BOUNDLESS BLESSINGS
He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart.
ISAIAH 40:11 NIV
The Old Testament gives a wonderful picture of God as our Shepherd. One psalm begins, “Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock” (Psalm 80:1 NIV). The almighty Creator of the universe stoops to be the Shepherd of His people!
A shepherd protects and feeds his sheep, and pursues them when they stray. At evening he brings them into the fold, secure against every enemy. Without the shepherd, the sheep would scatter and wander into danger.
In the best-known of all psalms, David makes the relationship personal. “The LORD is my shepherd,” he cries exultantly, “I shall lack nothing.” He then tells of God’s constant care, until that day when “I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:6 NIV).
But the New Testament tells of another Shepherd—the Lord Jesus Christ: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). He guides and protects us, and even gave His life so we will be safely in His fold forever.
HOPE FOR TODAY
The relationship between a shepherd and his sheep is special. The shepherd keeps watch in the night, protecting his sheep, and knows which ones are his. Our Shepherd is just as protective and caring of His sheep.
NOVEMBER 9
BANISHING WORRY
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
PSALM 145:18
Think of the things you do not worry about. Perhaps you never worry about whether you will be able to get water out of the faucet in your kitchen, or maybe you do not worry about a tree falling on your house. You may be a worrier by nature, but even the worst worrier in the world doesn’t worry about some things!
Now ask yourself why you do not worry about such things. Is it because, in the case of running water, it has always been there when you wanted it? Or that a tree has never fallen on your house before? Certainty breeds trust, doesn’t it? (You may even live in a place where there are no tall trees.)
We can be just as certain and just as worry-free about God’s love and protection. What is the evidence? It is the Cross, where God fully expressed His love for us. The Bible says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 NIV). His love is certain. He has never gone back on a single promise, and He never will.
HOPE FOR TODAY
God has never gone back on a single promise—ever. He gave His own Son to die in our place. What more could He possibly do?
NOVEMBER 10
CREATED IN HIS IMAGE
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:17
Is it not logical to believe that the only One who can re-create us is the One who created us in the first place? If your watch were out of order, you wouldn’t take it to an electrician. If your car needed overhauling, you wouldn’t take it to a plumber. If you needed an operation, you wouldn’t go to a machine shop.
Our spiritual problems can only be solved by the God who created us originally. He created us in His own image and likeness, and He knows all about us.
Today by the grace of His Son, He can re-create us in the likeness of His resurrection. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are recreated and become partakers of His life. Just as we were born again by the Spirit of God, so we grow and become more like Christ as the Spirit works in our lives.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Don’t be chained to the past. You are a new creation in Christ!
HOPE FOR TODAY
In Christ, you get to live in freedom. You are no longer chained to the mistakes and regrets of your past. The bitterness, anger, and pain that belonged to the old you are gone. You’re brand-new.
NOVEMBER 11
A HOME IN HEAVEN
You yourselves had [in heaven] a better and lasting possession.
HEBREWS 10:34 AMP
Paul once wrote, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (1 Corinthians 15:19 NIV). If there is no life after death, no Heaven, no promise of a better world—then life is empty, hopeless, without meaning or purpose.
But this life is not all! Ahead is Heaven, and someday “we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Someday we will go to a home where all is happiness, joy, and peace. How barren our lives would be if we didn’t have this hope.
Knowing Heaven is real will make a difference in the way we live. For one thing, we won’t become attached to the things of this world. We will say with Paul, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content” (Philippians 4:11).
But Heaven should also give us a burden for those who do not have this hope. Every day you meet people who do not know Christ. Will you tell them?
HOPE FOR TODAY
Each day we live with the reality of a heavenly home that awaits us. Problems and pleasures both pale in comparison. The secret to contentment in this life is that there is a greater life to come.
