Hope Church Blog
Are you holding a grudge against someone? Is someone holding a grudge against you? Feels icky, doesn’t it? Take a look at today’s verse. This is the prophet, Micah, who espouses a powerful truth about the character of God. It acknowledges how God does get angry when His people hurt others, disobey the Lord, and…
Check out today’s verse. We read that love means doing what God commanded us to do, which is to love. This is in direct relation to what Jesus said as recorded in John 13:34-35, “Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize…
1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT) | The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. When was the last time this verse became real for you? Maybe it was reading it in light of the old adage that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Maybe…
Today’s verse comes from some beautiful wisdom about how to manage your mind when you feel consumed by angst, or even just notice that anxiety is creeping into your consciousness. The Apostle Paul said we need to fix our thoughts on things of Jesus…things that are true, honorable, right, and pure. Do you need to…
Today’s verse is one of my absolute favorites! The idea behind it is Jesus shares His eternal light with us so we can shine it for others. You know that a single light, even from something as small as a candle, can illuminate a dark room. The same is true in our world. Jesus wants…
Please read today’s verse, then reread it: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you for your benefit, who leads you in the way you should go.” The forces of chaos in our culture want to convince you that our Judeo-Christian heritage is outdated, bigoted, ignorant. It could not be any further from the…
Romans 1:18-25 (NIV) | 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of…
Context matters. I reference it frequently in my preaching and teaching. I saw something on Facebook the other day that reminded me the critical importance of context. It was a meme from a daily calendar that had this Bible verse: “Just worship me, and you can have it all.” (Luke 4:7, CEV) The verse included…
Smiles are powerful, aren’t they? I tried to think of meaningful smiles I’ve experienced in life and a multitude flooded into my mind. The calming ones when I was an anxious child. The flirty ones when I was dating. The overwhelming ones from my children. Smiles convey a lot, don’t they? Check out this awesome…