Hope

"I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."  Psalm 27:13 NKJV

How many times have we been tempted to give up. This may have been a cross country run, one in which every fibre of your body is hurting and you feel that you can't go on any longer. The temptation to give up at this stage is immense.
Then there is the times when we have been waiting ages for something - whether it be an answer to prayer, or a job offer. The waiting sucks at times and we feel like giving up at this stage. There is also the despair that comes from daily Christian life - waiting to be used in a particular field within the church - waiting for answers to prayer that never seem to come. Waiting; hoping; hanging on to the dream; waiting for that miracle. We need hope - the biblical hope that I've mentioned in earlier readings.

Dr Thomas Fuller, clergyman and historian from the 16th century, wrote: If it were not for hope, the heart would break'. Yesterday has gone. It has ended, there is no hope in that. But today is a new day, full of anticipation and hope:

'Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion" says my soul. therefore I hope in Him.'                                                                                    Lamentations 3:22 - 24 NKJV

Hope begins and ends with Jesus. Hope inspires and pushes us to embrace the future - the future that God wants us to have. Without hope, we're lost. Are you reading this and wishing that you could have this type of hope? Are you thinking, 'Things good only happen to other people, not me? Do you know something, if out of many millions of people who had been rescued from some worldly disaster, you were the only person who were lost somewhere; Jesus would stop doing what He was involved with and He would go out looking for you, to bring you to safety. That is Jesus, and you know what? He loves you more than I could ever tell you. Now that is something to hope about, isn't it? And you know something? He is calling out to you, "Where are you? Are you going to answer Him?

Come away

"My beloved spoke and said to me, 'Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtle dove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with their tender grapes give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.' "     
                                                                                          Song of Solomon 2:10 - 14 NKJV

This lovely piece of scripture of the Shulamite and her husband - Solomon, is a beautiful analogy of how God loves us. How much He cares for us and becomes concerned when we're not flowing properly. When we have problems and worries, it tends to take over our mind and we are tempted to be so involved with these that we leave, the one who matters most, out of the equation.

Things may have happened in your life that are so horrific; so painful, that you cannot forget them. They are uppermost in your thoughts on a fairly regular basis. I believe that God is speaking to you at this very moment. I believe that He is saying, 'The past is over. You cannot change it. Come away with me. It is spring, a new beginning for you, a fresh start. The scripture says, "Rise up'. In other words, 'Get up, it's time to move on. There's life out there and it belongs to you. Rise up.'

Have you ever walked in the countryside in the summer and smelt the beautiful fragrance that is around. There is something so lovely and refreshing about the fragrance. Well, this is what God wants you to do. It is time for healing, for living your life to the full. Don't hide yourself away (verse 14). This serves no purpose whatsoever. Show your face; your beloved - Jesus is here. Speak out to Him, take His hand because He loves you so much. Rise up my love, my fair one.

It is time. The turtle dove is heard in the spring. Things are refreshing and beautiful in the spring. For me, it signifies a new start. Haven't you ever wished you could start again? You can. Say this prayer with me:

'Lord Jesus, things were not good in the past, but I trust that you wish me to leave these things behind and start again - afresh with You. I give You my life now and ask You to lead me to a brighter and happier future. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

There's a light at the end of the tunnel

"Not that I have already attained or am already perfected, but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me." Philippians 3:12 NKJV

Sometimes the trials of life can be so overwhelming and stressful. "When will they end?" we may plead. When we are at the end of line and don't know what to do or where to go. We often hear, 'There's a light at the end of the tunnel,' and that may be so but sometimes the light is difficult to see.
There used to be a sign in a particular social work office where I worked, and it said. 'I thought I saw a light at the end of the tunnel, but it was just somebody, with a torch, bringing me more work.' And that's the way it can seem at times such as these.

In our scripture today, Paul is encouraging us to keep going, not to lose heart. One of Winston Churchill's most infamous talks at Eton, consisted of just six words. He stood up in front of all the assembly, who were expecting a long and interesting speech from this very powerful man. However, he said, 'Never, never, never, never, give up.' He then sat down and the place was filled with silence until the full impact of what he had said, was realised. There was then very loud applauding and shouts of understanding. We should never give up, no matter what we're faced with. The going may be difficult; the road ahead dark and confusing, fearful and scary. But we should never, ever give up.

From one point of view, if anyone has ever done any night walking, we can fix our eyes on a particular light and as we move forward, it gets nearer and nearer, until we're there. But when we're in a tunnel of despair, it is more difficult. But I can assure you, there is a light in that tunnel and His name is Jesus. No matter what we go through, he is right there with us, encouraging us; and what's more, He has promised to never leave us. Hebrews 13:5.

What are you going through at this moment. Are you in that tunnel and the light at the end cannot be seen? Relax, the light is right beside you and He'll lead the way - if you ask Him. Asking Him is the secret. It's no use trying to sort things out on your own, especially at times like this. Pray, and pray some more.

There is a way through the trials and problems that you are facing. Just pour out your heart to the King of kings, the one who died in your place - Jesus  He's waiting. Reach out to Him now

People pleaser

"Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant." Galatians 1:10 New Living Translation

People pleasers are some of the nicest people you could ever meet. They're so helpful, always willing to lend a hand wherever it's needed. They never like to say no as they don't want to hurt someone or let them down, because they think this is being selfish and consequentely they end up being taken for granted.
From one point of view being a people pleaser is a good characteristic. This is the hallmark of a good servant. From another, and probably more important, it is not good. People pleasers spend more time trying to please other people than looking after themselves and it stems from insecurity probably caused by something earlier in life. They find it hard to say no, and if they do, they beat themselves up with guilt that they may have let the person down. They have a fear inside about this.

One way a people pleaser can free themselves from this is to start saying, 'No', to small things and sticking to this decision. At first it can seem difficult because the thoughts of guilt start to pile in. However, as this is exercised on a more regular basis, it becomes easier. People will not like this. They have always been used to you being there, willing to help at a moments notice. But as you establish that what you say, stands, they will begin to see that you mean it.

Possibly deep down in your past, you were ignored, unloved or passed over for someone else. Therefore, you had to force yourself forward to get attention, always wanting to be the one that does things well. When you didn't receive thanks or praise for what you did, it hurt but also made you more determined to do better next time.

Listen to me, the only person that you need to please is God - and he is not demanding but will always be grateful for everything you do. Stop people pleasing and start putting God first. This doesn't mean being rude to people and never helping out. But it states that there are other people who can help out for once instead of just little old you.

A final word is that God is so pleased with you. He loves you more than I could ever write about here. Relax in Him; be at peace and enjoy the privilege of being His friend.

Be Happy

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says:
"Rejoice always. , pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

In this day of stress and pressure, we need to stay ahead of it all. It is so easy to say how busy you are and don't know how you'll manage. It's so easy to let it get on top of you and end up depressed and miserable and piling in to all of the pressure. The Apostle Paul tells us to 'Rejoice', not just now and again. Not just when we get some good news or something goes right for once. No, Paul says to 'Rejoice - ALWAYS'. In other words be happy in your life.

Now this isn't always easy, not with everything being fired at you on a daily basis. It's a choice. We all have the ability to choose things, no matter what comes our way. Paul is basically saying, 'Choose every day to be happy. Every moment of every day, choose to live your life in enjoyment, despite the circumstances.' You may say, 'That's not easy. You don't know what I'm going through.' This is very true, I don't know what you're going through, but you still have choices. You can still choose to be happy, even if it's the last day of your life. But this takes practice. I've worked in a hospice with dying people and their relatives and I've been amazed how they've opened up to me and allowed me to help them reach this place of dignity. Easy? No. Achievable? Yes.

 There's always a way through most things. If there isn't God will provide a way. The thing is, we have to be in a place to allow Him to help us. We may have debts and demands for payment coming through the post every day. This can't be ignored. We have to do something about it, and there are people skilled in this area to help you through this. Seek them out. It can't be ignored, it needs action.
There may be family issues, marital problems, loss of employment, unable to find work issues. The list can be endless. But we still have choices. You may have made a few bad choices lately. However, there's a way through this. Set yourself free from the worry by giving it all to God and put a smile on your face. No matter what you're going through, Jesus is still on the throne and if you allow Him, He will take control. However, you must talk to Him; share it all with Him and seek His help. He'll be only too willing to offer this help. He won't wash it all away though. We have to learn by the mistakes of life. Sometimes it may not be our fault, but we're still left with the problem and it still needs His help.

The first place to start is with Jesus. Start praising Him. He has the answer. Allow Him to put that smile back on your face and to be happy. When we're happy, the way forward doesn't appear so bad; it's only when we allow things to get on top of us.
So start rejoicing and give it to your Friend.

Let down badly

Genesis 40:23 "Pharaoh's chief cup-bearer however, forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought." New Living Translation

Let's take another look at Joseph. To get the full picture, it may help to read chapters 40 and 41.
Let's do a recap on Joseph's life:

*  He was hated by his step brothers because of their jealousy towards him for being a favourite.
*  They took him and threw him into a pit, taking his colourful coat, soaking it in sheep's blood
    and telling Jacob, their father, that he must have been killed by a wild beast.
*  Soon after this they sold him into slavery to some travellers. They, sold him on to Potiphar,
    Pharaoh's Chief of Bodyguards, where Joseph worked as a servant in his house.
*  Being quickly promoted to running the whole house, Potiphar's wife, soon became sexually
    interested in Joseph and made passes at him. Joseph refused and she accused him of trying to
    rape her. Joseph was thrown into prison.
*  Joseph interpreted dreams that the Chief Baker and Cup-Bearer had. The Chief Baker was hanged
    and the Cup-Bearer promised to mention Joseph's false imprisonment to Pharaoh. He forgot.
*  It was a full two years until the Cup-Bearer finally remembered him

Wow, that's a lot of stress for a young man to bear. He was only 17 when he arrived in Egypt and he spent 13 years, serving Potiphar and the prison services before he was eventually brought before Pharaoh.

Joseph must have felt let down; forgotten and left on the side lines. Have you ever felt this way?
Anger and frustration must have reigned in his life at times. He was human. Yet on meeting Pharaoh, he never spoke ill of the Cup-Bearer. There was no record of wrongs. He knew God was on his side and that he would eventually be rescued from this situation. He trusted God, wholeheartedly. He never gave up hope, although he would obviously been tempted to feel sorry for himself.

Memories and thoughts of the past would probably have been uppermost in his thinking. If we listen to our negative thought for too long, we begin to believe them and then we're on a journey to nowhere. Re-train your thoughts to think healthy things. Philippians 4:8.

Meditate on some of the things that Joseph went through. Probably the hard ones would have been being severely hurt by his family - rejected. Also having his hopes dashed by someone he trusted forgetting about him.

Have you been rejected and had your hopes shattered? Have you been hurt by someone very close to you? God understands and wants to heal the wounds of all the suffering. He is the only one that can be totally trusted. Jesus will NEVER let you down, reject you or forget about you.
Why not draw close to Him today and share your heart with Him. He's waiting!

Grace

"My Grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" 2 Corinthians 12:9

Many years ago, my faith led me into a dodgy situation, one where I was on the verge of losing my job, because I was a Christian. I was a social worker at the time and the only Christian in the whole complex. One of the other social workers, who openly admitted that he didn't like Christians,  caused a problem by stating that my faith could become a problem dealing with some of the cases. This was untrue and was made to single me out as someone who was a liability.

This social worker was very 'well in' with the other team members, whilst I had only been in this particular team, about a year. He made such a fuss over this accusation that it became an official complaint. I had done nothing, except be a Christian, and I was totally exasperated by it all.
A day was allocated when I would have to answer the complaint made against me. The complaint, was hypothetical, one that had not even happened but could cause a problem if it did. It was about homophobia. This chap felt that I would not be able to work with people who were gay, because of my faith and how God felt about this. This was ridiculous. I had worked with gay people before and it had never been a problem. I was there to be of help, not to judge people. However, they wouldn't listen to this and I was going to be hanged before a trial.

The first half of the meeting was about what could happen and how they felt it was too sensitive to have me on the team. In the second half of the meeting, I would have to explain myself - why I felt this was not a problem. However, I was up against a no win situation. they had already made their decision.
It was lunch time and I sat in some gardens just giving it all to God. This was so unfair. I was being victimised and also it was persecution and a kind of religionism against me. And yet, there was nothing I could do. Suddenly I felt God say to me, 'My Grace is sufficient for you. Don't worry, it'll be ok.' When I went back for the second half of the meeting, it was almost like God took over everything. Even when I spoke, He was in control of my words. The meeting ended where they found I had done nothing wrong whatsoever and I was vindicated. For my own peace of mind, I moved to another team and it wasn't long before the team I had left, were disbanded and moved to other areas, separately.

You know, people can try but they'll never be able to take God on and win. I was in a difficult position but as I cried out to God, He came and sorted it.

What about you? Are you going through a difficult time? Are you being mistreated? Give it to God, He is the master at sorting things out. 'Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more'Romans 5:20

God's grace is sufficient for you. You may be weak, but God is so strong and He is committed to you. Trust Him, He so wants to help.