New Hope for the Week

Sun, 25 Jan 2015 18:09:59 +0000

Remember, since we have chosen the life of the Spirit, we must apply it to every detail of our lives. (See Galatians 5:25).

Mon, 08 Dec 2014 16:03:22 +0000

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1 (ESV)

It is interesting what happens when we come to regard something as commonplace or ordinary. Whatever we do every day, though it may have been incredibly interesting and fascinating when we first started, can become boring with repetition, even though it may be incredibly interesting and fascinating to others. It may also happen that those we work with or for, though incredible people when we first met them, sink lower in our esteem as we become more familiar with them and realize that they are people subject to faults and mistakes just as the rest of us are. It becomes too easy to take for granted what we know well and get sloppy in our work or even become satisfied with just looking busy, whether we really accomplish anything or not.

Yet holding such activities before Jesus can change all of that. As with any true discipline, the nuances of what we do can become more fascinating through repetition and practice as we notice new aspects of what we do. With time and attention to detail comes expertise that allows us to do the same things more quickly and even better. The true success of any business or enterprise is often in the details others are too lazy to take care of or don't care enough to notice. Just as "the little foxes ... spoil the vines"(Song of Solomon 2:15) so it is that little by little your business can grow and take a larger portion of the market. (See Exodus 23:30.)

Remember, God who sees what others don’t is the true source of all promotion.

Mon, 08 Dec 2014 15:55:35 +0000

Today I will:

enjoy doing a good job
be a blessing to my company
let my effort and quality of performance speak for themselves

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men. Proverbs 22:29 (ESV)

So many of us mentally ascend to the truths we read in the Bible or hear preached on Sunday morning. We shout out "Amen!" and "Hallelujah!" and nod approvingly. We agree with the wisdom found in Office politics, nepotism, discrimination, favoritism-any of us who have been passed up for promotion have probably heard or even used one of these terms as an excuse to describe why the promotion didn't come our way. Yet should we be complaining? The Bible tells us that all authority-even unfair authority-is appointed by the Lord. (See Romans 13:1-2; 1 Peter 2:18-24.) When we don't get the rewards we believe we deserve, we should see it as an opportunity rather than a strike against us. Will we choose to trust in the Lord for our promotion or in our own strengths, skills, and abilities to "work the system"?

When Joseph was in his teens, he had a dream that he would one day be top dog in the nation of Israel (which at the time was just his family). However, what awaited him? Slavery, where he performed incredibly well serving another and building his household, and imprisonment, his reward for his faithfulness to his master and God in rejecting the advances of Potiphar's wife. (See Genesis 37:36; 39:20.) For thirteen years, he suffered as the servant of others, each time, however, rising to a place of honor because of the sincerity of his obedience. Did he get bitter and curse his luck and the unfairness of his setbacks? We have no indication that he did so. Instead, we . see that he obeyed his earthly masters "with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as unto Christ . . . doing the will of God from the heart" (Ephesians 6:5-6 KJV). For this obedience, he went from prison to vice-president in one day-all because he was faithful and sought God more than his own promotion.

Remember, it is with joy we draw water from the wells of salvation.

Mon, 08 Dec 2014 15:43:32 +0000

Today I will:

live the truth I know
endeavor to authentically be what I desire to appear
become the change I wish to see in the world

As the human body apart from the spirit is lifeless, so faith apart from [its] works of obedience is also dead. James 2:26 (AMP)

So many of us mentally ascend to the truths we read in the Bible or hear preached on Sunday morning. We shout out "Amen!" and "Hallelujah!" and nod approvingly. We agree with the wisdom found in Proverbs, the promises found in Psalms, and the principles found throughout the Epistles. We preach the peace of the Gospel, the prosperity of the believer, and the provision of God the Father. Yet, in our daily lives, involving the moment-by-moment battles for our thoughts and minds, we often find we are losing ground-quickly sinking-suddenly overcome with anxiety, disappointment, and even despair.

This failure to trust God in our daily lives must grievously displease Him as it so loudly proclaims our self-centeredness, While others around us are in need, we are so absorbed in our own problems that we are unable to show mercy-or simply unavailable to do a good deed. If we desire to be blessed, we must be a blessing. If we hunger for peace, we must be peaceable. If we are in need of mercy, we must be merciful.

The enemy strives to take our eyes off God's goodness and grace and keep us focused on the world's lack and depravity. If we are to inspire hope, we must be expectant. lf we are to see deliverance, we must show our exuberance for having been delivered. It is for good reason we are instructed in Philippians 4:4-8 to fill our minds with thoughts that are affirming, praise-worthy, and lovely.

Remember, there may be no greater gift than the ability to listen.

Mon, 08 Dec 2014 15:09:56 +0000

Today I will:

listen
take time to hear what is on the hearts of others
discern God's voice speaking to me

And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 1 John 5:14 (ESV)

Taking time to genuinely listen might be the greatest good or the kindest compliment we have to give. Fully listening and truly hearing the heart of another is nearly a lost art in modem society. Author David Michael Levin has written, "The very limited development of our capacity for listening is responsible for much suffering and misery in life." If we are to demonstrate God's healing mercy and grace in this earth, we must learn to listen. God's most profound promise to us, after all, is that He hears.

Being fully present for others, fully engaged in their concerns, requires that we learn to be attentive. Unless we strive to hear the deepest cries, joys, desires, or aches within the hearts of others, we won't have the right words of encouragement, hope, or exhortation to offer. Carl Rogers once said, "A man's inability to communicate is a result of his failure to listen effectively, skillfully, and with understanding to another person."

Practice the art of listening today. Be the sounding board others are seeking, a source of reassurance because you truly hear. Effective listening requires compassion and empathy. Well-known author Jane Austen once said, "There is no charm equal to tenderness of heart." Practice the tender mercies spoken of in Proverbs by being a life-giving listener.

Remember, He is faithful and just to forgive.

Mon, 24 Nov 2014 17:13:45 +0000

Today I will:

find a fresh start towards my goals and dreams
lay aside, but not repeat, the mistakes of the past
focus on Jesus' example of how to win the race I am in

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV)

What a gift a new day can be. Regardless of the past, the sun always rises on a new day, even if clouds veil it. And with it comes the promise of starting anew the race set before us. Each new day presents us with the opportunity to set aside whatever happened the day before and again put one foot in front of the other towards our goals and dreams. Yet often before we have the strength to press ahead, we must look behind us and ask forgiveness for the mistakes and excesses of the days before so that we have nothing hindering us as we move forward:

Psalm 103:12 NIV tells us: ''.As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." In other words, when God forgives us of past mistakes, He also forgets them. As Corrie ten Boom once said, such sins are "now cast into the deepest sea and a sign is put up that says, 'NO FISHING ALLOWED.'" What is past is past with Him. If we choose to fish our sins out again and let them hinder us, that is our doing, not His.

Obviously for the writer of this passage in Hebrews, the key to accomplishing whatever is before us, no matter how intense or unpleasant it may be, is to learn to put past mistakes behind and not let them trip us up again - as we move forward. Of course, doing so also means not letting those same mistakes trip us up again in the future. Thus we can move forward towards what He has set before us, unhindered and unburdened. Only in His forgiveness is the true freedom to succeed.

Remember, we will all face tests, trials, and temptations in this world; whether they bring us closer to God or not is determined by the attitude with which we face them.

Mon, 17 Nov 2014 17:05:38 +0000

Today I will:

work as if God were my supervisor and not other people
consider my motives for what I do each day
scrutinize my attitudes towards those I serve either at work or as a volunteer

Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. Ecclesiastes 4:4 (ESV)

What motivates you in your work? The desire to be the head of the company? Keeping up with what the neighbors have? Trying to outperform your colleagues to get the next available advancement? If so, Solomon is speaking to you. If you are motivated by envy, jealousy, or competition to get ahead, what you are doing is merely smoke and spitting in the wind. What a waste. Why? Because even if you get what you are after, your selfish motivation will undermine your reward.

The Bible has great advice about serving those who have rule over us: "Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men" (Ephesians 6:6-7 NIV).In other words, don't just work for your employer to accomplish the tasks for the day, but work for what will last into eternity-the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) you develop as you go about the duties of each.

Is it possible to get to know your Lord and Savior better as you attend to the affairs of this world? It depends largely on your motivation and how you approach the challenges you face each day. Challenges can either exercise your righteousness or undermine it; the choice is really up to you.

Remember, we should not define ourselves by what we have, but by the lives we touch.

Mon, 17 Nov 2014 17:02:50 +0000

Today I will:

not give in to the temptation to be a workaholic
balance the value of what I do at work with what I do at home, at church, and in my community
analyze my goals from the perspective of eternity

A very little food eaten in peace is better than twice as much earned from overwork and chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 4:6 (CEV)

What are the basics a person needs for living? Food, shelter, and clothing? A reasonable means of transportation and fulfilling work that provides enough for the basic needs of one's family? Just how much do we really need to survive in this world? How much is enough?

If we live in a developed country, we fool ourselves if we say that God meets only our needs and not our wants. The fact of the matter is we have several times more than enough to meet the basic needs of life, yet what do we do with the extra? The question is really not, "How much is enough?" but "How much more than enough is enough?" And since we have more than enough, what is our responsibility regarding the abundance that we have?

Paul said of those as privileged as we are, "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life" (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

What are you doing now with your wealth-your time, talent, and treasure-that is having an impact on eternity? How about the eternal destiny of your family and loved ones? What will another late night at the office accomplish that will truly last?

Remember, we should not define ourselves by what we have, but by the lives we touch.

Mon, 17 Nov 2014 17:02:50 +0000

Today I will:

not give in to the temptation to be a workaholic
balance the value of what I do at work with what I do at home, at church, and in my community
analyze my goals from the perspective of eternity

A very little food eaten in peace is better than twice as much earned from overwork and chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes 4:6 (CEV)

Remember, what you focus on will define who you are. Are you focused on the right thing?

Wed, 22 Oct 2014 13:15:20 +0000

Today I will:

take time to reevaluate my goals
eliminate distractions from my life that eat up time that should be used to accomplish something
let the past be the past and focus on what is ahead

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV)

Motivational speaker and minister Bob Harrison has often said, "Setting goals can be one of the most dangerous things anyone ever does." Why is that? Because we often remember to set goals in business and finances but forget to set goals in more personal areas such as family, spiritual growth, health, and service to others.

Goals have a way of bringing focus in our lives to certain matters, and thus pull attention away from other areas of our lives deemed less important by omission. By having goals in only one or two areas of our lives, we inadvertently determine to fail in all others. Goals create focus and determine how we will allocate our resources, time, talent, and treasure.

When we set goals, we need to determine to look at all the areas of our lives and give them equal attention so that our focus is on what is truly important and not just on what will get us the greatest advancement in our careers or the most financial success. Just as Paul used the power of his focus to push ahead to accomplish what God called him to do, so should we whether that be in business, our church involvement, building our family's futures, maintaining our health, or building the character within ourselves to be able to handle greater responsibility tomorrow than we have today.