Paul says in Romans 15:13, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

I think this verse supports a view I have which is that hope helps strengthen our faith and our faith is demonstrated through expectation.

Think of a time where things felt hopeless. At that point it was very difficult to have faith in a positive outcome, and without faith it is much more likely we expect a negative result.

In contrast, when we have hope we can build our faith on that hope, and expect a positive result.

This is very true about hope, faith, and expectation of salvation, but I believe it is also true in the practical parts of our lives. When we can truly feel hopeful that a difficult issue will be resolved, our faith in God’s work in our lives grows and we expect a positive result. As Paul writes, God is that source of hope that sparks our faith which we demonstrate with the “confident hope” and expectation.

Dear Lord, thank you for being the source of hope so that we can live our lives with joy and peace trusting in you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

I have a list of short wise sayings and ideas that I have accumulated over the years, and one of them is:

“Producing or contributing more than you consume is the only justification for your existence.”

I think Jesus is conveying this idea in Mark 10:43-45 when he told the disciples, “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Our nature leads us toward wanting to “take, take, take,” but what we are really here for is to serve others with the skills and talents God has given us. If we really think about it, it is the times our skills and talents benefit others that we are most fulfilled.

Dear Lord, You are the example of service for us. Help us strive to be like you and live lives of service, which how you design us to be. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

It is so easy for us to get into a mindset feeling we have the “weight of the world” on our shoulders. We may have financial problems, or health problems, challenges with our relationships, or relatives that are “off course.”

When I start to feel this way, I like to think about the promises God makes to us in Psalm 37:4,5, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.”

It seems overly simple to say “don’t worry,” but when we put our trust and hope in God to help us, he will find a way, even when we cannot see one.

Dear Lord, Thank you for the assurance of your presence. Help us remember you are just a prayer away. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

There is a quote from Shakespeare that says, “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.”

How, you may ask, is this relevant in a Christian devotion?

Matthew 14 includes the account of Jesus walking on water. Peter sees him and when Jesus says “come” Peter begins walking on the water toward Jesus. However, verse 30 writes, “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
When Peter takes his eyes off of Jesus he begins to sink. His commitment weakens as he sees the wind and waves, begins to sink and cry to be saved. Verse 31 says, “Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

Our faith is the path through which God saves, supports, and motivates us on our Christian mission. Our doubts are traitors to that mission.

Dear Lord, Thank you for the support you give us in our mission. Help us push away the doubts that hold us back from living our faith fully, knowing that when we trust in you, we will have your peace and joy. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I think one thing that many of us get wrong, when we come to God for help with the difficulties in our lives, is complaining and looking for God’s sympathy. We sometimes think if we show God how difficult things are for us, out of pity, he will help us. The problem with that approach is, it is not what God tells he responds to.

God responds to our faith. In Hebrews 11:6 we are told, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

God knows the challenges we face in our lives. In some cases he is allowing these difficulties to occur to bring us closer to him. So complaining to God about these things will not influence him. He tells us is to respond to our challenges with faith. When we want God to help us, we should come to him with a faithful petition like:

Dear Lord, You know the challenges we are facing, whether these are things we brought on ourselves, or they are trials you are allowing us to experience, to make us better, we come to you with no doubt that you will bring us through these trials better, stronger and more confident in your unlimited power, and closer to you. For this we thank you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.