Have you thanked Him?
Have you praised Him?
Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?
Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?
1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)
1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.
“Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future.” - Robert H. Schuller
Paul offered it this way...
"I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God is calling us up to heaven because of what Christ Jesus did for us. (Philippians 3:13-14 LB)
Have a good friend who sent a text of desperation yesterday.
A family of 5 in a coffee house the day before hurting so badly because of a family member in crisis.
A long conversation on the phone late in the day yesterday with a fella who has hurt and has been hurt from his addiction.
And that just scratches the surface; 3 of more than a dozen in fact.
All hurting.
All having their days defined by hurt rather than hope.
Be honest we have all been there.
Before the sun comes up we already know today is “ruined” because of the issues that have preceded it.
Maybe it is consequence.
Maybe it is the insensitivity of others.
Maybe the hurt is so deep and has been going on so long that it steals all the hope before the cereal hits the bowl or the coffee the cup.
All of us could utter the cliché, “Been there, done that, got the T-shirt” right?
That is why that passage penned by PAUL is CRUCIAL!
Forget the past. Don’t give it POWER!
Focus on what lies ahead! Reward and forever fellowship with Christ.
Hebrews 12 (MSG)
…we’d better get on with it…—and never quit!
Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever.
And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!
You see that?
When our HURT begins to define our days let’s both KEEP OUR EYES ON JESUS.
Study how HE lived.
He had hurt yet never lost his HOPE!
He suffered betrayal, had people let him down, had folks try to crush His spirit and yet HE NEVER LOST SIGHT of the “end game”!
Neither should we!
As Paul says when we are "flagging in our faith”, or in other words when HOPE is being swallowed by HURT, GO BACK TO JESUS.
Study His life.
Watch how He handled adversity.
Watch how He dealt with conflict.
Watch how He managed disappointment.
Watch how he LOVED and HOPED His way through all of it!
And that SHOULD REINVIGORATE you for TODAY!
That should provide the ADRENALINE needed for this troublesome or tiring THURSDAY!
Remember…
“We (often) live in fear and forget to walk with hope. But hope has not forgotten you. So ask it to dinner. It's probably hungry and would appreciate the invitation.” ―Bray
HOPE your way through the HURT!
I love you all!
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