Hope for Our Sinful Debt
Read: Colossians 2:8-15 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses. (v. 13) When I first went to college in 1992, I did a lot of dumb things. One of them was getting a credit card within […]
Hope for Our Failures
Read: Colossians 4:1-11 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas. (v. 10) I love a good redemption story. I love a story where someone makes a comeback and is able to redeem the wrongs they’ve done. I’ll tell you a secret. In 2006, Disney released an animated movie called Cars. […]
Hope for the Doubtful
Read: Matthew 11:1-11 Are you the one who is to come? (v. 3) Like most Americans, I remember where I was on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. I was getting married in four days and excited about the week. When my fiancé called and informed me that a plane hit the World Trade Center, I received […]
Hope for the Grieving
Read: Psalm 46:1-3 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (v. 1) Horatio Spafford was a lawyer in Chicago in the middle of the 19th century. An elder in his church and friends with evangelist D. L. Moody, Spafford and his family had endured a difficult year in 1871, losing […]
Hope for the Small Stuff
Read: 1 Peter 5:1-7 Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (v. 7) In college, I was part of a vibrant campus ministry. We would meet Wednesdays, spend time in worship, share prayer requests, listen to a speaker, and then indulge in cheap refreshments and rich conversation. One time, I brought […]
Hope for Inadequacy
Read: Isaiah 40:29-31 They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength. (v. 31) One of the common issues discussed among college faculty is what’s known as impostor syndrome. Scholars who have attained the highest level in their fields nevertheless find themselves feeling inadequate, doubting their abilities, fearing that the world will one day […]
Hope for the Afflicted
Read: Genesis 41:46-57 The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” (v. 52) Do you know the inspirational story behind Saint Patrick’s Day? Raised in Britain amidst tremendous affluence, Patrick was kidnapped as a teenager and sold into slavery in the neighboring nation […]
Hope for the Outmatched
Read: 1 Samuel 17:41-50 For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand. (v. 47) In the Disney classic The Lion King, there is a scene where Simba, the young heir to the throne, is tricked into exploring a dangerous graveyard. Three hyenas arrive on the scene, ready to attack […]
Hope for the Meek
Read: Matthew 5:1-12 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (v. 5) Bruce Lee was a legendary figure. A phenomenal martial artist and actor, Lee used his significant influence to challenge prevailing stereotypes about Asian culture, especially in media representations. His physical capabilities and fitness regimen were famous, to the point where […]