Hope for Those Who Sacrifice
Read: Luke 5:1-11 But at your word I will let down the nets. (v. 5) Years ago, while my wife was at a salon, a woman walked in with her daughter. This woman lived in a shelter but was about to be kicked out. After a while, the woman got up to walk to McDonald’s […]
Hope for the Wounded
Read: 1 Corinthians 15:50-58 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (v. 57) A long time ago, I learned an interesting fact about honeybees. The stinger of the worker honeybee is attached to vital organs, muscles, and nerves. When a honeybee stings someone, it cannot detach its […]
Hope for the Outcast
Read: Romans 8:31-39 We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (v. 37) Napoleon Bonaparte was the emperor of France and a feared military leader. One day, Napoleon’s beloved horse got loose and ran away from the army camp. One of the soldiers, a private, immediately took off and chased after it. The […]
Hope for the Undeserving
Read: Luke 18:9-14 God, be merciful to me, a sinner! (v. 13) One of my guilty pleasures in high school was going to a fast food restaurant where a few friends worked. Often, when I would show up, these friends would add some extra food to my bag without charging me. One time, I ordered […]
Hope for the Overlooked
Read: Joshua 6:17-25 But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. (v. 25) The story is told about the time that legendary jazz musician Thelonious Monk had a friend over to his home and was listening to music on the radio. The friend, obviously unimpressed with […]
Hope for the Rejected
Read: Matthew 21:33-42 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. (v. 42) On a recent trip to Cape Town, South Africa, my family and I toured the prison on Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent time in captivity. Mandela spent almost three decades in prison for fighting against the inhumane apartheid system. […]
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 […]