Daily Signs of Hope

A place to find Hope

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So What is so Good About the Heavenly Kingdom?

Watered the plants, cleaned up the dishes after dinner, put some beverages in the outside fridge, straightened up my side of the closet, and I thought I was done for the evening. I sat down here to start my post when my wife shouted from the den, “Did you take out the garbage?” No rest for the wicked. 🙂

Life has been pretty hard for me because of the Pandemic. I have underlying issues and I am basically in lock down. My wife and I go on drives to nowhere, and we enjoy that. I go for walks often. Other than that I stare at the walls

I have watched more movies in the last few months than I have in my whole lifetime.

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I got to thinking recently, (it gave me a headache) why do we cling to a God who has total power over us? What do we get out of that?

Four things came to my mind:

  1. The Kingdom is priceless.
  2. There is a price to be in the Kingdom.
  3. There is a purpose of the Kingdom.
  4. There is the peace of the Kingdom.

The Kingdom is priceless

All the silver and Gold we can pile up is even close to the Kingdom. There will be golden streets, angels singing, meeting our families, and we will have a new body.

There is a Price to pay

Here is where we lose many people. They do not want to obey anyone. You can see that in our day and age right now. Mass rioting, arson, people shot, people beaten up, and heavy destruction of the businesses.

These people will face God some day and they will beg Him for mercy and He will say, “I know you not!”

However, we, as Christians, are ready to meet God. We are made righteous in God’s eyes, because we accepted Jesus into out hearts.

The purpose of the Kingdom

We will all see that the purpose of the Kingdom is for us to have a heavenly home to go to. Jesus said, I have built a mansion for you. There are many rooms there. We will be living in style with Jesus.

The Peace of the Kingdom

This is the one I really look forward to. No more pain. No more death. No more cancer, No more heart disease. The peace will overcome us through the Angels singing to us. It will be hard to comprehend, but I think we can get used to it. 🙂

Some short thoughts:

You can’t change Jesus to fit your personal needs.

When we get to Heaven, the weak will be made strong.

We can not hide from God. He knows every hair on our head.

In today’s world…God will lead us through the fires.

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How about you? Are you sympathetic, towards the rioters? Do you run from God because you think He is controlling you?

I hope you are not this person. Pray for God’s forgiveness, and mercy, and He will hold you in His arms and protect you.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

There Are “Karens,” Out There Who are Racist

There is far too much anger floating around. I saw a Facebook page that shows a “Karen,” yelling racist words at two girls who were from Asia. The words were of course hurtful. The two girls took it, and kept walking.

I have no idea where they came up with the term “Karens,” I have friends who have that name. However, it is now a label, and you see far too much of them hurting people.

Makes me think of the Bible. In Luke: 25-37 we are told that Samaritans were hated by the Jews. People ignored them and were forbidden to associate with them.

Jesus told a parable about this.

A man was walking on a road back to his home. A thief attacked him and took all of his belongings. He left the person for dead on the road.

He laid there bleeding and dying. Along came a priest. When he saw the man he went to the other side of the road to pass him. Likewise a Levite also went to the other side of the road to avoid him. But a Samaritan came to where he was and had deep compassion. He fixed up his wounds and put him on his own animal. He took him to an Inn, and asked them to care for him. He said he would pay for anything they used to help him.

Jesus told his disciples to do like the Samaritan.

Which one are you of the three men do you fit into? Are you the Priest, Levite, or the Samaritan?

It is so easy to get angry. It happens to all of us. We probably wouldn’t attack someone and take all their belongings, but we do get overly angry at times.

I try to think about someone who may have made me angry. I have learned that love extends further than pride. We need to swallow our pride, and forgive people.

Who has the lord placed in your path to make you angry. Make a list right now. I have done that. It is sitting right next to me.

Thank of each one of them. What did they do to make you angry? Is it worth it to just go on like it didn’t happen?

I think not.

Love is not just love. It is love in action.

Using words like you are expendable, or you are worthless, should be in our vocabulary.

The sad part is that we seem to define ourselves by who we disagree with.

It is OK to disagree, but not to hate.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never unloved.

You are never forsaken.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

Do What God Wants You to Do, Not What You Want to Do.

Not long ago I saw a fly trying to get out by banging on a window with its head. It was getting nowhere. He never gave up. He kept pounding that window over and over again.

I finally opened the window to let him out to the fresh air. Guess what? He still stayed in his spot and kept hitting the window.

Many of us are like that. We struggle on our own and try to face life without God. We need to end that! We need to stop trying do do what we want to do for our lives, and do what God wants for our lives.

We go around like using a GPS in our car. If we make a wrong turn it says recalculate.

Well, you have your own personal GPS. You may think it is guiding you in the right direction, then you hit the wall. That is when God says, “recalculate!”

Let ME guide you!

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What are you favorite foods? I love pumpkin pie. I also love peanut butter. Both of these sweeten my tooth and soothes me.

Here are some better sweeteners:

  1. Wisdom sweetens your soul.
  2. Optimism (gluten free by the way) also sweetens your soul.

These sweeteners are non fattening, and good for you.

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Some thoughts about God:

  1. God will never abandon you.
  2. God’s power is much greater than any evil.
  3. God fits into your plan.
  4. God’s Son died to provide eternal life.
  5. God has promised to help you when you are in need.

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Take an inventory of your life. Are things going in the right direction for you? If not, what is causing you to not be going in the right direction?

God allows U-turns. Now is the time to turn around.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…Never, ever, give up!

God Never Calls us to do Something easy

We are certainly in tough times in our country. The Pandemic virus is growing fast. There is mass rioting throughout our country. People are out of work because of the Pandemic. Children can not go back to school to learn.

I was told the other day that this is a huge sign of the end times.

It may be, but what do we do if it is?

We need to have FAITH!

1 Faith is always true.

2. Faith always goes forward.

3. When God speaks to us we have enough faith to say yes.

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God is in the business of doing the impossible. It sure makes you wonder why he is allowing so much chaos. Remember…God is in charge.

The world was shocked when President Trump won the presidential election. Shouldn’t have happened? GOD IS IN CHARGE!

He is watching over us. The next question is… Why is He allowing so much tragedy to happen? This is a tough question. However, God gave us choices. He allowed us to make our own decisions, and then face Him later. That is why dictators exist. That is why there is sex trafficking. That is why there are wars. That is hard for us to have to face, but it is reality with god.

All the rioters, seem to think what they are doing and is noble. They think they are heroes. God will be speaking to each of them later.

How about you? Are you walking the narrow path, or the wide path to destruction? God knows and you know. He knows every hair on your head. There is no place to hide from Him.

Now, I have made God sound like a mean, awful person. Know that He loves you very much. He made you in His own image. He wants the best for you.

BUT, we have to abide by His rules, not ours. There is a wonderful manual to guide you on how to act and how to be. It is called the Bible. If you read and live by it, you are in God loving graces.

So, God never calls us to do anything easy. A friend once told me,”Life is tough and then you die.” Pretty sad. That was many years ago that he told me that, but it still sticks with me today.

Don’t be allowing the dark side to overcome you. Look to the light, which is Jesus Christ our Lord. He died so that you have a chance for eternal life. I say you have a chance, because you have to accept him as your personal savior to receive that gift.

Life IS tough, but be strong and know that God is with you during your storms.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…Never, ever, give up!

How Many Times Should We Forgive Someone?

I have been watching the movement of Representative John Lewis from his hometown to the Capitol Rotunda, to be put on display.

This man was a furious warrior fighting for the black community. He marched with Martin Luther King. He was beaten many times, and was arrested 40 times for his support for the black community.

No man, since Martin Luther King, has done more for civil rights in our country.

He spent over 16 years in Congress.

Was he a Democrat or a Republican? DOESN’T MATTER!

He fought for what was right.

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We need to find more leaders like him. Dedicated to helping others and fighting for what is right.

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I am switching to some negative things to bring up another point.

Portland, Oregon has had 60 straight days of rioting. There are many fires, many beatings, many arrests, and many people hurt badly. Many of those hurt are police officers, trying to keep the peace.

The Federal Government has come to help. We will see how that works out.

There is widespread rioting in many other big cities. Interesting in that all of those cities are run by Democrats.

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So, should we forgive those who are rioting? If so, how many times should we forgive?

Jesus told a parable about forgiving. It started when Peter asked him how many times should he forgive? Seven times? (That was four more times than the Jewish acceptable number.)

Jesus rebuked him and said, “No! 70×7!” That is 490 times. (Matthew 18: 21-34.)

Some things to remember:

  1. As longs as there are issues, there is an opportunity for forgiveness.
  2. Our God is a forgiving God. (How many times have you asked Him to forgive you?)
  3. Forgiving others is a must to be a part of God’s Kingdom.
  4. We must mirror God’s love and forgiveness.

Some other thoughts:

  1. God has help mend any hearts that are broken.
  2. My sin was great, but God’s love was greater.
  3. For God so loved the world that He sent his only son, so that we may have eternal life.
  4. Pray for our leaders in the nation, and in your home state, to make decisions that are for the good of the people, and not themselves.

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Think on these things, and be at peace knowing that God is watching over you and protects you.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forskaen.

You are never unloved.

And above all, never, ever, give up!

Don’t Pretend to be Someone you Are Not

We can not do that. We need to be ourselves. God created each of us into a unique person. No one else is like you.

I actually fell into that trap during my teaching days. I went to graduation school to get a Masters in counseling because that seemed to be how you got promoted to principal quicker. I went for several summers. I neared the end where I just needed two classes to get my degree.

I stepped away from it at that point. I never went back to finish up.

WHY ON EARTH WOULD I DO THAT??

I realized that I loved being in the classroom with my students. If I became a principal my time with students would mostly be with the ones that needed discipline.

I really didn’t want to be a principal, and I fell for the trap of joining the rat race to try to get ahead.

I can not be someone else. God wants me to be myself. He wants me to be guided by him, not doing things to better myself for selfish reasons.

How about you?

Do you push hard at your work to get ahead. Do you try to keep climbing that corporate ladder? Do you want that beautiful car your neighbor has, because you feel people will think you are important?

God loves you the way you are. He created you in His image and wants the best for you. Don’t try to impress anyone. Just listen to God and walk the path He has for you. This way you are glorifying Him and not yourself.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

Garbage in Garbage out, or God in God Out

It seems like our country is on a pace of complete disarray. Rioting, shootings, burning buildings, people getting beat up.

How did we get to this point?

As retired teacher I can say that as each year went by, the students became more aggressive. I would talk to their parents about it and they would say, “They are just being kids,” and shrug it off.

If children aren’t disciplined properly at home. They grow up to be those who are on the streets causing havoc.

They have lived their lives with garbage in and garbage out. All they hear is garbage, and it is planted in their brains. Therefore garbage out, is what comes from them.

How do we turn this kind of problem around? We need to start in the homes. We need to teach what is right and wrong.

If there is a Godly home, the family will have a God in and God out. They will teach their children about God. Make sure they grow spiritually, and get them involved in a church.

As they grow, they will see that their lives are much more acceptable to others, and keep growing.

How about you? Do you talk garbage in, garbage out, do you have God in and God out at your home.?

I look at it this way. It is the monkey see, monkey do theory. If you guide you children and the proper path and be a good example. Your example will have then saying, “I want to be like them.”

But if you do drugs, drink heavily, and use bad language in your home Your example will have your children also wanting to be like you. Garbage in garbage out.

Take inventory of your life. See if your path is the right path for your children to follow.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

Finding Encouragement in Discouraging Times

We have had a rough road to ride on for the last several months. The COVID-19 virus is causing havoc on our country. It seems to be getting worse then getting better.

The rioting, burning of businesses, shootings, beatings, that are going on in our big cities is not only frightening, but very sad.

It seems the all these cities are run by democrats. Don’t know if that means something.

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Encouragement for the discouraged.

The Pastor of my church had a message on this. The title was From Brokenness to Blessings.

He said he understands all of us who are fearful, and frustrated. We have battles every day, and to have this be on top of it all is hard, at best.

What are his answers?

  1. God guarantees victory. Pretty simplistic right? However, we often forget that. We forget that God is in charge and He won’t give us more that we can handle.
  2. The best is yet to come. Hard to see that right now, but I bet we look back at this a few years from now and feel we are so blessed at that moment.

Do not go into hiding.

We do not need to hide in our basements. We need to be out there helping those who are overcome with fear, and depression. This is the perfect time to show our love for them.

We have the love of God in our hearts. We need to let others know how that feels.

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How do we hold on?

How are you doing? Are you having trouble getting up every morning because the world is crazy right now? Do you dread turning on the TV, because there is so much negativity? Are you struggling because the virus is closing down your work?

You certainly are not alone.

I feel your pain.

I am in total lock down. Haven’t been in retail store in four months. No restaurants. Only drive up, and take out. Can’t see my children. I text them and call them a lot.

Why am I in lock down? I am afraid I have three underlying problems with my health. If I was to get the virus, I am gone.

Am I crying and frustrated? At times I am close, but I am suppose to be the father figure, and show strength and perseverance.

Again, God is with you. Jesus is with you. They are just a prayer away.

Lean on them for your strength. They are you fortress. They are your protectors.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

If You Found Proof that There was a Heaven How Would you Change?

How do we really know there is a Heaven? We read and hear about it all the time.

I have read the now famous book by Don Piper Called, 90 Minutes in Heaven. I have two copies in my library. One is signed by the author who wrote the book for Don, Cecil Murphy. I met him at a writer’s Conference. He was a really nice guy, and enjoyed talking to me. I was curious as to why he will help with a book like this. I wondered if it changed his a own life.

He answered both of my questions with, Because I totally believe there is a Heaven and we needed to get the word out.

If you haven’t read this book I encourage you to get it. It is a real eye opener.

Pastor Don Piper was on the way home from a conference. He was hit by a semi truck. He was pronounced dead at the scene. However, a pastor friend was there praying for him even though they kept telling him it was too late.

The Pastor had been praying for 90 minutes when, Don came back to life. He was overjoyed and excited which amazed the EMT’s. He was excited That he saw Heaven while he was “Dead.”

Don’s life was hurtful, at best, during his recovery, but he kept telling people what he had seen. The rest of the story is found in his book.

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I saw a movie last night that was inspirational. It is call, Heaven is Real.

It is about a little boy who had a ruptured appendix and had to have emergency surgery.

His parents were told that he may not make it. The father, who is a Pastor, went to the hospital chapel and appealed to God to help. He shouted, Are you going to take my little boy away from me?

The mother was out of control in the waiting room. She too thought they were going to lose their son.

Then the doctor came in and said had he made it and to please come to be by his side. The relieved parents ran to their son and hugged him and held him close.

While he was recuperating he started telling he parents he was in Heaven. They decided he was just a little child of seven, and could be making this up.

However, as time went by he told them about things he couldn’t have ever known about. He talked about seeing his sister. He mom said that your sister is alive. He said, “No my other sister. “ The wife had a miscarriage before the little boy was even born. He even told them it was a girl, and the parents didn’t know what sex the child was. They asked him what was her name, and he said,”You never named her because she wasn’t born.”

Then the boy told his dad that he had seen Grandpa The dad said he died before you were born. The dad ran to get a picture of his father and showed it to the boy, and asked if that was who he saw. The boy said no, because he didn’t have glasses.

The father went up into the attic to find some old family pictures and found one of his dad when he was young. He took it bad to his son, and asked Is this who you saw? The boy said “YES!” People aren’t old in Heaven daddy. They all look young.

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These two events makes it very clear to me there is a Heaven.

Do you need proof? Are you skeptical? I can understand that. If you believe there is no Heaven, then you life has an end and you will rot in a grave. (I am so sorry that I am so abrupt here, but that would be the truth if you are right.)

The answers are in the Bible. Heaven is described. It is mention many times by Jesus. The Lord’s Prayer has it in it.

Some people fear this is a heaven. Others fear there is not a heaven.

Where are you? Do you fit into one of these groups, or are you like me and know for sure there is a Heaven and know you have eternal life, because of Jesus dying on the cross and coming back to life? Just like what happened in these two stories.

Take an inventory of where you are and take the right path.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

We Need to Spread Love, Not Hate

How can we exist will all the turmoil going on around us? The Pandemic is growing fast again, with even other strands coming with it that are much more contagious.

We still have huge unrest in our country. Rioting, arson, tearing down statues, killings, Looting, and terror.

Where do we go for help? What can we do to overcome this?

We have a ugly new problem raising in our country. It is the “Karen’s,” that are causing it. They verbally attack black people with hateful words and even have pointed guns at them.

They have no concept of love. They only know hate.

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What the world needs now is love, sweet love! Where do they get it?

Well… it is simple to figure out of you are a Christian. We are suppose to be the poster child’s for love, right? Unfortunately that is not completely true. There are people right in my home church who seem to love to degrade others.

I am very saddened by this. I can not understand how someone can hate so much. They must hate themselves.

What we need to do is put God first in our lives. We need to try to live a life like Jesus. He never sinned. He never was mean to anyone. He loved everyone.

Speaking of posters child’s. We should be a poster child that shows love to everyone. What a difference that would make in our world today.

If you are struggling with thinking about wrong things, take an inventory of your life, and see where it is coming from. Push the negatives out of your mind and feel it with love and understanding.

Love is not just a four letter word. It is the word that changes the world.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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