Tag: Hope in God

Job 17:1-22 – Defensive Yet Hopeful

Read Job 17:1-16

Sadly, we often judge people by their appearance. Job must have looked dreadful. His body has wasted away, he must have almost been unrecognizable. Do you think his friends’ responses were in any way affected by the way Job looked?

Job described himself a bit in this passage. What do we know about Job’s appearance? His eyes were swollen from weeping, and he had lost a lot of weight. Job believed he was being scoffed by the virtuous and righteous, probably some of those friends he used to have. Rejection. Job’s friends had rejected him. Don’t we tend to get defensive when we feel abandoned and rejected? Job was feeling such pressure. Continue reading “Job 17:1-22 – Defensive Yet Hopeful”

Hope for Tomorrow: A New Year’s Reflection

person standing with arm reaching up facing the sun and sun beams

Hope. It’s what we all need a little more of these days. With the dawning of a new year comes an opportunity for new beginnings. If you haven’t done so yet, take some time over the next couple of days to dream of what the coming year could be like. You’ll want to start by taking a look back to learn from what worked and didn’t last year.

Remember that a new year beginning marks time for everyone in the same way. Nearly everyone is talking about their new year’s resolutions or goal setting strategies. Our faith journeys, on the other hand, are all on a different schedule. Here’s a Bible verse to reflect on: 2 Corinthians 5:17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” When we belong to Christ, we get a fresh start at life. We are forgiven and free!

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Jeremiah 17:1-18 – Trust in the Lord

Read Jeremiah 17:1-18

two hands extending toward a bright light in the shape of a cross

We may not be the initial audience Jeremiah was preaching to, but we can still glean important messages that will help us on our own faith journeys. That’s the beauty of God’s word. It is alive and continues to bring wisdom. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of who is talking, Jeremiah or God. It’s helpful to remember when it’s Jeremiah, there are no quotation marks.

Instead of focusing on what the people in Jeremiah’s time were doing wrong, let’s focus on what God says will please him. “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.” We were just talking about confidence in our last reading!

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