"The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." Lamentations 3:25-26 NIV

I once read a book about hope. It made me angry. It focused entirely upon heaven, and if that's my only hope--then someone shoot me now! I firmly believe that we can have hope for the here and now if we have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Here's why:

1.) The presence of the Holy Spirit within us. We are never alone; we are always loved.
2.) The privilege of prayer. We can communicate with the Creator at any time and in any situation.
3.) The promise of blessing. Positive and negative events can draw us closer to God and refine our character, if we let them.
4.) The peace of knowing God is in control.

Whenever something threatens our security and causes pangs of anxiety, we should be able to meet it with squared shoulders and a confident response: "Wait and see what God will do." Imagine the freedom that would be ours if we could truly live with this attitude!

The question is, are we going to respond emotionally or are we going to camp on these truths? Do we trust God to give us the desired outcome, or to use whatever happens to shape our character? Are we going to seek him, and put our hope in him alone?

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him. Are you waiting quietly for his work in your life to be manifested? Trust him. And wait and see what he's going to do for you.

"Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere." Ephesians 6:18 NLT

In Ephesians 6, Paul outlines the attire necessary for a successful Christian life, commonly referred to as "the whole armor of God."

Then he says to pray. I've heard it said that prayer is the "heavy artillary" we have at our disposal in this ongoing spiritual battle. We often overlook the significance of prayer in our daily lives. We are never alone. We have the freedom to turn to the Creator with all manner of requests, petitions, and praises.

We tend to use prayer as a last restort instead of considering it as the essential first response. We want to feel in control, and praying means that we are giving it to God to take care of. And you know what? That's the wisest thing we could ever do! Completely surrender it to him and say: "I will wait and see what God will do about this."

But we shouldn't let our prayers be centered fully on our own lives. Paul reminds us to be persistent in praying for others. When we align our hearts and minds with God, we begin to move away from self-centered thinking and have genuine compassion for others. As we pour ourselves out in prayer for friends, family, and co-workers, we are drawn into even closer unity with our Heavenly Father.

The next time someone shares about a tough situation, tell them you will be praying. Write it down so that you won't forget, and then pray faithfully until it is resolved. Prayer is powerful.

"And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father," Colossians 3:17 NLT

If you claim the name of "Christian," then your life should reflect Christ. Originally this term was use derisively, "Little Christs," by those who were against this new religious sect. But the followers of Jesus took this name and claimed it as their own: those who know him should be little Christs. We should exemplify Christ-like attitudes and behaviors.

What does this look like? Paul tells us we need to "put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy... get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don't lie to each other." Instead, "you must clothe yourselsves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience... Forgive anyone who offends you... clothe yourselves in love... let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts... And always be thankful."

Now if you say, "I do that every day," I know you have one more sin to confess before the Lord! None of us live in perfect purity, peacefulness, and gratitude. I know that I don't! But every day is a new opportunity to seek the aid of the Holy Spirit in conforming myself into the image of Christ.

We are his representatives in a world filled with brokenness and pain. We need to shine the light to show the way for those who are in darkness. We have a marvelous hope and joy within us that others need to see.

"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." James 1:27 NLT

Has anyone else noticed that our nation is in a bit of a situation? The U.S. has certainly seen better days. I'm of the opinion that the current downward spiral is directly connected to the deterioration of the moral fabric that was woven into our heritage. Are we, the Church, living up to this verse?

We are called to be a light in the darkness; a city on a hill. But I wonder, are we inspiring others with our godly lives or are we blending in with the culture? Does my life reflect Christ so that without words, others know I am one of his followers?

This verse gives us two challenges: the first is to show compassion for those enduring difficult times, especially underprivileged children and women who do not have a husband or family to support them. The second challenge is perhaps the most difficult: to be uncorrupted by the world's value system.

Are we spending enough time in the Word and in growing our relationship with God to know what he expects from us? Just because something is accepted and prevalent in our culture does not make it acceptable in the eyes of God. We are called to be set apart, to be uncorrupted. And if we are living obediently, we will definitely stand out!

Positive change will not come to our nation until the hearts of God's people return to him. Join me in praying for a revival to sweep our land. Let it begin with us.

Jesus told him, "If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor. Then come, follow me." But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I'll say it again--it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!" Matthew 19:21-24 NLT

The young man came to Jesus asking what good deed was required for him to obtain eternal life. Jesus responds (anticipating the answer) that he must keep the commandments. The young man replies sincerely: "I've obeyed all these commandments. What else must I do?"

Jesus doesn't take the time to dispute the truth of that statement. "You've always obeyed all the commandments?" Sure you have! Instead Jesus says something even harder. He presents the young man with a challenge to test the sincerity of his heart.

And the young man was not happy with Jesus' answer! He had expected something... easier. Sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor? Then follow Jesus? This was just asking too much! He went away sad. He had wanted to be assured of heaven. But the price was too high.

Now, don't be confused: you can't earn your way into heaven! Apart from a relationship with Jesus Christ, there is no salvation. This was a test. Jesus doesn't want us doing good deeds to earn brownie points.

He doesn't want just part of our lives. Jesus wants--and deserves--all that we have. Are we willing to truly follow him? Are we willing to give him everything: our devotion, obedience, time, and money?

Following Jesus involves personal sacrifice--and the affluence of our culture may not be to our advantage. Consider Mark 8:36, "And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?"

"Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." Luke 12:33-34 NLT

What are the desires of your heart? What things are of the greatest importance to you? If you're not sure, then do a quick inventory of what you spend the most time thinking about and the most amount of money on.

Is it the Kingdom of God? Jesus had just finished telling the crowd: "And don't be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don't worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need."

Sometimes I wonder if we remember that God already knows our needs. I wonder if we give any thought at all to his kingdom, let alone make it the desire of our hearts. It seems that we are all swept away in a world of materialism and pleasure, forgetting that we are just passing through. This world is not our home.

If the Kingdom of God was truly the greatest desire of our hearts, would we spend as much time dwelling on the petty stuff or worrying about our needs? Or would we spend our money more frugally, and give to those who are in greater need than we are?

When we make the Kingdom of God the priority of our lives, Jesus says that our Heavenly Father will give us treasures in heaven where they will never be lost or destroyed. It's time to reprioritize.

"Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called the disciples to him and said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.'" Mark 12:41-44 NLT

Tax time has me thinking about money. I'm humbled by how God has provided for me over and over again. Everything I have proves his mercy. Yet, I wonder if he's pleased with my money management. I've tried to be frugal with my spending. I've set money aside in Savings. But... Have I given enough?

I sigh as I confess that there's nothing like the thrill of shopping. If I gave more, there would be less to spend.

But do I need all the stuff I buy? How much money do I need in Savings? Really? Hard questions... But I wonder if what we want is to have Enough, or to have More Than Enough. It goes back to the security issue, as well as the excess of our culture. Because it really doesn't take much money to keep a modest shelter over our heads, reasonable quantities of healthy food on our plates, and a simple wardrobe in our closets. The rest is surplus.

We can all make excuses for not giving more. I mean, I'm a single mother struggling to get by on a very small income. But when I think of the poor widow who gave all she had (not 10 percent), my excuses sound lame.

I feel led to do something new: I'm praying for opportunities to give to meet genuine needs (above my tithe). I'm wary of wolves in sheep's clothing, but I'm confident God will guide me where to invest in his kingdom.