Skip to main content

Monday Morning Blog - MMG 10-17-16

MMG 10/17/2016  COFFEE & THE WORD

As I drink my 2nd cup of coffee, I have the open Bible next to me and I read this: "I cry out, 'My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the LORD is lost!'" Have you ever felt that way? I have. This Bible writer has feelings many of us do. Life deals bad things sometimes. Oh, by the way, the writer is Jeremiah the Prophet. And these words are from Lamentations 3:18 (NLT). I shared some of these words after our Worship Gathering at Creed (www.creedchurch.org) yesterday during AfterGlow.

His next few words express similiar feelings until you get to v21 when he says, "Yet I still dare to hope ..." WOW! Can you see that? There Is Always HOPE! And that's what separates a 'Religion' from a 'Relationship' with Almighty God! God is the God of Hope! Jeremiah in his deep dispair had hope and said so. The whole of v21 says "Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:" ==> Now watch what he says next ... this is what transitions him from dispair and grief to joy and calm. v22-24 (NLT) "The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, 'The LORD is my inheritance; therefore I will hope in Him!'" 

I have some friends who are in a place today Jeremiah was in many years ago. Their life is complicated with grief and dispair. They have shared the depths of their hurt with Kathy and I. It is intense. But they've learned God is their hope. The pain continues but the hope helps overcome and at some point, when the mercies of God are poured down the grief, the pain, the hurt with lessen to the point of non-exisitence. Our God wants you to experience His Peace ... but it has to be His Way. 

So accept His work in you. The bad occurs, yes. But Hope is right behind when we get the perspective of Jeremiah. Then God's mercies become daily and brand new causing us to rejoice. That is awesome. I think I'll drink to that ... coffee that is. And with renewed spirit of hope, I'll go make a batch of eggs for baby girl and I (seeing she cooked the bacon already)!

Go in peace and joy.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Prayer for Christmas Eve

O God our Father, you have brought us again to the glad season .....when we celebrate the birth of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant that his Spirit may be born anew in our hearts this day .....and that we may joyfully welcome him to reign over us. Open our ears that we may hear again the angelic chorus of old. Open our lips that we, too, may sing with uplifted hearts. Glory to God in the highest, .....and on earth, peace, goodwill toward all; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The United Methodist Book of Worship, no. 276.
Post a Comment
Read more

MMB Monday Morning Blog 8-26-24 Seasons

There are four season in the year. In Florida, where I currently live, the season are here too but not like in New Hampshire where I'm from. Florida has HEAT. I remember visiting my parents back in the 90s at their winter home in Wachula around Thanksgiving. We already had snow before our drive south. As we hit Virginia and North Carolina it was apparent we were no longer in the frozen tundra. My parent's mobile home had two bedrooms. It wasn't big enough for us and our two sons. They did, however, have a pop-up trailer under the carport, so it was fine. To stay in a pop-up in Northern New England in late November mas near impossible. You would begin to shiver in about 5 minutes. Nights would reach a low of 0°-20°F. But not so in Florida. After a great Thanksgiving feast we went shopping at the local Walmart. They no longer stay open on Thanksgiving. As I walked into the store I was hit with culture shock. The store was in festive colors and lighting for Christmas but one t...
Post a Comment
Read more

REUNION! A BBQ & Praise Fest Gathering, Too!

An SNC Reunion BBQ and Praise Fest Gathering is being tossed around. We've spoken to a few of the SNC Gang who seem quite excited about this. We'll have a BBQ Pot Luck at a local home and at another time and location enjoy a time of Praise, Worship, Sharing and Fellowshipping together (even with a meal ... just like always). If you have any ideas let me know asap as we get the word out and dates settled. THE MISSION IS STILL BEFORE US In early April 2007, on our yearly anniversary trip to Maine, Kathy and I viewed a new video series on being missionaries to introduce non-Christ followers to Jesus. The 4-Lesson series is based on the book and life of a Chicago pastor who has branched out from the comforts of his church community and has embraced others outside that community to see the staggering results of others giving their lives to Jesus. The title of the series is "Just Walk Across the Room" and is a fantastic home neighborhood connection to aid in our mission. Fu...
Post a Comment
Read more