Devotions

in Small Groups, Devotions, Church Wide

Are you overflowing with hope?

“May the God of hope fill you with great joy and peace so you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

Are you overflowing with hope? In this scripture, Paul makes this request for the Christians in Rome to the God of hope. Paul prays that as we believe and trust in him, God would fill us with great joy and peace. Faith and hope go hand-in-hand. If we can trust and believe in Christ, we can await a glorious future.

What sustains us when we are in the midst of uncertainty and troubling times? What propels us onward to accomplish God’s great purposes? It is hope. Four years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. In response to this frightening news, I found I was filled with an overwhelming sense of hope and peace. I trusted God and my medical team and truly did not worry. Remarkably, I was not plagued with fear. I was filled with hope.

One of the great enemies we face is despair- a lack of hope. We must guard our hearts against this empty feeling. During times of confusion and strife such as these, we must be a people who abound in hope. Let us always remember to thank God for the gift of hope no matter what trials we face. Seeking to have God fill us with joy and peace is what we yearn for every day. It should be the ongoing desire of our hearts to know an overflowing hope in our lives. God, I pray, that each and every day we may be overflowing with hope in you.

-Cindy McKoy

Posted by Cindy McKoy with
in Devotions, Church Wide

There is something in a name.

“I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

There is something in a name. My parents, Robert and Felecia, gave me the name Joshua. I remember my mother in my childhood bedroom telling me stories about Joshua from the Bible. She taught me how God provided for Joshua, and Joshua’s people, even in the midst of what seemed like some impossible circumstances. The words from Joshua 1:9 are illuminated in my heart and spirit right now.

I remember my grandmother, Carolyn Crowder, saying these words to me in a sleepover long ago at her house in Thomasville Heights. I remember my aunt, Jane Graddy, presenting these words to me on a necklace before I went away to college. My elders yearned for me to find strength in God’s abiding presence in every season of life. This is why I can picture God, our eternal provider, saying these words to us now.

For God indeed has proven to be with us at all times in Jesus Christ, and through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus, God took on the fullness of human life; both joy and pain. Church, there is something about the name Jesus. It is the sweetest name I know. In Jesus’ name, may we find REST from confusion, COURAGE on the journey, PEACE in the midst of dismay, HOPE in every season, and a faithful LOVE that endures.

 Josh Miles

Posted by Josh Miles with

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