Hope Returns When We Remember God's Unfailing Love

by Rick Warren

“Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope.” (Lamentations 3:21-24 GNT)

Pain is a natural part of life. You can’t escape it. Broken relationships, missed opportunities, and rough seasons of life will always be with us. When they do come, you can either become bitter or hopeful.

The choice is yours.

Jeremiah faced the same choice. When his world came apart after Jerusalem was sacked in 586 B.C., the prophet wrote the book of Lamentations to share his honest frustrations with God. But he didn’t settle in his bitterness and stay there.

In Lamentations 3:21-24, after sharing his bitter feelings, he wrote, “Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord's unfailing love and mercy still continue, fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in him I put my hope” (GNT).

In The Face Of Opposition

Written by Donna Mitchell

Take today’s next step: Trying to share your faith but discouraged by a lack of success? It could be that your definition of successful witnessing is incorrect. We can help with that.  

“We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.”  (Colossians 1:11-12, NLT)

The word endurance suggests resistance.  If there were no resistance – there would be no need for endurance. “Endure” means taking a strong stance and not giving up hope when obstacles or opposition confronts you.

Sometimes, there is more at stake than we realize.

Shift Your Perspective

Written by Leonard Buhler

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” Colossians 3:1-2

Do you feel pressured to do more for God? Many of us do. Deep-down we know that our lives should be about serving God – that they should matter in an eternally significant way. But our days are so full. Work, school, family, sports, errands, gardening – we look at everything we have going on and even though it seems impossible to fit more in, we feel like we should. We should be doing more for God. We should be volunteering at a soup kitchen, or helping out with the Alpha Course at church, or leading a mens’ group.

I need to shift my perspective more than I need to shift my schedule. “Set your hearts on things above… Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things.” Paul is encouraging the believers in Colosse to see the world in a new way, to look at everything from the vantage point of heaven. Yes, I could try to cram more into my insanely busy life. Or, I could take Paul’s advice and shift my perspective.

Establish Habits for Spiritual Growth

Rick Warren.
“So we continue to preach Christ to each person, using all wisdom to warn and to teach everyone, in order to bring each one into God's presence as a mature person in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28 NCV)

The most practical and powerful way to get believers headed in the direction of spiritual maturity is to help them establish habits that promote spiritual growth.

You cannot talk about character without talking about habits. Character is the way you habitually act. For example, if you are honest only part of the time, or if you are honest only when you consciously choose to be honest, you cannot claim to have the character quality of integrity.