Connect

  Have you ever had the greatest intention of sharing Christ with everyone around you? You start your day with the mindset of sharing Christ. You do this by intention NOT avoiding anyone so that you may potentially talk to them about Christ.
   In the intentionality of not avoiding people, you realize that you actually haven't shared Christ with anyone that day, because you haven't talked to anyone that day. Let me explain. It takes more than NOT avoiding people, but we are to be intentional with others so that we may share Christ with others by letting them see Christ in our lives. But how can they see Christ in our lives if they cant see our lives? And how can they see our lives if we are intentional about showing it? We are to connect to share Christ!

Lacking in Nothing

   Have you ever seen someone who seemed to just have everything? Anything that someone could think of, they had. Money, food, easily provided anything needed for their family, always. You may even equate this to a king in his palace. A good king, a true king, is not measured by what he has, but by the quality of life of his people. 

   If the kings people are living in shambles and of a poor quality of life, that king is not truly considered a good king. However, their were kings that provided well for their kingdom and were considered amazing kings. Now if they can provide for their people on earth, the True King can surely provide for His People!

   Jesus is the True King and lacks in absolutely nothing. He takes great care of His Own and makes all things work for their good, if they love Him and are called according to His Purpose. Do you know that King? The True King? His Kingdom is forever and He lacks in nothing

Two Summer's Ago

   Two summers ago, as I attended a summer camp in Cleveland Tennessee entitled Student Life Camp, one of the most impactful moments was not necessarily during worship, it was not during a teaching, and it was not even during a game, but it was after all of those things when we were walking to lunch.
   You see, a day before, we had a day at SL entitled water day. This day, during our game time, we literally played in big tubs of water, along with hoses, wet sponges, etc. And afterward, we all got together as a team (SL had four teams) and we would talk, share, and pray.
   After all of that was done, one man asked me for my name. I gladly gave him my name and to his not thinking too much about it, thinking that with all of the people that went to SL Camp, there is no way that he would remember my name anyways, but it was very nice of him to ask for it.
   The very next day during recreational time, we played another game and afterward we huddle to talk, share, and pray. After this was completed, he called me by name. He remembered my name.
   That moment still sticks to me to this day. Sometimes the smallest things with the most compassion have the most impact! Think of the little things today, see the trees and the forest as a whole, and do something small that could possibly make a big impact in someone elses life!

Best Day Ever

Have you ever had the feeling that today will be the best day ever? You wake up that morning with nothing but positive thoughts, and you go through your day with a positive outlook. For that day, there is nothing that can get you down. It is truly the best day ever.
   Recognize that I never said that everything went your way that day. In fact, most of the time, there is something in the day that goes the complete opposite way of yours. However your outlook made it the best day ever.
   Accepting Christ is the best decision that anyone could make. It is truly the best day ever. However, this does not mean that once someone accepts Christ, everything goes there way, but it does mean that they are on the winning team, Christ's team! That is the best day ever!

He's Got it All

   Have you ever had a package that needed to be delivered across country? What do you do? Do you go to your car when you have work the next morning and drive from South Carolina to California just to make sure that your package is delivered?
   Although possible, that is probably not the route that one would take. Instead, they would go to their mailbox or post office, pay for postage, and send it via a mailing service. Then what do you do? You trust. All of a sudden, depending on your shipping options, the package is delivered a few days later at the destination.
   You put your trust in a mailing service, believing that once you sent your package, there was nothing to worry about. Have you put your trust in the Lord, knowing that once He has your heart, there is nothing to worry about? If you havent, giving your heart to Christ is the greatest decision that you could ever make! He has got it all!

Thank You

   Over the last couple of weeks, I have either been finishing up in my classes, preparing and studying for an exam, taking an exam, or packing to go home. Therefore, I have had very little time for this blog. However, God is still God and has and will watch and care for His beloved. But I do want to thank you for bearing with me through this time as I have been finishing up with my first year in college.
   Just to let you know, the HOPE Ministries blog will continue to be fully functional and updated constantly as was before. May God bless you tremendously this week and may His Hand be upon you always!

What You Expect from Humans

   When my mother was single, and had to raise me on her own, she unfortunately had to play the role of the mother and the father. She cooked, cleaned, played with me, and let me play with others to try to make sure that I had what I needed to develop correctly.
   However, this was impossible, for her to perfectly fulfill both jobs as a mother and a father. Although she did all that she could, it was just not possible for her to do this perfectly, and I can not blame her for it.
   Yet, as a child, I did not know nor fully understand this, so to me, she was expected to be super woman. She would always help with my homework and such things like that, but she never wanted to play things like football and soccer with me because she was a woman and she worked all day to make sure we had necessities.
   Therefore, she could not do all of the things that I expected of her, for it was humanly impossible. Do you ever think that you may put too many expectations is humans, to where they either can not or wont fulfill them all, and therefore, you feel let down by people? I urge you to watch your expectations in humans and put your faith and expectations into the promises of God, for they will always be fulfilled!

Waiting

   Have you ever had to wait for a package to come in the mail? You ordered something only a few days ago but it seems that it is taking absolutely forever. Every day the mail man comes you are the first outside to see if what you have paid for has finally come?
   I recently did this. But there was one thing that I learned. No matter how much I desired for something to come faster, the delivery date did not change. I could not rush the mail man. If we cannot rush mailmen, what makes you think that we can rush God? Blessings and promises from God come in His timing, not ours!
   God controls all, including time. Patience brings Him honor, for you know that He will provide all that we need, for patience shows trust! Do you trust in Him, or do you try and rush the mailman?
  

Creator and Fixer

When I was in the tenth grade, I was always amazed at one device, the iPod Touch. Yes, it had already been available on the market for a few years, However, this was the first time that I had owned one.
I got it from a friend of mine. He was done with it because it had broken. Therefore, he graciously let me keep it and I gladly used the broken iPod for some time. However, after a while, I realized that it was time for the iPod to be fixed.
I called places around town that claimed that they could fix it. That sounded great, however I was not really content with that. So I called Apple. The iPod was still in warranty, so it was no competition! I sent the iPod to Apple to be fixed by them. Why? Who knows something better than the one who made it?
We were created by God and made in His Image. In this life, we go through tests and trials continually for the sanctification of the saints. However, when we hit the moments where we need something to be fixed so that we may proceed, which is the point of the test, who better to fix what is broken than the One who made us in the first place, the Lord Almighty. He is the Creator of All, and He can fix all!

Good Management

   Jesus never made a promise that He could not, did not, or will not fulfill! Most say, "Well, that"s because He is Jesus, the perfect son of God!" This is true. However, if you step back from the big picture and look at some small aspects, you may see the things Jesus did in making this true.
   One of the biggest things of this ability to fulfill all He said was management. For example, I cannot tell my friend that I will meet them at the library at five o'clock in the afternoon, and then go tell my other friend that I am going to meet them to get something to eat across town at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. We are called to have management over our time, which gives us management over our promises. 
   I also cannot spend $5,000 to buy a new Rolex, and then have no money for tithes. I cannot go blow all of my money on golf clubs, and not have enough for the mandated ten percent of my tithing. If I have five dollars, I cannot give a friend ten, for I wont have it. Money is also a huge thing that we are called to manage. 
   However, God may be dealing with you on a personal level to show you what He has given you and wants you to manage better, for it is all His. Therefore, pray that God shows you things that He wants you to see so that you may become more like Him. 

To Be Free

   What does one think of when they hear the word anarchy? "a state of society without government or law" is the definition according to dictionary.com. However if you ask the common man walking down the street, they may say that anarchy is the state or no law, basically. 

   Now what do people think of when they hear the term "freedom?" Most think of a state of not being told what to do by anyone, and totally dictating their actions by their will. Then, inevitably, they equate freedom with anarchy, thinking that without law, they can obey their own will completely and only then are they truly free.

   This runs into their spiritual beliefs, and they may think that true freedom saying that they believe in Christ, but follow their own will without even seeking out the Will of God because we are free in Christ. 

   However this is simply not correct. Quite the opposite. True freedom comes from accepting Christ and trusting and obeying His Will, knowing that what He desires is for you to be free, in Him! We simply do not know what is best, but God knows the past, present, and future, and is His Will there is wisdom, and in His Wisdom, there is true freedom!

Opportunity to Share

  Let us go on another quick journey. Imagine that you are jogging down the road that you live on during a warm, perfectly breezy summer morning. You have already ran three miles and are on the last leg until you return back to your home.
   All of a sudden, you look down at the path ahead of you and on the gravel what do you see, nothing else than one hundred dollars just lying on the ground with a note attached stating, "to whoever finds this: this is yours to keep. This bill keeps on multiplying. You shall never be in need anymore. You are saved from the falling economy of this world."
   So, after you return home, you pay your tithing, and you all of your bills, for the one hundred dollars kept multiplying and you immediately went to blessing other people. You did not let that precious opportunity pass to share the wealth of that hundred bucks to bless others.
   You may be reading this saying, if I had one hundred dollars that multiplied continually, I would surely use it to do just that. Well, you have something much more. You have the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which has the power to save those from the falling of this world! If you were the one who was running, you probably would not hesitate to pick up that bill. So tell yourself, do you hesitate at the opportunity to share the Word of God?

The Way Ya See It

Lets go on a hypothetical adventure. Let us say that there are two sisters that are twins. Both of them have had the same classes all of their lives and they both come home with a major English assignment due the next day.
   They get home, eat dinner , and talk with their family about the day. Both are not the happiest at the fact that they have a lot of work to do to finish their respective assignments. However, the difference is that one sister does not complain about the assignment, but is eager to start so that she may finish it proficiently and efficiently. The other sister, on the other hand, only complained about having to do it, stating that it was pointless and was very hesitant to even start the project.
   The difference did not lie in the appearance of these two twin sister, or in the assignment that they were given, it lied in the outlook. One sister realized that it had to be completed, so there was no need to waste time complaining.
   As Christians, we know that Christ is King ans Lord and His Will is the Supreme Will of the Land, so when we have our assignments, whether the Universal assignment of making disciples of all nations, or the individual assignments He gives us, we realize that He is Lord and He knows All! Its about Outlook. How you see Jesus and His commands. That is what seperates!

   So, you are at church on a given Sunday morning, attending service, and you are happily moving your body as your soul rejoices the the five songs played by the worship band that morning. From the strike of the first chord until the holding out of the last note, your spirit simply is fully locked on to the Love of God and the Desire to Worship Him!
   Therefore, you attend the evening service at your respective church, and you experience God in a mighty way through the songs played that night as well. At the end of that Sunday, you feel as that music that glorified God and inspired you to sing along has truly changed your attitude on life and following the Life of Christ.
   Yet, when you get into your car, on comes whatever is on the radio. And along with that, on comes whatever the song is glorifying, because everything glorifies something! And, because of the pure sound of the music, you feel the inspiration to start moving your body again.
   On Sunday morning however, your body, spirit, and the songs glorified God. In your car, however, they glorified whatever the song was. Its time to glorify only the Father. I encourage you, watch what you are taking in and what you are living out, for God isnt only for Sunday morning!

Being Watched

   The most important part of leading is surely the watching. We can say absolutely anything that we want to. We could say not to do this and that and even state good reason. But is that what we ourselves live?
   Telling people about the excellence, love, power, and forgiveness of Christ is an absolute calling as Christians and followers of Jesus Christ! However, Jesus was surely not just talk. And listening to Him is surely not all that the disciples did.  The watched His every move! They watched His responses, and listened to His words.
   People watch your actions! Our job is not only to tell about Jesus, but to BE like Him! In our actions and our words! People are watching, so show them Jesus!

Not Wasting the Time

   As one can imagine, there are classes that students take just so that they fill the educational requirements to graduate college. Not to criticize the state of education of South Carolina, but there was a class that I was required to take during my sophomore year of high school entitled Composition and Research. Every day I would witness some students falling asleep for most of the class period and pass the class. Partially because most of the time, we would finish the elementary work fairly quickly. Now it is up to you to decide how well this class consumed our time.   However, if you are one that believes that 90 minutes of the day were wasted in that class, how much more then would you agree that we waste our time and energy daily by not following the Will of the Lord? How much time or heart daily do we put in discipleship, in seeking the Father, in Spreading His Word, in Obeying His Commands? I urge you, our time is not guaranteed in this life! Don't waste the life that you are given!

Perfect

   Did you know that in Chemistry, some reactions cannot occur with water? They are called spectator ions, and sodium is a specific one. When you add sodium with water, it is a spectator, it does not react, for it is part of a strong base (sodium hydroxide). The interesting part is, although sure sodium dissolves in water, it does not react, no matter the temperature or pressure or any colligative property.
   God absolutely cannot, no matter the circumstance, sin. Also, sin, no matter what, can be in the Presence of the Lord. No matter the time of day, the weather outside, or your sin, God Himself will not and cannot ever sin against His Word! Why is this important, because that means that you serve a God that is not only Great, Mighty, and All Powerful, but He is also Perfect! You serve a Perfect God!!

A Disciples Discipline

   Being a disciple took a lot. Imagine having the privilege of getting to follow Jesus wherever He went, watching His every move and response to every situation encountered in life, so that you may have the Wisdom to derive a Holy and Acceptable response to every situation in your life, that must have been amazing!
   Wait! Are we not supposed to be disciples of Christ?
   Then we should develop the discipline it takes to stay in the Word of the Lord, (the Bible), and in Prayer and personal time with the Father, always drawing closer to Him. The point is however, this does not just happen. You do not just wake up one morning with the Discipline to continually seek the Father. It takes pushing those personal boundaries that keep us apathetic, and pushing to come to God daily, to develop the Discipline that it takes to be a True Disciple.

New Life

   Have you ever heard of the story of someone "escaping" death? They were on the death bed and for a matter of time, they were biologically dead? Maybe their neurons stopped working momentarily or their heart temporarily stopped pumping. However, a few seconds or minutes later, they come back to biologically
   We were fully dead in our sin and HE brought us back to life. We were numb to the things of God, but because He died on the Cross, we are given the chance to come to Him and Ultimately to the Father in the end through His forgiveness with an entirely new life in Christ! If you have accepted Christ, you have been justified and now are being sanctified daily to become like Him, for He is New Life!

All Along

   Have you ever watched a movie about a SuperHero about to engage in battle? Tell me, what can you infer? You probably,without even thinking about it, infer that the good guy is going to win. And in most movies and shows, the plot allows for the good guy to end up winning against the bad ones.
   Guess what, in the way that things have been set up by the Almighty God, He is victorious in the end, which means that WE are also victorious if we are in Him and his child. This is good news. That means that when it seems as we are losing this battle in life against sin, ALL ALONG we have already gotten the Victory, for Christ is victorious! Be encouraged, for ever since the beggining, God has already won the war!