Spring of Hope

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions  "Though the waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake, there is a river" (Psalm 46:3). Psalm 46 is said to be the favorite Psalm of Martin Luther, the great reformer of the 15th century. This psalm inspired him to write the well known hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." God is a stronghold and a tower, a bulwark (strong wall or fortress) never failing! Luther faced numerous dangers and threats on his life from the pope and the religious establishment when he found peace and comfort in this Psalm. Whatever problems rage against us, God’s Spirit is the ever-flowing river who sustains us and gives us gladness even while we are under siege (Ps. 46:4). His river of grace and peace flows through the middle of the city. Not that the people of God will be exempt us from trouble, rather God will be with them in the midst of the troubles. There is a sprin...

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions  (A Lent Devotion) In Gen 12, we read about the calling of Abraham. The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great.". Abraham was living in Harran at the happy old age of 75. Life was good, Abraham has made a name for himself, he was established to settle for retirement. The only thing it seems like Abraham has missed out on is having a child with his wife Sarah. But they were both passed childbearing age anyway and at this point they have settled for the good life they have now. Little did they know that God had a different plan for them. They were going to become the father of a nation. Their lives were going to change from a self-centered one to be a blessing for the world. Abram responded to God's goodness with fai...

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions  Someone said, “I don't like surprises. I am afraid of them because surprises are either too good to believe, or too bad to accept.” Like them or not, surprises are inevitable in this world. God gives us some surprises throughout our lives. Abraham was surprised by three visitors while he was resting under a tree (Gen 18) and was surprised to hear that he was going to have a child at the age of 100. Mary and Joseph were surprised by the visit of angel to tell them that they are going to be the parents of the savior of  the world. Moses was in the desert when he found God in a burning bush, Isaiah was in Babylon with exiled people when he prophesied, Job was in the midst of pain and calamity when he experienced the surprising power of God. The one consistent element in the gospel accounts of that first Easter morning is that everyone was surprised. No one expected an empty...

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions  The first three gospels describe the temptations of Jesus. "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." (Matthew 4:1-3). "Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him." (Mark 1:12-13). " Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time." (Luke 4:12-13) There are only two times Satan talks directly to a person. The first was in Genesis 3, when satan was talking with Eve in the garden of Eden (cf Genesis 3). And the second time is to Jesus in the wilderness. Perhaps the best way to understand these temptations is to compare them to the the temptation that Satan placed before Eve in the Garden of Eden. In both cases satan appealed to world...

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions  Three Cups  The first cup is the cup is at the garden of Gethsemane where He pleaded with His Father to remove this cup from Him. It was the cup that He embraced in full obedience to His Father’s will. And He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, where He knelt down and prayed, "Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done." (Luke 22:42). In the Garden of Gathsemane Jesus asks Peter (John 18:4) “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” It was the cup of the punishment of God against sins of the world. The second cup was a cup that Jesus refused to drink and finally drank and died. Fermented wine used to be given as a narcotic or anesthetic to one who was about to be crucified so that they will not feel the severity of the pain. Matthew 27:33 - 34 refers to this drink as wine mixed with gall...

Buy my book   " Joy in the Journey " on Amazon now 20% goes to missions  "Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me." Jesus said these words to the disciples who were troubled by the words He said. They have just finished observing the Passover, enjoyed a pleasant meal and were ready to relax. Then Jesus sat down and washed his disciples’ feet. Then he began telling them that one among them will betray him, one will deny him and all of them will abandon mim. Jesus revealed that he is going to die and will leave earth soon.  Their Master's words must have broken their hearts, shattered their confidence, and left them devastated. John Chapter 14 starts withe reassuring promise that if they trust him, they will not be disappointed. They may not know all the details of why certain things happen in their journey. Believe that God will not let you down, because I am here. Trust in Me that I am going to prepare a place for you....