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Posted on February 26, 2020 by beverlyeash

For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

Ephesians 5:8-9

Power check time! The light within is not your own. You aren’t responsible to put it there and you don’t maintain it. It is there by faith in Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is his light and he keeps it bright and glowing.

What is my role? Keep the windows clean. When I arrived at my house in Florida a few weeks ago, I noticed almost immediately that my windows were hopelessly dirty. I have never washed them and we bought this place two years ago. That is a lot of grit and grime accumulated on the glass.

The sun still shone outside and the light still came through the window, but it was limited. I found a bucket, rags, step ladder, a bit of elbow grease and attacked the windows inside and out.

The windows now shine bright and glossy. The light outside is the same, but the window is different. Now it illuminates the room with sparkle and shine.

Sometimes the windows of our souls get muddy from the chaos of life. The light of the Spirit is still shining, it just can’t get through the grime. Clean up the window and the light will shine out once again.

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Posted on February 25, 2020 by beverlyeash

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

John 8:12

Jesus came into the world to illuminate the way back to God. As followers of Jesus, we are invited to imitate his way of life. That includes illuminating the way back to God. Paul says it like this:

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2

How is your light? Is it shining brightly, showing others the way to God? Or has it become dull and lifeless? Maybe it’s time for a power check.

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Posted on February 24, 2020 by beverlyeash

Driving through town at dusk to meet friends for dinner, Mom asked if I had my headlights on. Accustomed to lights that come on automatically, I realized I hadn’t even given it a thought.

Looking around, I noticed that most cars were brightened with headlights. It was not dark yet, but the sunlight had diminished enough that automatic headlights, programmed to respond in low light conditions, had illuminated.

Immediately I thought about my life as a follower of Jesus. Jesus compared our lives to light in Matthew 5. He said we should shine brightly so that others can see our lives and give glory to God. There are times when the darkness of the world is so dense that the light we cast is obvious. We illuminate dark corners when injustice occurs and we shine the light of justice into the situation.

We teach our children to be truthful and kind so their light will shine. Bullying, racism, stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination are all dark corners that we endeavor to illuminate with the love, kindness and acceptance we receive from Jesus. So many times we know to shine our light brightly.

But there are other times when I don’t need light to find my way, so I go about my day without thinking much about it. But others need the light, so I ought to let it shine for them. Just like when I was driving at dusk. I didn’t need my headlights to illuminate my way. When I turned them on it made little difference to me. But it made all the difference for other drivers. Now I was visible. I no longer blended in with my surroundings. Dusk is a difficult time to see. Shadows mix with the last rays of sunlight to create shifting images that confuse and disorient even the best driver.

I don’t know where you need to shine your light, but I know the Holy Spirit does. He will show you. This week, remember what Jesus said about our light and then turn yours on, even if you don’t need it. After all, it isn’t about you anyway.

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Matthew 5:14-16

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Posted on February 23, 2020 by beverlyeash

May your Sabbath rest today be filled with images of Jesus and pictures of hope firmly anchored in his love for you.

Photo by Charlotte Noelle on Unsplash

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Posted on February 22, 2020 by beverlyeash

Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

Jonah 2:8-9

From the belly of the fish, Jonah realigned his priorities. Running from the Lord did not work for him, and it took the depths of the sea and time spent among the seaweed for him to be reminded.

My hope falters when I turn away from God’s mercies. I am reminded this week as I write about hopelessness of a family I follow on Instagram. It seems life is handing them more than anyone can possibly endure. And their hope is failing. Perhaps you feel the same way today. There are no breaks and life is just too much.

I don’t have the answer for that, but I do know that God hears our prayers before we pray them and even when we don’t know how to pray. He doesn’t promise to remove the difficult assignments in life, but to be with you in the midst of them. His compassion and love guide you and give you hope, even in the most trying situations.

Sometimes, praise is the sacrifice needed to raise our faith to new levels and restore our hope in the one who alone is our salvation. And that is my prayer for every person who opens this post today.

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Posted on February 21, 2020 by beverlyeash

Read: Psalm 39

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.”

Psalm 39:4-5

Hopelessness comes when I forget how brief life is. I exist for only a moment and then I am gone. Forgetting how short life is, I look at temporal pursuits as eternal. My eyes fixate on what is around me, the things I can see. Caught up in the swirl of chaos and madness called life, I haphazardly attach my hope to accomplishments, wealth, a good name.

And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.

Psalm 39:7

This life I know and experience is not all there is. Paul says it like this:

And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.

1 Corinthians 15:19

Is your hope shaky, faltering because the things of this life are weighing you down? Remind yourself today that this is not all there is. And while we are here, we put our hope in Christ, not ourselves.

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Posted on February 20, 2020 by beverlyeash

Yet Jerusalem says, “The Lord has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.”

Isaiah 49:14

There are times I feel forgotten. Forgotten by those who should remember. Forgotten on days that are special or outstanding. Forgotten by the ones I love and I believe love me. The cloak of invisibility hangs over me as life hurries and pushes along without a thought of my existence.

When I feel forgotten, I lose hope. Hope that life will ever be better or joyful or routine again. And then I pause. Am I truly forgotten? Is that possible?

Sing for joy, O heavens! Rejoice, O earth! Burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on them in their suffering. Yet Jerusalem says, “The Lord has deserted us; the Lord has forgotten us.” “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.

Isaiah 49:13-16

Yes, it is possible to feel forgotten.

No, it is not possible for God to forget us.

When I was younger, I wrote important things on my hands, the things I didn’t want to forget. I never went so far as to engrave (tatoo) anything on my hands, to put it there permanently. But I have a Father in heaven who loves me more than the most devoted mother, and he has gone the distance and engraved my name in the palm of his hand. Perhaps it is the nail mark that reminds him of me. Or perhaps it’s just a vivid picture of the permanence of his love for me.

You have not been forgotten. The love of the Father is so deep and wide and long and high that he cannot possibly forget you or abandon you. Even if it feels like it.

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Posted on February 19, 2020 by beverlyeash

I replied, “But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose.”

Isaiah 49:4

It is easy to lose hope when our work seems meaningless. It is built into our DNA to make a difference. We want our days filled with purpose and our lives to mean something beyond ourselves. I believe that desire is a gift from God.

Difficulty arises when we weigh what we do on the scales our culture provides. Bigger, better, louder, showy are all measures of the significance of our work. But when it is hidden, smaller, quiet and unseen it can feel useless. And hope begins to falter.

The second half of Isaiah’s observation is crucial to maintaining hope. He says it like this:

“Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.”

Isaiah 49:4

So many times I find myself enjoying the most common tasks, finding fulfillment in quiet moments and unseen efforts. Until the little voice in my head questions if this is really all that purposeful? And then my hope quivers and quakes. I begin to wonder…am I really making a difference?

In those moments of doubt, I remember the world’s reward comes at a cost. A cost of lost hope, continual striving, devastation of my soul. And so I place my hope in the reward the Lord provides. I leave the results to him.

Does your work seem meaningless and without purpose? Who do you trust for your reward? What would it mean for you to trust God for reward rather than the world around you?

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Posted on February 18, 2020 by beverlyeash

“For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me—the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!”

Jeremiah 2:13

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

John 7:37-39

When life provides unexpected challenges, we respond. Sometimes we respond with faith and other times we respond with disbelief. It is when our faith wavers and we turn away from the fountain of living water that we lose hope.

The Lord’s words to Jeremiah always cause me to catch my breath. It is one thing to turn away from the fountain of life, but then we go one step further and look to things that cannot provide us with refreshment. It is the equivalent of trying to hold water in a cracked cistern. It just doesn’t work.

If you lost hope or your hope wavers, check your water supply. Are you accessing the fountain of life or have you traded the purest, freshest source for a poor substitute? Where do you go for life-giving refreshment?

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Posted on February 17, 2020 by beverlyeash

Hope. Elpis. Confident expectation.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.

Proverbs 13:12

Hope – looking forward with confident expectation – is a necessary element of successful living. What causes you to lose hope? What puts your hope on hold? If hope is the light that illuminates tomorrow, what causes it to flicker?

Join me this week as we explore what scripture reveals about maintaining our hope even in the midst of difficulty.

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