Daily Dose of Hope

April 8, 2024 

Day 2 of Week 2

Scripture reading for today – Genesis 19-20; Psalm 1; Mark 7

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the daily devotional that complements New Hope Church’s 5 day a week Bible Reading Plan. 

Today presented us with more head-scratching stories in Genesis.  There are two things that happened with Lot that are incredibly difficult for us to grasp.  The first is when the strangers (angels) came to see Lot and he graciously offered them hospitality.  The men of the town demanded that Lot send the strangers outside so they could have sex with them.  Lot, bound my an ancient near east standard of hospitality and protection of guests, refused to do so.  What he did do though was to offer up his own daughters to the men to essentially be gang-raped.  The men didn’t want the girls though and continued to threaten Lot.  Thankfully, the angels rescued lot and struck the townsmen with blindness so they couldn’t harm anyone. 

Obviously, Lot had spent too much time in Sodom.  While Lot was right to protect his visitors, he was absolutely wrong to offer up his daughters.  Possibly because he had been living far away from relatives or the influence of God in his life, Lot had obviously been highly influenced by the culture around him.  He had backslidden and he was wrong.

We see this theme again later in the chapter when Lot’s daughters get him drunk in order to sleep with him and become pregnant.  The whole family has moved so very far from God.  Without any kind of godly influence in their lives, they are doing whatever they deem right in the moment.  It’s a scary lesson for all of us, really.  We have to stay connected to other people of God.  We need each other.  This is kind of an extreme example, but it certainly makes its point. 

It's interesting that the Psalm we read for today starts out, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”  There is a theme here about evilness leading to destruction.  We’ve already seen the consequences of sin over and over again in Genesis and we are only halfway done with the book.  Lot seems to have lost his way, no longer delighting in the law of God.  He’s been walking with the wicked and it shows in his behavior.  The sin of Lot and his daughters will now affect the next generation.  Each of the daughters did get pregnant by their father.  One had a boy who would become the leader of the Moabites.  The other had a boy who would lead the Ammonites.  These two groups become enemies of Israel and were known for their idolatry, violence, and immorality.   

Okay, I don’t want to neglect Mark 7 today because I feel like there is important teaching here.  In this text, there are Pharisees from Jerusalem who have gathered around Jesus.  Maybe they were checking him out, trying to find fault, we aren’t really sure.  Remember, the Pharisees were part of the strictest sect in Judiasm, and they believed in following the Law in the fullest sense.  They would have expected a rabbi and his disciples to follow the letter of the law. 

These Pharisees notice that Jesus’ disciples were going about their day, coming back from the marketplace, and not going through the ceremonial hand-washing rituals required by the oral traditions of the rabbis.  Keep in mind, Scripture did not always give a lot of detail so the rabbis would fill in the gaps with their own rules.  Thus, they ask Jesus why his disciples eat with defiled hands.  This is a dig–it was more like, why aren’t you properly teaching your disciples?  Jesus has this interesting reply, he quotes Scripture from the prophet Isaiah: “‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’  You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”  The prophets were known for warning the people because they would follow the letter of the law and completely lose the spirit of it 

On the surface, there wasn’t anything wrong with what the Pharisees were trying to do.  They had purity laws which they thought were very important in following God.  But you see, Jesus could see past their words, past their ritual, and into their hearts.  He saw insincerity, hollowness, and hypocrisy.  Thus, he sees this as a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. Just as in the times of Isaiah, the Pharisees were giving lip service to following God but their hearts were farfrom him.  They were concerned about the Sabbath being followed to the tee but they would cheat people in the marketplace.  They were concerned about following the specifics of the handwashing but they weren’t at all concerned about the widow and the orphan.  Something was truly skewed here.  They were all about piety but they neglected compassion, justice, and love.  Jesus emphasizes that God is not as concerned about following rules as he is about their heart.  Their hearts were hard.  Their hearts were far from God. 

Of course, it’s the same for us.  God cares about our hearts!  He isn’t interested in our religious busyness, he wants us to walk closely with him.  He doesn’t care if we “look” like a good Christian, he actually wants us to be one – to love him and love others.  He doesn’t care about our ceremonial handwashing---he cares about if we are treating others with the love of Christ. And if we aren’t, then all the ceremony, all the church stuff, it’s kind of just a farce. Why? Because God looks on our hearts. We aren’t fooling God. 

Lord, create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. 

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

 

Daily Dose of Hope

April 7, 2024 

Day 1 of Week 2

Scripture reading for today – Genesis 16-18; Mark 6

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the daily devotional that complements New Hope Church’s Bible Reading Plan.  Our aim is to read the Bible in a year, growing in our walk with Jesus along the way. 

If you recall, at the end of last week, we met Abram and talked about how God promised to make him a father of many nations.  Despite some bad choices, God uses Abram in a powerful way.  We see the continuation of this in today’s Scripture.  God promises to give Abram and Sarai a son but when it doesn’t happen in their timing, they decide to take matters in their own hands.  Sarai devises a plan to have Abram sleep with her handmaid, Haggar, in order to bear him a son.  When Haggar does get pregnant, Sarai isn’t happy at all.  Despite the fact that this was all her idea, Sarai becomes furious with Haggar and abuses her.  Haggar leaves and heads into the desert, a dangerous scenario for a pregnant handmaid in those days.  But God meets her there.  He sends an angel who tells her to go back to Sarai and promises that her son, Ishmael, will be a strong and defiant man. 

I used to read this Scripture and really burn with anger toward Sarai.  Why was she so mean to Haggar and why didn’t she just trust God to begin with?  But over the years, I’ve realized how often I take matters into my own hands, I don’t wait for God’s timing, I jump the gun and say and do things without listening to God’s clear instructions to wait on him.  While I in no way condone her treatment of Haggar, it’s easy to see how she burned with jealousy.  She wanted to be the one who was pregnant with Abram’s child!  She wanted to see God’s promise come true right now!!!  Of course, we know the end of the story.  God’s mercies are so very good.  He cared for Haggar in her hour of need, and he cared with Sarai, despite her disobedience.  And God also cares for us, despite ours. 

What’s fascinating to me about this power couple, Abram and Sarai, is how very normal they are.  They have times in which they make such crazy choices that leave us scratching our heads and then they have times in which their obedience toward God is incredible.  After the Sarai and Haggar situation, we move right into God’s covenant with Abram.  This is when God changes Abram’s name to Abraham and changes Sarai’s name to Sarah.  God tells Abraham to circumcise all the men in his household and he does it.  He doesn’t argue, he doesn’t complain and talk about how painful it will be; he just obeys.  God reconfirms his promise to give Abraham the land of Canaan, to give him a son through Sarah (he’s more specific this time!), and make him the father of many nations.  From that point forward, circumcision was a sign of belonging to the people of God. 

It's easy to spend a lot of time on the Genesis scripture because there is a lot of it but I hope you also made it through Mark 6.  There is a lot of substance there as well!  I wanted to focus on just one portion of that chapter, verses 6-13, when Jesus sends out his disciples.  I’ve always had a particular affinity toward this Scripture.  I like to picture Jesus telling his disciples to go into the towns two by two, take nothing with them, and simply preach about the Kingdom, telling people to repent.  I wonder what they are thinking – are they scared and apprehensive like I might be, do they consider changing professions? 

The best part of the Scripture to me is that they did it; they did exactly what Jesus told them to do.  This was such a huge step of faith.  I mean, they brought nothing with them!  They didn’t pack snacks or make sure the local inn had space for them, just in case.  They trusted Jesus.  And the message he had them preach was simple – Repent!  I think sometimes we make things way too hard and complicated.  If we just did what Jesus said to do and trusted his guidance, how much easier things would be for us.  Please know I’m saying this to myself as well. 

But here is the thing – Jesus sends all of us out into the towns to preach about him.  The disciples were sent and so are we (after all, we are his disciples too!) Jesus sends us into our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our communities, and our families.  What message are we preaching into these places?  What message do you bring with you?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

April 4, 2024 

Day 5 of Week 1

Scripture reading for today – Genesis 12-15; Psalm 148, Mark 5

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope.  Congrats!!!  You have made it through week 1 of the New Hope Bible Reading Plan.  Remember, we are doing a 5 day a week reading plan to give you extra time at the end of each week to either rest, catch up, or get ahead.  Please give me feedback on how it’s going. 

Today, we read about God’s calling of Abram.  What’s fascinating about this is that God calls Abram out of the land of Ur and Abram complies, bringing both his wife, Sarai, and his nephew, Lot.  We get the impression this man named Abram must be super godly and held in high esteem.  I mean God has promised to bless him and make him into a great nation.  Then, in the very next section, Abram lies to the Egyptian royalty, saying Sarai isn’t his wife but his sister, which means she is taken into the Egyptian palace to be a concubine.  Abram is safe but our opinion of him is certainly lessoned.  He then has a falling out with this nephew over land.  And yet, God makes a covenant with him in chapter 15, promising to give him the land in which the Canaanites are currently residing.  We will read more about Abram’s poor choices tomorrow.   

So, does this make you scratch your head?  Sometimes, I read Scripture and I’m like, “Really, God???”  And then, God reminds me that he uses regular, normal, broken, messed up people to do his work and advance his purposes.  He used Abram (later Abraham) to create a new nation.  He used Moses, David, the prophets, the disciples, and Paul.  All of these people had serious faults.  Just like you and me.  But he calls us anyway.  While we are far from perfect, he calls us anyway to advance his Kingdom.  No matter how far we’ve strayed or broken we may be, God wants to use us.  Thank you, Jesus!

I can’t finish today’s devotional without mentioning Mark 5.  This includes two of my favorite miracles, the healing of the demon-possessed man and the healing of the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years.  I’m just going to touch on the first one today.  Jesus heads to the other side of the lake, which means the gentile, or pagan, side of the lake.  These people were not Jews and would have been shunned by the Jewish people.  I love how Jesus is breaking barriers here.  He meets this man who is being tortured by evil spirits.  The man is cutting himself, howling at night, and any chains they use to restrain him, he manages to break.  We can guess he had been this way for some time and thus, had been relegated to the graveyard.  He must have been quite a nuisance to the townspeople. 

But then he meets Jesus.  Jesus seems to actually seek him out.  And what does Jesus do? Well, he heals the man. He totally and completely heals him–physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  You know what’s interesting here is that when the townspeople see the man healed, what do they do?  Do they rush over to him and say, “How wonderful to see you healed and whole so you can have a nice life.” No, they’re scared and they beg Jesus to leave. Why do you think that was?  Clearly, the loss of 2000 pigs would have been a terrible economic loss. But I think that would have made them mad, not necessarily afraid. I can’t help thinking it was because they didn’t want to face their own demons. Rene Girard, a 20th century philosopher said, “Clearly the drowning of the pigs bothers them less than the drowning of their demons.” Is it that they didn’t want to be healed? My guess is they wanted to be healed but they didn’t want to do the work that leads to healing. And what work is that?  First, it means admitting you have some issues. It means admitting they you don’t have it all together.  It means admitting that you are wounded and may have wounded others.  It means admitting that you can’t handle it on our own, that you can’t fix it, that you have been wrong, that you are hurting, that you need help, that you need healing deep within. This isn’t surface level healing I’m talking about because that’s what’sgot us here in the first place. All of us, we need deep soul healing.

Here's the truth:  True healing always starts with Jesus.  In fact, there is no true healing without Jesus. Healing ourselves, our churches, and our land begins with healing the wounds of our own heart.  Before we can heal the legion of demons that our nation is facing, we must address the evil within ourselves.  No one really likes this kind of question but friends, have you faced the evil within yourself? 

Okay, I know I should probably stop here but there is just one more thing that amazes me about this miracle story.  After Jesus heals the man, he wants to go with Jesus.  But Jesus tells him to go and share what happened to him.  And the man did!  We know from later passages that by the time Jesus returns to that side of the lake, the healed man had shared the Gospel with hundreds, if not thousands.  I love how we see, once again, God working through a broken, flawed person.  God healed this man and in turn, his witness led to many, many, many others receiving the spiritual healing they so desperately needed.  And if God can use Abram and if God can use this guy, then God can certainly use us!

 

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

 

 

 

 

 

Daily Dose of Hope

April 3, 2024 

Day 4 of Week 1

Scripture reading for today – Genesis 9-11, Mark 4 

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, New Hope Church’s daily devotional that complements our Bible reading plan. 

Let’s be real.  Today’s reading from Genesis is a bit strange.  This isn’t the first and it won’t be the last time we read Scripture in Genesis that raises both eyebrows and questions.  One minute, we have this beautiful covenant that God makes with Noah, signified by the rainbow.  The next minute, Noah gets drunk and passes out naked in his tent.  There is family drama and Noah becomes furious with his son, Ham, for looking upon his nakedness and not doing anything to cover him up.  Then, the two other sons do their best to cover up dad’s naked body.  I’ve been asked about this passage quite a bit by people confused about what made Noah so mad.  Noah’s reaction is strange to our modern minds, particularly since he curses not Ham, but Ham’s son, Canaan. 

The short answer to eveyone’s question is I don’t really know.  I’ve done a lot of research, reading commentaries by people a lot smarter than myself, and it seems that there is no consensus.  Some think something a lot more immoral and insidious happened in that tent with drunk Noah and his son, Ham.  The truth is that we will never know and we don’t need to know.  The whole situation simply reveals that sin was still clearly an issue on planet earth.  The flood did not “cure” humanity from the evils of sin in any way, shape, or form.  This will only become more evident as we work our way through the book of Genesis.  It’s going to take something bigger and more powerful than flood waters to truly cleanse all of us.

What about the whole cursing of Canaan?  It’s possible that Noah recognized something in his son and grandson that was quite disturbing to him.  A truth was revealed.  God knew that Noah was without fault but something happened to Ham and that was passed to Canaan.  The following generations of Canaanites were known for their brutality and lack of regard for human life. 

Be sure to also work through Mark chapter 4.  There are some pretty powerful parables here, including the sower and the mustard seed.  What I want to briefly touch on, however, is Jesus calming the storm.  This is such a powerful narrative.  The disciples are in the boat with Jesus when a serious storm comes upon them.  Living in Florida, we know about really bad storms that up up fast.  The disciples are clearly scared and seriously think that drowning is a possibility.  Jesus, however, is quite content, sleeping like a baby in the stern of the boat.  The disciples start yelling at him as they are furiously bailing out water, “Don’t you care about us?”  And of course we know what happens.  Jesus wakes up and calms the storm with just a few stern words. 

It’s worth mentioning that we aren’t promised a perfect life, not at all!  There are times when the storms in our lives are quite nasty.  Afterall, we live in a broken and sinful world (which hasn’t really changed that much since Noah’s time).  But there is good news, very good news really!  What God does promise us is that when the world comes crashing down, God is right there with us. Jesus is there with us, in the sinking boat. Whatever difficulties you are dealing with right now, you are not alone bailing out water.  Jesus is with you. This is an important part of the story: Jesus isn’t elsewhere. He isn’t in some cushy palace somewhere eating olives and hummus. He is in the boat with the disciples. Sinking and bailing.  Bailing and sinking. 

J.D. Walt (author of Seedbed’s Wake-up Call) writes, “We aren’t sending our prayers up there somewhere.”  Rather, we are speaking directly and immediately to the risen Lord. Though unseen to the naked eye, he is right here, right now.  Jesus is not with us in the sense that someone who can’t come to our birthday party says they will be with us “in spirit.” Jesus is not with us “in spirit,” but in person–in the power of the Holy Spirit.  He is closer than our very breath.  So wherever you are, whatever anxieties, worries, sadness, grief you are dealing with, YOU are not alone...you are never alone.  You are with the one who has the power to calm the storm on the outside and on the inside.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

 

 

 

 

 

Daily Dose of Hope

April 2, 2024 

Day 3 of Week 1

Scripture reading for today – Genesis 6-8, Psalm 104, Mark 3

Once again, welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, New Hope Church’s daily devotional that complements our Bible reading plan.  Congrats!  You have made it to day 3.  Keep up the good work.  If you are struggling at all to get through the reading, I would suggest you spend some time in prayer beforehand and ask the Holy Spirit to give you insight and inspiration.  Even for those who aren’t struggling, praying beforehand is always a good idea.

Today’s reading in Genesis is text with which many of us are familiar.  It’s Noah and the flood.  Humanity had gotten so depraved, so horrific, and so sinful, that God is simply fed up.  He wants to cleanse the earth.  I’ll be honest, I’ve always struggled with this passage.  No matter how bad things were, it’s hard to imagine all the innocents who were killed in the flood waters.  In the end, I have to trust that our totally just and loving God had a bigger and better plan.  Aferall, all of those who died were made in his image as well.  He loved them all. 

I want to focus today on the Psalm, number 104.  The Psalmist focuses on God as both creator and sustainer.  For this, he is to be praised!  He speaks of how nature serves God’s purposes.  God created nature and God provides all that the natural world needs to thrive.  Although this Psalm is speaking about creation, echoing Genesis 1, I can’t help but think that it also sheds like on our reading about Noah and the flood.  God created everything – every bird, every stream, every flower and tree.  It was beautiful and perfect, all things worked together in harmony, bringing glory to God, providing witness to his majesty.  And then, God allowed it all to be washed away.  Sin was so very serious and devastating that God allowed all of this perfection to be laid to waste under a sea of saltwater.  I guess the final verse of the Psalm sums it up (v. 35), But may sinners vanish from the earth and the wicked be no more.  God is serious about sin.  I guess the big question is, “are we?”

 

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

 

 

 

 

 

The Daily Dose of Hope is a devotional intended to provide context and reflection to the New Hope Church Bible Reading Plan.  It’s our goal  to read the Bible in a year together as a family of faith.  Five days a week we read.  Two days a week we either rest or catch up.  Reading the Bible is the number one way to grow in our walk with Jesus.  We have to know God’s Word to live God’s Word.  Now for our Daily Dose of Hope… https://www.findnewhope.com

Daily Dose of Hope March 31, 2024  He is Risen!  Day 1 of Week 1

Scripture reading for today – Genesis 1 and 2, Psalm 19, Mark 1

Happy Easter and welcome to the very first Daily Dose of Hope, New Hope Church’s daily devotional that complements our Bible reading plan.  While reading through the Bible in one year may sound a bit challenging, I know that all who participate will be blessed.  The number one way we grow in our faith at Christians is to read God’s Word.  My prayer is that everyone will make a concerted effort to do the daily reading.  If you can’t do it all, then do part of it.  Some is always better than none.  And the good thing is this is a five day a week reading plan so you will have two extra days to catch up if you need them.  My promise to you is that I will keep up with these daily devotionals to provide a little context and extra reflection for the reading.  I won’t typically address all the Scripture reading in the devotional, but will speak to what the Holy Spirit brought to my attention on any given day.  Your feedback is always welcome!

Today, we are literally starting at the very beginning.  What we find in the first two chapters of Genesis are two different but complementary creation narratives.  In Genesis 1, we read about God creating the world and everything in it in six days and resting on the seventh day.  God declares everything he made, “good.”  

In Genesis 2, we read about God creating the world in a slightly different order and he creates man from the dust of the ground.  We find God creating the exquisite garden of Eden, where the man lived along with plentiful trees and food.  But unlike Genesis 1, God said that things weren’t so good because man was alone.  Just the animals were not enough; thus, God created woman from Adam’s rib.  

We could go in a lot of different directions with this text but what I find most striking today is how, from the very, very beginning, God knew our need for community.  God’s creation is amazing.  The majesty of all God made is hard to put into words.  But God knew that we needed more than trees.  We need more than animals (some of you might disagree with me here but I’m leaning into Scripture on this one.)  We need one another.  Human beings are designed to be in community.  Community, being with other people, fills a deep soul need.  It’s simply how God made us.  How are you fulfilling this deep soul need for being in community with others?

The second reading today was Psalm 19.  This is one of five creation Psalms, so it seems very appropriate that this is the first one we read.  It’s not too long so be sure you read through it all slowly and take it in.  The Psalmist has been speaking about the perfection of God’s decrees and their own deep desire to follow God’s ways.  The final verse of the Psalm is probably something you have heard before: May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.  How can we know if our words and the thoughts of our heart are pleasing to God?  Do you have a sense of that in your own life?  How I need God’s Word to guide me.  On my own, I can come up with all kinds of excuses but God’s Word is the standard by which we measure our walk with the Lord.  Take a moment and say this verse aloud,  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.  

I want to just briefly touch on Mark 1 in closing.  Mark is probably my favorite Gospel because it is short, sweet, and gets right to the point.  There is no beating around the bush with Mark.  The writer seeks to get right down to business and answer the most pressing questions of life: Who is Jesus?  and What is this Good News that he proclaims?  Take a moment and think about your own answer to these two questions.  Let’s see how your answers begin to take shape as we work our way through the text over the next two weeks.  

Blessings, Pastor Vicki

 

 

 

Happy Easter!

Pastor Vicki Harrison

Luke 24:6-7, He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.

Matthew 28:5-6, Then the angel spoke to the women. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. Now, sing with joy and passion as we praise our risen Savior today!

Christ the Lord is Risen Today Charles Wesley, 1739

1. Christ the Lord is ris'n today, Alleluia! Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heav'ns, and earth, reply, Alleluia!
2. Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia! Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia! Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia! Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!
3. Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia! Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!
4. Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia! Foll'wing our exalted Head, Alleluia! Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia! Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!
5. Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia! Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia! Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia! Hail the Resurrection, thou, Alleluia!
6. King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia! Everlasting life is this, Alleluia! Thee to know, Thy pow'r to prove, Alleluia! Thus to sing, and thus to love, Alleluia! . https://www.findnewhope.com  Our staff and leadership employ what's called the “S.O.A.P. Method”. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. Each day, we read one or two chapters of Scripture and focus on one particular verse. We make some observations about how that verse touches us, discern how it applies to our lives, and offer a prayer related to what we have read. - Rev. Dr. Vicki Harrison -- Donate via PayPal to support the podcasts and the Technical Arts Ministry of New Hope! https://goo.gl/o2a9oU Subscribe at: http://www.findnewhope.com/soap (813) 689-4161 keywords: devotional, bible study

Daily Devotional

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 6:18, And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.

Colossians 1:9, For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.

Augustine Nobles Reflection:

Prayer was obviously a high priority for the apostle Paul, who wrote the letter to the Colossians. Some of the most beautiful prayers ever written are found in his letters. Paul's prayers are magnificent, not only because of their content but also because he was so diligent in prayer. He prayed "continually" for others and always thanked God for them. 

It's true that some people are simply more interested in prayer than others. But God wants prayer to be a top priority in everyone's life. God wants us to experience prayer as a delight, and not a duty. Let us ask God to help us develop a passion for prayer and make it a cherished habit. 

Prayer: Lord, I know that prayer is always a blessing, but it's easy for me to neglect it. Help me to make it a top priority. Please increase my desire and my opportunities to spend time with you. Dear God help me to be devoted to prayer. Help me to connect with you in whatever way I can. Use me to help others grow in prayer as well. In Jesus name. Amen .

 https://www.findnewhope.com

 Our staff and leadership employ what's called the “S.O.A.P. Method”. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. Each day, we read one or two chapters of Scripture and focus on one particular verse. We make some observations about how that verse touches us, discern how it applies to our lives, and offer a prayer related to what we have read. - Rev. Dr. Vicki Harrison -- Donate via PayPal to support the podcasts and the Technical Arts Ministry of New Hope! https://goo.gl/o2a9oU Subscribe at: http://www.findnewhope.com/soap (813) 689-4161 keywords: devotional, bible study

Daily Devotional Good Friday

Luke 23:44-46, By this time it was about noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. Then Jesus shouted, "Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!" And with those words he breathed his last.

Pastor Vicki Harrison Reflection:

Today is Good Friday. It may seem odd that we would call the day that Jesus was crucified and died "good." Apparently, the term came into common use in the 1200s because for us, it was a truly good day, as Jesus became the final sacrifice for all sin for all people for all time. As the full expression of God's love for us, Jesus voluntarily gave his life so that we could be reconciled to holy God. It is very much good.

Join us at New Hope for our Good Friday service today in Logan Hall at 7:30pm. It's being led by our Spanish-speaking congregation and will be a time of celebrating the "goodness" of what Jesus did for us.

I do hope you will read through both of today's chapters, Luke 22 and 23. They are somewhat long but well worth the extra time. These are the last few days of Jesus' life. They are deep with meaning. I want to point out just one aspect of today's focus verses. Right before Jesus breathed his last breath on the cross, the curtain in the Temple was torn down the middle. This is the curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place (the Holiest of Holies) where the ark of the covenant was kept and the presence of God remained.

When the curtain tore, it was a sign that the New Covenant was instituted. Because of Jesus' sacrifice (the final sacrifice for sin), those who believe in him can now go directly to the throne of God's grace. When Holy God looks at us, he doesn't see our sinfulness but the blood of Christ. Thus, there are no more barriers that can separate us from God. I'd like to make our closing prayer today an adaptation of Hebrews 10:19-25.

Prayer:

Thank you, Lord, that we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him.

For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Lord, help us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Amen. .

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 Our staff and leadership employ what's called the “S.O.A.P. Method”. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. Each day, we read one or two chapters of Scripture and focus on one particular verse. We make some observations about how that verse touches us, discern how it applies to our lives, and offer a prayer related to what we have read. - Rev. Dr. Vicki Harrison -- Donate via PayPal to support the podcasts and the Technical Arts Ministry of New Hope! https://goo.gl/o2a9oU Subscribe at: http://www.findnewhope.com/soap (813) 689-4161 keywords: devotional, bible study