There’s no hope without trust. Trusting in Jesus alone in your life will give you an eternity of hope to look forward to.

You wouldn’t hope you would pass a test without studying, trusting in your knowledge of the curriculum you studied, would you?

My hope in eternity lies in Jesus. I know without a shadow of doubt that if I were to die today that I would be with Jesus in Heaven. I’m trusting in His promises to me as His child.

I can’t imagine what life would be like if I didn’t have hope. It’s so sad to hear of someone committing suicide. How did they get to the point of hopelessness?

Reach out to the troubled teenager. Call the widow who just lost her husband. Spend time with friends who don’t know Jesus and tell them your story of this love and endless hope He has for His children.

Jeremiah 29:11 - “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Pride is a sin. Most of you reading this, know this to be true.

It’s so easy to get caught up in pride, your accomplishments. In our culture today, it’s natural to expect recognition for a job well done.

But, what does this convey to God? He’s probably thinking, “well if they can do it all on their own, what are they going to need me for?”

God has so many promises to those who love and obey Him. He loves blessing us in our attempts in being fruitful.

Don’t let pride get in the way of His promises.

Purposely recognize that God is in everything we accomplish.

I’ve done it. I’ve relied on my own ambition and pursuit and left God out. This only left me empty, tirelessly trying to find a better way on my own.

Pursue God daily and I can testify that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Don’t allow pride to steal the joy of knowing a loving God.

Proverbs 11:2 - “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”

As Christians, we are called to serve others and serve God. What does this look like? We serve God by obeying His commands and maintaining a relationship with Him.

We give to others our time, our resources, which is good. This type of giving comes out of love.

Oh, you can give to charity groups but not be happy about it. There’s no love required out of that type of giving.

But, personally, I’ve found some wonderful blessings in serving others. This became so much more apparent after my first mission trip. There’s something special when you’re helping others in need; when you’re being the hands and feet of Jesus.

The people of Peru are very special to me. I’ve observed that even if it’s the smallest gift given to them, they light up like we just gave them $100 bill.

There’s no way you can even try to love without giving, even if it’s a smile to someone hurting, or a hug to a crying child.

What about you? When’s the last time you gave someone your time? Reach out today to someone in your life. Be a loving giver as Jesus is and commands us to be.

John 13:34 - “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

God requires us to follow His ways. He instills in us the ideas and energy to serve others.

Don’t just give your life over to Him and sit and wait for something to happen.

I’ve found when we’re intentional in our faith that life gets better.

When others try to persuade you to do things that are ungodly, take a stand and let them know that it’s not right.

Gossip has always been an annoying sin for me to control. It’s not that I go around finding people to gossip with. It’s kind of like a bug getting caught in a spider’s web. It looks inviting, harmless, but then all of a sudden you find yourself stuck and can’t pull out of the web.

Love each other, support your sister or brother in Christ. Be that God'ly friend that others feel safe with.

Hold your ground. Be the change.

Ephesians 6:11 - “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

I’ve talked about identity before. It’s who we are. My identity lies in Christ Jesus.

No, I’m not a saint, nor will I ever be on this earth. My hopes and dreams lie in my creator. I try to stay grounded, unchangeable.

It’s hard to do, especially when circumstances arise that throw you off balance.

Our world and environment is ever changing, minute by minute. But, as a Christian, does our identity look the same today as it was a year ago?

Or, does our personality change because we lost our job, or our kid came home with a bad report card, or someone cut you off in traffic?

Hebrews 13:8 - “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Stay unlovable. When the storms of life come, take hold of God’s life preserver.

Show others that your confidence is not in the circumstances, but in the God you serve.

It’s not easy, but if you’re living a life pleasing to God, reading His word and having daily conversations with Him, you will be immoveable from the tide appearing on the horizon.

To all of us who have passed the age of 50, you’ll sympathize with me in that your body changes with age. Things you used to eat in your 20’s and 30’s, will now give you different responses to your body.

Although I’ve surpassed 50 a few years ago, I still find myself in a pickle when I eat something I shouldn’t.

Yesterday I took just a tiny bite of something and immediately felt the results. Let’s just say I was asking God to remove the pains I was feeling.

This got me to thinking about sin. Don’t we sometimes think, “I’ll just try this once,” or “this is no big deal if I just take a tiny bite….” When in reality, sin is sin. There are no big sins or little sins.

Sin is an act of disobedience or conduct that is against God.

I ask for forgiveness every day, for yesterday’s sins and the sins I’ll commit today.

Acknowledgement of sin is key. If God truly knows your heart and knows that you’re trying to avoid sin, then He is always ready to forgive.

God is merciful and loves us very much. But, He hates sin and must punish sin.

This is where Jesus comes in. Hey, Jesus already paid the penalty for all of our sins.

Thank Him for this and strive to be more like Him.

1 John 1:8 - “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”

If you have ever had a dog, you know that if you leave them for any amount of time and come home, they are so excited to see you, like you’ve been gone for days.

I think God wants us to feel this way about Him. I’m not talking about Sunday morning church service, but, having that excitement each day as you awake.

It’s funny how most dogs will even go to the door the same time every day, knowing that their guardian usually comes home that time. They don’t have to be told it’s time. No, it’s instinct.

It’s in them, this internal clock that says their master will soon be home.

Take this initiative with God. Look for Him every day. See if you can see Him throughout the day.

Get anxious for God. He’ll bless you for it.

Hebrews 9:28 - “so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

Have you ever known anyone who was a major league baseball player, who had never played baseball in his life? Probably not.

Just like everything that is a prestigious position, it takes practice. And, in order to practice efficiently, you have to make time; schedule and commit to practicing.

It’s the same with being a Christian. I’ve seen people, and have even been guilty myself of giving my life to Christ, then sitting back and waiting for the blessings to come.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but God rewards those who have a habit of reading His word. He loves it when He sees us obeying His commands and serving others. Are you doing this?

Don’t be intimidated by this. I was the same way. So, I started reading God’s word, daily. The more I read and knew about God, the more time I spent serving, loving others and doing God’s work.

Practice makes perfect is what I’ve always heard.

Although we’ll never be a perfect human in this life, we can practice now to be the best Christian God welcomes into heaven.

Philippians 4:9 - “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”