happiness+hope

Hope is the essential ingredent of human happiness.

-James McDonald

-ONWARD

God my strength

Today was one of those days when God just wanted to talk to me. I've been blessed every week just going through the alpha material with a bunch of great people and today we went through why we read the bible. I'm not sure what the exact topic says but its something along those lines and we had a very good discussion. 

I find that i usually dont have time to prepare for the sessions. Between getting the food and making photocopies of the materials for everyone ( forgot this week :p), and copying the video and adding in other funny short clips and stuff plus class ( thank God i only had one class today) there's just... well i guess there is time but somehow i dont get around to doing it and i freak out because i hate those moments when everyone is looking to me to say something and i dont have more to say.

Today after the video i just went to the toilet far from the building so i can slip a few lines of prayer before we began the session and its incredible how God will use the most simplest honest prayers and make something out of it. Its happened to me lots of times and its not because i'm special or anything, far from it.

So about the bible. I noticed today while everyone was talking that for me, that time in the morning when i'm all alone is very short. Most times i can't wake up on time because i slept late or just want to sleep. But i realised i missed the times when i spent just reading the word and praying a bit. Just spending time with God, uninterrupted by msn or facebook or my phone or my housemates music or the concerns for the day. For me it has become routine, just a ritual i do to please my conscience and i dont want that, i want relationship. 

Father bring me back to the place where it was just me and you everyday, i wan.

In the end i just thought it would be nice for everyone to share their favourite verses of scripture, the ones that meant a lot to them and for me its this one in Romans 8:38 & 39

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

~shalom~

hope

When i think of hope the first thing that comes into my mind is the obama campaign poster.

Yeah this one. But the hope i'm talking about is the one the bible. I was going to try to explain it but my bible does a better job, check this out.

"Hope"

In English, the word hope implies contingency. But Biblical "hope" is not a "hope-so hope" (ie not wishful thinking about something good happening in the future); rather, it is a "know-so hope," a confidence from God concerning his promises. It is sure because it is based on the integrity of God's Word. We will experience the reality of hope because God is "the God of hope" (ie the object and assurance of our hope, Romans 15.13).

See i told you. There's no way i could have come up with something like that. But its true. People make the mistake of thinking when we say hope, we mean hope-so. I've had this discussion before with my friend who didnt understand and i didnt really understand at the time and her point made sense but the more i think about it the more i realise they're different. If someone says i hope so means they're not sure. Say you ask someone;

You: are you going to pass your exams?

Them: hope so...

It doesn't sound confident right. Ok compare this with this.

You: are you going to pass your exams?

Them: Yes.

What do you think? Yeah i know sometimes people say things they don't mean but there are times when you write an exam and you know without a doubt its a done deal. That is the hope of a bible. Its more like faith. I have this beautiful quote about faith.

Faith never gives up. It knows that despite appearances, all is well.

(Madam Guyon)

I've been rather confused lately, i think a lot lately and there's fear in my heart. I dunno quite what it is, if its a phase or of God wants to teach me something but in my heart there is a hope that all will be well. That this season will pass and it will be spring again. 

Photo credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/a35mmlife

~shalom~