Daily Dose of Hope

September 15, 2024

Day 1 of Week 25

Scripture: Proverbs 29-31; 1 Thessalonians 4

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional/podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan. Today, we are starting week 25 of consistent Bible reading. That’s pretty good, everyone! Congrats to all of you. Let’s get started with today’s Scripture reading.

Today we are finishing up the book of Proverbs. Chapter 29 is the end of the compilation of Proverbs by King Hezekiah’s men. There are a wide variety of warnings in this chapter, but again its reiterated that sin has consequences. Evil schemes will lead to ruin, foolish thinking is highly dangerous, and we need to exhibit discretion with whom we argue. The last two chapters of the book of Proverbs include wisdom associated with a man named Agur, a king named Lemuel, and a famous description of a godly woman.

The Proverbs 31 woman has become quite a famous passage. Some of you might own a coffee mug with the Scripture. These verses depict a woman who fulfills her God-given purpose and lives with high levels of integrity, wisdom, and complete devotion to God. But don’t let these passages fool you – they aren’t just for women! Every person should strive for these qualities.

Our New Testament passage is I Thessalonians 4. Apparently, the Thessalonians had presented this question to Paul, "What happens to die in Christ?" There must have been some deaths in the church since its founding, which would naturally lead to such a question. Paul reinforces his teaching about the resurrection and Jesus' second coming. He refers to the dead as "those who sleep in death," which is fairly common in both Jewish and Greek writing. But we should note that this doesn't mean the soul is asleep after death. New Testament texts clearly demonstrate that for believers the soul is alive while the body waits for the resurrection of all believers.

Jesus' physical resurrection is the central defining feature of Christianity. It proved his divinity, it clearly demonstrated Jesus' victory over death, it proves that we serve a living God, and it foreshadows our own bodily resurrection when Jesus returns. Because of the resurrection, we can be assured that this earthly life is not all there is; we get to spend eternity with Jesus. I am reminded of Jesus dying on the cross next to the two thieves. One accepts Jesus in his dying hour and Jesus proclaims, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise." Yes, we get to be with Jesus when we die AND yes, we still will get to be part of the future resurrection of believers. Both are sources of great hope and joy. The Thessalonian church needed to hear it and we do too!

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

September 12, 2024

Day 5 of Week 24

Scripture: Proverbs 26-28; I Thessalonians 3

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan. Let’s get started.

Today, I want to mix things up a bit and start with our New Testament passage, I Thessalonians 3. Paul and Silas very much wanted to visit the Thessalonian church and encourage them in their persecution. But over and over again, it didn't work out. They were frustrated and concerned about the welfare of the new believers. While they had previously warned the Thessalonian church that persecution was unavoidable, they still feared for their well-being.

Eventually, they send Timothy to visit them and instruct them in the faith as needed. Timothy brought back good news, as the Thessalonian church was becoming more mature in their faith. Despite their challenges, the new believers were remaining strong in faith and continuing to demonstrate love toward those inside and outside the church. This pleased Paul and Silas very much. They experienced joy knowing that the faith of the Thessalonians remained strong and vibrant. They thanked God for their perseverance and endurance.

The early church had such a different perspective than we do regarding persecution. They saw persecution as inevitable; it was simply something that believers had to endure. It doesn't appear they feared being persecuted either. They knew that as followers of Jesus, their message would be met with opposition. In the Western church of today, we tend to fear persecution and rejection. We hesitate to share the Gospel message because we might offend someone, someone might say something mean to us, or we might get rejected. These seem incredibly minor compared to the persecutions of the Thessalonians or other believers around the world today who risk everything to share the Gospel with others.

I think we need to just let that sit for awhile. Are you fearful of persecution? What are your thoughts?

We will conclude this week with Proverbs, chapter 26-28. Chapter 26 starts with a long list of reasons that fools are not trustworthy and need to be avoided, the chief among them that they can’t stop their folly. They make messes over and over again. The other two chapters speak about the need to avoid evil, walk in humility, and stay focused on being righteous. It appears that Solomon is making the point that to be wise is to be moral. There is no way to be wise without integrity and morality. What are your thoughts on this? Can someone be truly wise without integrity and morality?

More on Sunday, everyone. You get two days off to rest or catch up.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki