Bear Much Fruit: Gentleness
I can't quite imagine the emotion of the scene. A woman, caught in the act of adultery, put on display before many, judgements falling free from her peers. If I had to guess I would imagine her voice was shaking, body trembling, and her mind racing with worry about what was about to become of her.
"At dawn He appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around Him, and He sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, ...
In the Word: Shaped By His Promises
Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals. It is our desire that this series will aid you in getting in the Bible for yourself and discovering the joy that comes from hearing from God through the pages of His Word.
“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master ...
Tomorrow is October 15
Many families will join across the country tomorrow, t, to remember babies, both in and out of the womb, who have been lost from our earthly lives. As we ready our hearts for this day, let us not forget the bereaved mothers and families who do not yet personally know the hope that is in Christ.
I pray that more and more grieving families in our country come to know and hear that this present fallen life, containing devastating loss and grief, is but a moment, and that there is hope beyond this world.
I hope this October 15 is a day to see ...
Purpose in the Pain: Greater Fruitfulness
Every year, there is a season as a gardener where it’s time to prune my roses. When pruning roses, the technique is to pluck all the leaves off the rose bush and cut the long stems (called canes) in half, generally speaking.
I look at my once voluptuous Julia Child roses, grab my sheers, and cut them down to only the necessities every February here in Texas. When I’m done they look lifeless and nonexistent. The first time I did this, I thought they would never come back—but I was wrong. Not only do they come back from this every year, but they also ...
Choose Hope: Testimony
It had been three years since my first loss. Three years since National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day first felt significant to me. This year, October 15 caught me by surprise. With all of the changes brought about by a recent move and an ever shifting season of life, it had completely escaped my radar. When I realized what day it was, I ran out to grab balloons and helium so that we could do a small balloon release as a family after our kids got home from school. Most of our belongings were in storage as our family was attending a four month training residency ...
Purpose in the Pain: Strong Character
”The will of God is love. And love suffers.” - Elizabeth Elliot
Love suffers. You, as a Hope Mommy, know this better than most anyone else. You were called to love, and you were called to suffer.
You are not alone. Jesus was also called to love and suffer. Because He loved us, He suffered on the cross and overcame the world. Jesus did not overcome the world with violence or with money or with political power. Jesus overcame with world with suffering. John 16:33
As daughters of God and co-heirs with Christ, we are to follow Him. We are to ...
In the Word: A Secure Future
Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals. It is our desire that this series will aid you in getting in the Bible for yourself and discovering the joy that comes from hearing from God through the pages of His Word.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father…Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not ...
Bear Much Fruit: Faithfulness
"I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me."-Psalm 119:75
Dear sister, do you feel afflicted today? In the midst of your sorrow do you trust that our Father is faithful?
Before looking at the fruit of faithfulness, I want to take a step back and look first at faith. Hebrews 11:1 states that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” This means that despite not seeing, we believe and trust that God will be faithful to do as He promised.
What does faithfulness ...
Purpose in the Pain: Genuine Faith
I remember a conversation I had with a woman in my church who mentored me in the early days of my young marriage. She had several young children at the time, and one of her sons had been diagnosed with cancer. As she described the sadness and difficulty of their situation, she commented that while it was painful, she and her husband were grateful for the opportunity for their faith to be proven genuine. As they pressed on through the difficulty, they knew that their faith and trust in God was pleasing to Him.
My friend was living and breathing 1 Peter ...