JOHN SHIRK – In the Year to Shine, today’s Vital Step to a Radiant Faith is hope in the Lord.

Hope is often connected with looking forward to something in the future. The Apostle Paul asked the question, “Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

Our hope for the future is connected with believing in the promises of God. We believe, based on the death and resurrection of Jesus, that God is faithful to His Word and loving toward His people. His promises of blessing are guarantees of a secure future in His grace. Because of our hope for tomorrow, we can have a thriving faith in the Lord today.

Isaiah 40:31 says, “those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Hope in the Lord is a vital step to a radiant faith that makes a difference in our world.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Light Reflection is from Romans 15:4.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide, we might have hope.

Bible history is a light to help us learn from the successes and failures of those who have gone before us.

First Corinthians 10 recalls moral failures of the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness in the days of Moses. Verse 6 says, “These things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.”

On the positive side, James 5:10 says, “As an example in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”

This Light Reflection inspires us to find hope and encouragement in the lessons of Bible history in the Year to Shine.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Job 13:15.

Job said about the LORD, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.

Job persevered in faith through suffering. He understood some things about life and the Lord that can help us to endure the trials of life.

First, Job understood that life on earth was temporary, and that his life was in God’s hands. He said in Job 1:21 in a moment of worship, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.”

Second, Job understood that life on earth and his blessings were gifts from above. He said, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”

Third, Job knew His Redeemer was his source of hope. He said in Job 19:25, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end, he will stand on the earth.”

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to endure the trials of life with our hope in Jesus in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is First John 2:28.

And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears, we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.

The promise of Christ’s return is meant to motivate our faith in a number of ways.

First, the promise of Christ’s return motivates us to be holy. First John 3:3 says that all who have this hope in Christ purify themselves.

Second, the promise of Christ to come back motivates us to share the Gospel with others. We want others to be saved. The Apostle Paul told Timothy, “in light of His appearing….preach the word.”

A third motivation is hope. Titus 2:13 talks about the appearing of Jesus Christ as the blessed hope. For those who love Jesus, the coming of Christ is not the end of the world, but the beginning of the full experience of joy in the presence of the Lord.

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to walk with Jesus with godly integrity in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Isaiah 40:31.

“Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Someone once said, “I believe in the sun even if it isn’t shining. I believe in love even when I am alone. I believe in God even when He is silent.”

Hope is a powerful word that energizes us to keep pressing on in the faith through trials and testing. A cloudy day may hinder us from seeing the sun, but we still see the light of the sun, and we can feel the warmth of the sun.

There will be times in life when we might wonder, “Where is God in all of this?”  But with hope in the Lord, we trust that we are not alone. God is still with us, He is for us, and He is working out His good purposes in the circumstances of our lives.

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to put our hope in the Lord in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Micah 7:7.

“But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”

Micah made this statement in the background of a morally corrupted culture around him. Sons were dishonoring their fathers. Daughters were rising up against their mothers. A man’s enemies were members of his household. Neighbors were not trustworthy.

Micah turned his hope toward heaven where God would be his source of comfort and strength. Micah’s faith spoke in how he waited on God. That is a good example for us. People will let us down. Things will break down. But there is salvation from above, and a certain hope in the Lord. He is our source of help in troubled times.

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to put our hope in God’s unfailing love in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verses are Hebrews 11:1 and 2.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.”

When we look into the Old Testament stories of the heroes of faith, we will notice a pattern where God called specific people into specific missions to accomplish His planned purpose.

Each one of them, including Noah, Abraham, and Moses needed to trust God without seeing the big picture. This is true of us too. God’s grace has been revealed ultimately through Jesus Christ. We have the Bible to tell us about this reality. He has a purpose for our lives, and we can find and fulfill that purpose by looking to Jesus and following His will step-by-step, day-by-day. We don’t know what the journey may bring, but we can trust Him to lead us to a place where our faith can thrive for His glory.

These Faith-Building Verses inspire us put our confidence in God for salvation and direction in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Key Element for Thriving Relationships is hope.

According to First Corinthians 13:7, love always hopes.

Whenever love is in the picture, hope is in view.  God’s love fills us with overflowing hope.

That hopeful perspective shines in our relationships with one another. One dimension of this hope is seeing the potential of others. We see someone else in the image of God, and treat them with dignity and respect. We see what they are capable of becoming under the influence of God’s grace.

Jesus loved Peter through his many flaws and failures. He never gave up on him. Instead, He prayed for him and worked with him.  In the process, Peter was groomed for leadership in the church that changed many lives for the glory of God. That is how God can use hope when it is expressed in love.

Hope is a key element for thriving relationships that honor God.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Word of Encouragement is Prophecy.

Many predictions of human origin fail to materialize, but in the course of time, the prophecies of the Bible prove to be reliable.

Here are just a few prophecies about Jesus’ birth which came true hundreds of years later.

Isaiah 7:14 said “the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”  That happened when Mary gave birth to Jesus.

Micah 5:2 predicted Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus. That was fulfilled in Matthew chapter 2.

And when Jesus went to Egypt, Matthew quoted Hosea 11:1 to link that event to a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.

Second Peter 1:21 tells us that “prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Find encouragement in the prophecies of the Bible to give us hope in Christ in the Year of Endurance.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Word of Encouragement is Future.

The future is the time yet to come.  Corrie Ten Boom, who was placed in a concentration camp for helping the Jews escape from the Nazis, once said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”

We don’t know specifically what will happen tomorrow, but with God in our lives, we can anticipate the future with hope rather than dread. God has a perspective on the future. He inspired the prophecies in the Bible. He has revealed certain events that have yet to take place.

The LORD said in Jeremiah 29:11, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Find encouragement in the hopeful future that God has prepared for those who seek Him in the Year of Endurance.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Endurance, today’s Daily Challenge motivates us to put our ultimate hope in the Lord.

Strength comes to our faith when Jesus is the focus of our hope.

Isaiah 40:31 says, “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Hope is needed in uncertain times, and keeps us moving forward, upward, and outward in the way we express our faith.

Hope moves us forward, because we have incentive to get up each day. We anticipate the opportunities that God has for us for that day.

Hope moves us upward in prayer and worship, because we believe that God is responsive to the prayers of His people and inhabits the praises of His people.

And hope moves us outward to share with others the hope that we have in Christ.

Take the daily challenge to put our ultimate hope in the Lord and find strength for the journey of faith.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com