Encouragement for Today - April 13, 2006
4/13/06
Encouragement for Today
“Hope in My Veins”
Wendy Pope, Author, Development Coordinator, Proverbs 31 Speaker Team Member
Key Verse:
Hebrews 13:19-21, "May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (NIV)
Devotion:
My mother has suffered with Rheumatoid Arthritis for over 40 years. She was diagnosed in her late 20's. I believe she has taken every possible medication, approved or experimental, to help with the progression of the disease. For the past year and a half, much to our dismay, we have watched the "latest miracle medication" slowly lose its effectiveness in my mother's body. We wanted, hoped, and prayed for the release of the newest treatment. I watched my mother, a very self-sufficient woman, weaken in her abilities to care for herself and her home.
Finally after many set backs, my mother was approved to participate in a new experimental drug research project. In her very weakened state, she went to receive her first treatment. We knew realistically it would take several treatments before we would see any results. However, each day I would call to ask about her progress. One day she answered, "I think I am better today. Maybe it is because I know that I have the medication in my body." My reply was, "It is like you have hope in your veins, Mom."
Those words echoed in my mind. As I gave this report of praise during our daily prayer time at the Proverbs office the next day, I realized it is only through the blood of Jesus that we have hope. Because of His willingness to suffer and die on the cross at
This hope gives us confidence when we are unsure of our ability to carry through with a task He has called us to do. This hope gives us comfort and peace in the midst of tragedy. This hope enables us to apply grace and mercy when we have been wronged. This hope gives us the ability to love the unlovable. This hope helps us to endure the injustices of the world by allowing us to hold onto the promise of a new heaven and a new earth.
Thank God for the hope in your veins – for the blood that He shed on the cross so that you could live eternally with Him! If you do not have this hope that I am speaking of, all you have to do is pray and ask God for it. His hope is endless and He extends it even to the worst of us. Forgiveness is yours for the asking, and the bonus is having hope in your veins!
My Prayer for Today:
Heavenly Father, You are the giver of Life, the giver of Hope. For your sacrificial gift on
Application Steps:
Share the hope of Jesus with someone today.
Spend time writing things down things for which you are thankful.
Ask God to forgive you for putting your hope in what the world has to offer.
Celebrate His hope by looking up the words to the old hymn, "Nothing but the Blood of Jesus." (You can search the title on Goggle.com.)
Reflection Points:
In what do I put my hope?
What adjustments can I make to my life that will help me live like I have hope in my veins?
What injustices, hurts, or other pains do I need to lay down at the throne today so I can live in hope?
Power Verses:
Ephesians 2:13, "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ." (NIV)
Hebrews 10:19, "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the
1 John 4:7, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." (NIV)
Additional Resources:
Do You Know Him?
http://proverbs31.gospelcom.net/knowHim.htm
A Woman’s Secret to a Balanced Life, by Lysa TerKeurst and Sharon Jaynes
http://proverbs31.gospelcom.net/newresources_secretBalanced.htm
Secrets of the Vine, by Bruce Wilkinson
http://proverbs31.gospelcom.net/newresources_secretsVine.htm
