Today is the shortest day of the year, so let’s not waste time. Here is a new twist on HOPE.
For her husband and three teenage boys, my daughter Prisca made 13 pounds of cranberry relish the week before Thanksgiving. By the time the holiday rolled around, only 2 pounds were left, a quantity she had managed to hoard for the holiday meal. And since then she has made another 13 pounds of relish. It won’t last until Christmas. And last night? Her oldest ate almost a pound of salmon, a hot dog and a hamburger for supper. The next boy ate almost as much and appeared in the kitchen an hour later to cut up an orange for a snack! Her growing boys are like hungry hippos!
What feeds hope? We all hunger for it, but how do we foster the quality of hope in our lives? Are we as hungry for hope as Prisca’s boys are each day for food?
According to Rom. 15:4, one seed for growing hope lies in reading scripture. “Such things were written in the scriptures long ago to teach us. And the scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.”
In scripture, we see the panoramic view of history. From Genesis to Malachi, we see a story unfolding that leads up to a stable in Bethlehem. The apostle Paul understood the value of studying scripture and encouraged his disciple Timothy to do the same.
Why not take time today to open your Bible and read a chapter of scripture? May I suggest the following verses that Paul wrote to his adopted son in 2 Timothy 3:10-17?
