Daily Dose of Hope from New Hope

Daily Dose of Hope March 27, 2025 Day 5 of Week 25   Scripture:  Job 40-42; Psalm 150; Revelation 22   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  You guys, we have made it.  Today is the last devotional for our reading plan.  Of course, we are starting a new one on Monday on the Gospels and Acts BUT let’s not discount what we have done together.  We have read the entire Bible in a year.  What an accomplishment!  I am so proud of all of you.   Our final Old Testament reading is in Job.  We are finishing up the book by reading chapters 40-42.  God asks Job if he wants to run the world for a time based on the strict principle of justice that he and his friends believed in and professed.  Should every evil deed be punished and every good deed rewarded?  The world and humanity are so much for complicated than that.  The world is beautiful and orderly in some ways, but also dangerous and without order in other ways.    Of course, we end with the big question – why is there suffering in this world?  God doesn’t really give an answer.  What he does say is that we live in an incredible world, with lots of amazing things, but at this point, it isn’t designed in such a way that people can avoid suffering.  God simply asks Job, as he asks us, to trust in His wisdom and character.    In the end, Job responds to God with humility.  He is sorry for ever questioning God.  God admonishes Job’s friends, who did not get anything right.  What’s interesting is that God praises Job for his ability to question God and his honesty about what he was dealing with.  God obviously wants us to bring him our struggles and trust that he cares and hears us.  Ultimately, Job recovers.  His body heals.  He has more children and his wealth and wisdom expand.  Yet, this does not feel like resolution.  What are your thoughts on all of this?   Our New Testament reading is the last chapter of Revelation, which also happens to be the last chapter of the entire Bible.  In this chapter, we find another metaphor for the new creation. It is the river of life, crystal clear and flanked on each side by the tree of life, which provides abundant fruit. The number twelve represents the sufficiency of these fruit, they will provide nourishment to God’s people for ever and ever and ever. The leaves of the tree are like medicine, providing healing to the nations. These beautiful images immediately remind the reader of the original Garden, Eden, the way the Lord intended his world before the fall. Human beings will find their ultimate purpose and will live without suffering, but rather total contentment and satisfaction, something that could never be achieved before the curse.   As we finish up the book of Revelation, and John’s visions conclude, we are reminded of the choice we have. Do we want to take up residence in the Babylon of today, in those things the world promises, OR do we want to seek a life characterized by holiness, pursuing God, and ultimately residing with him in the perfect city, the new Jerusalem, the city created and sustained by God? The book continually reminds us that the choice is ours.   Okay, this is the last devotional of the last week of our journey all the way through Scripture.  I am honored that so many of you stuck with me.  I have learned a lot and I hope you have as well.  It’s truly a miracle that Scripture is one continuous story.  Yes, it’s 66 separate ancient texts that together, tell God’s story and ours for that matter.  How many times did we read about something and find ourself right there in the midst of it?  Scripture is truly alive and active.  It is unchanging and yet speaks to us in many changing circumstances.  It is TRUTH.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope March 26, 2025 Day 4 of Week 25   Scripture:  Job 37-39; Psalm 103: Revelation 21   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  Tonight is Recharge night so please come and join us at 6:30pm in the Garage for community, worship, fellowship, and study.37-39.    The Old Testament Scripture is Job 37-39.  The first chapter is the continuation of Elihu’s response.  Then, we hear from the Lord.  He speaks directly to Job.  God basically asserts his authority.  He speaks of how he is creator and knows everything about the world.  He asks Job if he was there when the ocean was created, when the morning was spoken into being...  Basically, he is asking Job, who are you to question me???  God is sovereign, he is in control, and Job is not.  These are questions not meant for Job to actually answer, but to humble him.  I’m not sure what I think about this yet.  More tomorrow.   The New Testament passage is Revelation 21.  John’s final vision is that the redemption of creation is now complete. The old earth and creation, that which was broken and sinful, has passed away and a new earth has come. Finally. this is what we have been waiting for. God’s people reside in this new earth.   There is no more populace simply mechanically following the ways of the world. There is passion. God’s people dwell with the Almighty himself, his glory fully revealed. And now, there will be no more tears, suffering, or loss. All is new, all is healed, and all is redeemed.   Then, there is a description of God’s Holy City. Please be sure to read through this beautiful vision. This city is a place of perfect worship, where humanity is not seeking achievement but rather exists to worship God in the presence of God. God’s Kingdom is fully revealed and it is incredible.   I have a seminary professor who used to tell us that our lives, as believers, are intended to be a preview to the world of the perfect world to come. So very convicting! If someone were to look at your life, what might they deduce about God’s perfect world to come?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope March 25, 2025 Day 3 of Week 52   Scripture:  Job 34-36; Revelation 20   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope.  We are on day 3 of our very last week of reading the whole Bible in a year.  I’m so proud of all of you!    Our Old Testament Scripture is back in the book of Job.  Today, we look at chapters 34-36.  We continue to hear from Elihu, Job’s friend who showed up yesterday in the Scripture.  Elihu operates under the same assumption as Job’s other friends.  God is just and so God must operate the world according to his justice.  But Elihu’s statements are a bit more complex than the others.  He states that God may use tragedy and suffering to build someone’s character.  God may also allow people to suffer so they will avoid sin in the future.  Elihu is adamant that Job is wrong for accusing God of being unjust.  Tomorrow, we will finally hear the Lord speak.    Our New Testament Scripture is Revelation 20.  John sees an angel chaining up Satan and throwing him in the lake of fire, where he will be for one thousand years.  That means, for one thousand years, Satan won’t have his normal influence on humanity and our world.  Jesus will be in charge.  But after these many years of peace, Satan is released and some people still decide to follow him.  It is a sad state that people who have known the peace of Jesus would choose rebellion against God.  But it happens all the time.  What is it about us as humans that we think we know better than God?   Ultimately, Satan will be defeated permanently.  And those who have died before will be judged by what they did in their lives.  If they knew Jesus Christ, then they will be saved by his blood.  Their name will be in the Book of Life.  Those who didn’t know Jesus will be judged on their own deeds, which won’t turn out so well.    By this point, Satan and death have been firmly defeated.  All that was wrong has been made right.  While the events in this chapter may not be a literal depiction of what will occur, there are definitely some things we can know for sure:  Satan will be defeated, Jesus wins, and all of us will be judged.    More tomorrow...   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope March 24, 2025 Day 2 of Week 52   Scripture:  Job 31-33; Psalm 102; Revelation 19   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan.  Let’s get started with our Scripture for today.   Our Old Testament Scripture is Job 31-33.  In chapter 31, we hear Job’s final speech.  He again speaks of the specific ways that he is blameless before God.  If he has done anything sinful or caused slight to anyone, then call him on it, he says.  As we have seen, Job is struggling to comprehend why any of this has happened.  Job was righteous in his own eyes.  His whole understanding of God’s justice has been turned upside-down.    And in chapter 32, a new friend appears, Elihu.  Again, we are using the word friend very loosely here.  Elihu is angry with Job and the other friends.  He is positive that he actually has the answers.  He obviously thinks highly of himself.  Maybe you have known someone like that.  Tomorrow, we hear Elihu’s supposed words of wisdom.   Let’s take a moment and just mention Psalm 102.  It is a prayer of an afflicted person.  The author is unknown.  And yet, as we read it, we realize it could have been Job, David, Daniel, Ezekiel, or you and me.  There are always times in our lives in which it feels like God hides his face.  The author so appropriately points out the frailty of human life.  Our lives are like the evening shadow, our days wither away like grass.  We are small and God is big.  We are weak and he is all-powerful.  Sometimes, I think we need to be a bit humbled.  God loves us and adores us and yet, we are just human beings.  He is God.    Our New Testament Scripture is Revelation 19.  In this chapter, John sees heaven standing open. Just for reference, the word apocalypse means “a revealing,” and its root has to do with this concept of being open. If you think about the whole book of Revelation, it’s about open doors, open seals, open scrolls, open books, open temple, and even an open abyss. Now, heaven is open and God allows his people to see. There are no secrets.   With the destruction of Babylon, the heavenly one, Jesus himself, comes riding in on a white horse. He is called Faithful and True. While some may struggle to see Jesus come ready for battle, this war has an eternal purpose and is done for true justice to occur. These images of Jesus are clearly war-like. He has come to kill the beast and those who follow him and throw them into the lake of fire. Evil is being vanquished. Finally.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope March 23, 2025 Day 1 of Week 52   Scripture:  Job 28-30; Revelation 18 And just like that, we are on week 52.  After a full year of reading, we will complete our reading of the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  You guys are amazing.  By the way, this is the Daisy Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements New Hope’s Bible reading plan, if you didn’t already guess that. Today, our Old Testament reading is in Job, chapters 28-30.  You may have noticed, but Job’s emotions are all over the place here.  He doesn’t necessarily believe his friends that he has done anything wrong before God, but he is baffled at what has happened to him.  He questions God.  He knows that God is the only one with understanding of the universe.  God is the only one with the answers.  So in chapter 30, he demands that God gives him some.  What is going on?  Why has this happened?  Job wants to believe that God is just but he is struggling.  Maybe you have been there before.  Our New Testament reading is in Revelation.  In chapter 18, we see the fall of Babylon. This sprawling, affluent civilization, which lived hedonistically, rejecting the things of God and oppressing God’s people, has been brought to its knees. What took many years to develop is destroyed in one hour. In one single hour God takes down Babylon! Chapters 17 and 18, which describe the fall of Babylon, are some of the most disputed in all of Revelation. Scholars disagree as to their meaning and there are vastly divergent interpretations out there. I don’t think it’s helpful to get too bogged down in the interpretation. I do, however, think there are some things we must reflect on: 1.What could Babylon represent? 2.How does our current nation and culture resemble Babylon? How is it different? 3.How might God’s people be called to live and behave within a modern Babylon? 4.What does this Scripture suggest about God’s ultimate plans for the Babylons of this world? Something to think about.  More tomorrow. Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope March 20, 2025 Day 5 of Week 51   Scripture: Job 24-27; Revelation 17 Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that goes along with the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  Our Old Testament reading is from Job once again.  I don’t know about you, but this is really hard to read.  Job is heartbroken and struggling with why the evil seem to prosper and God doesn’t seem to provide any kind of punishment for those who do evil.  Where is God’s justice?  He certainly hasn’t experienced it.    Job’s friend answers him in chapter 25 saying that God is all-powerful.  Nothing is good compared to God.  I’ll be honest.  I’m not sure what his point is, except maybe to pour salt in Job’s wounds.  No one is righteous in God’s eyes, according to this friend, and that includes Job.    Our last chapter for today is Job’s reply to this.  Yes, God is bigger and more powerful than everything.  He is in control of the universe and everything in it.  There is no way we will understand why or how he does anything.  What’s amazing here is this – after all Job has gone through, after all his lament, he concludes that God is filled with wisdom and he simply has to trust because God is in control.    The New Testament reading is Revelation 17.  In this chapter, John is invited to witness the downfall of Babylon. He sees the image of a woman sitting on red beast with seven heads and ten horns. The woman, very seductively dressed, has a name written on her: Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes, and of the Abominations of the Earth. She slept with the kings of the world and was drunk with the blood of God’s people. Babylon was a seductive society and a very powerful one. It conquered many of the nations around it and others were seduced by its influence and wealth.   While the woman in the vision obviously represents Babylon, it goes so much deeper. How many Babylons have existed since then? How many great civilizations have risen to power, only to reject God and serve themselves? We could probably generate a pretty long list: the Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Catholic Church, various European empires, maybe even the United States of America? Where do you see the evils of Babylon around you? How should we respond as God’s people?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope March 19, 2025 Day 4 of Week 51   Scripture:  Job 21-23; Psalm 101; Revelation 16   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  It’s Wednesday but we DO NOT have Recharge tonight.  It was canceled due to Hillsborough County Spring Break.  So take this time to do something fun!  Now, we move to our Scripture reading.   For our Old Testament reading, we are back in Job.  These continue to be hard chapters with more back and forth between Job and his so-called friends. Neither Job nor his friends understood God’s ways. But there were significant differences between how Job and his friends approached Job’s situation. First, his friends confidently and arrogantly asserted that they did understand God’s ways, claiming that God punishes the evil and blesses the righteous. Job, on the other hand, admits his confusion and frustration, citing many examples of evil and sinful people living good lives and escaping calamity just fine. Second, for Job’s friends, these were somewhat abstract questions of moral theory and interesting discussion topics; for the seriously suffering Job, these were questions with real-life application that affected how he processed the world and his faith in God.    In the midst of really hard life experiences, have you ever met someone who seemed to “understand” just what God was doing in your life?  I haven’t commented a lot on what Job’s friends are doing but I can’t help but at least say something.  The reality is that because of the pervasiveness of sin, we live in a very broken world. Bad stuff happens and there isn’t always a reason. Often, we have more questions for God than answers. And how God works in the midst of it all is much more complex than we can dare to comprehend. What we can trust in is that God is loving, trustworthy, and always good. He does not cause bad things to occur in our lives. In fact, he often takes the bad and uses it for his good in some way. The hard part is we may not see or understand this for a long, long time. As Christians, let’s try to NOT look anything like Job’s friends but simply be willing to listen and love as our family and friends experience hardship and heartache.    Our New Testament reading is Revelation 16.  It’s getting ugly. God has assured his people that they are safe but really no one else is. God’s wrath is about to be poured out on those who were marked by the beast, aka the evil one. Throughout the chapter, we read about the cups of God’s wrath being poured out. I don’t know about you, but I find it very hard to read. While I don’t think these images in Revelation are meant to all be taken literally, we do have to come to terms with the fact that Jesus will return and he will judge us. Those who belong to him will be safe and protected. Those who don’t belong to him will face the wrath of God. Will that mean boils and fire? Probably not, but these cups of wrath do represent something real, something we don’t understand. I want to highlight verse 15 today, “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed. Think back to the teachings of Jesus. Matthew 24:42-44, “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 have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.   Jesus, in his earthly ministry, made many references to being ready for the coming reign of God. As much as it makes us feel uncomfortable, he also spoke of being ready for the coming judgment. Notice how now, in Rev. 16:15, the resurrected Lord is saying that he will come like a thief; blessed is the one who stays awake and remain clothed. I think we need to stop and reflect on this issue of being ready. Some people may say that we’ve been waiting for Jesus so long, he will never come. But the Bible clearly says he will. Certainly, we aren’t to sit around and be scared, nor are we to watch the clouds and wait (as many of the early Christians did.) We are to simply do life, expanding his Kingdom, living as he called us to live. But there is something to this whole idea of readiness. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Spend some time in prayer about this today.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope March 18, 2025 Day 3 of Week 51 Scripture:  Job 18-20; Psalm 141; Revelation 15 Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, everyone!  This is the podcast and devotional that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  Let’s get right into our Scripture for today. Our Old Testament reading is from Job, chapters 18-20.  In chapter 18, we find the response of one of Job’s friends.  I’m beginning to think they aren’t really friends, and they certainly aren’t comforting.  He basically tells Job to stop his chatter and admit that he is an evil man.  Only things like this happen to men who are evil and turn away from God.  His directness is a bit uncanny.  In chapter 19, Job responds and asks why his friend would torment him?  What is the purpose?  Job is grief-stricken because he is not hearing from God.  He feels like God’s hand has struck him.  Job is all alone.  He has nothing and he asks for his friends to try to understand and take pity on him.  Chapter 20 brings another response from one of Job’s friends.  It is similar to the last.  Only God will strike the wicked.  Keep in mind, that was the general thought at the time.  If one is sinful and wicked, then he will reap punishment from God.  That is the way God’s justice works, doesn’t it?  Job resists such a statement while his friends have totally bought in.  Of course, none of this is happening to them so it’s easy to make blanket statements about justice. Let’s move over to Revelation 15.  The first vision in this chapter is that of seven angels.  These angels carry the last judgements that God will use in the tribulation.  This is a time of celebration, as the believers sing songs of worship to the Lord.  Revelation presents God's final judgments on sin in three groups of seven. The first set of judgments was represented by the opening of seals on a scroll in chapter 5. The second set was represented by trumpets in chapter 8. This last pattern will involve bowls, symbolically filled with the wrath of God. This segment also indicates that the sanctuary in heaven was filled with smoke during this time, preventing anyone from approaching God until the judgments were completed.  More on this tomorrow...   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope March 17, 2024 Day 2 of Week 51   Scripture: Job 15-17; Revelation 14 Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that goes along with the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  Today, our Old Testament reading is back in the book of Job.  In chapter 15, we find one of Job’s friends answering his lament.  It isn’t pretty.  He accuses Job of being sinful; I mean, he must be, right?  And yet, as Job replies in chapter 16-17, it’s easy for someone else to make such claims.  When it happens to you, it’s different.  He doesn’t understand why God’s anger has been lashed out at him.  Job’s pain is palpable.  His confusion is real.  Why is this happening to him?  Is there any hope at all?  And again...all we are left with is questions. Our New Testament reading is Revelation 14.  Chapter 14 is another interlude, a reprieve of sorts, before the pouring out of the cups of God’s wrath in the next chapter. The interludes provide a respite for God’s persecuted people before the next bout of suffering, assuring them of God’s divine protection for them. The interlude scenes in this chapter are visions of comfort. Again, remember the original audience and what they were enduring. They needed to know that God was going to keep them safe in the Lord. This doesn’t mean they would not experience hardship, pain, and even torture, but they could be assured that God ultimately would care for them. The first vision of comfort is the Lamb with the 144,000, standing on Mount Zion. This image would have been incredibly reassuring to those listening to this message. Mount Zion represents the hope of what’s to come, the final safe dwelling place for God’s people. The 144,000 are the “first fruits” of God’s people, those who have gone before, most likely through martyrdom. Even for those experiencing severe persecution, this vision points to how there is something amazing ahead, don’t lose hope. The second vision of comfort is the angel flying in midair. This angel is proclaiming the Good News to all the earth. A second angel follows with more excellent news, Babylon has fallen. Babylon, the place of Israel’s exile, was a symbol for paganism, hedonism, and immorality. Finally, a third angel warns against being swayed by the temptation of the evil one. This would have been a warning to the faithful to not swear allegiance to the corrupt worldly system. As it is for believers right now, how easy it would be for those who professed faith in Jesus to gradually be absorbed into the majority culture, looking more Roman than Christian.(Umm...this was a bit convicting.) The third and final vision of comfort consisted of one like the Son of Man standing on the clouds with a sickle. He is wearing a victory crown. The Scripture says that the time to reap has come and the Son of Man reaps the grapes from the earth. Some see this as representing the time when God will gather up all the believers from the earth. Another angel comes together a second harvest and those grapes are thrown into the winepress of God’s wrath, another way of describing the judgement of the wicked. There is this emphasis on being found faithful and righteous when God returns so that we can be ripe for God’s harvest rather than his wrath. And the visions of comfort are done. Prepare yourself, tomorrow will be a toughie. Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope March 16, 2025 Day 1 of Week 51   Scripture:  Job 12-14; Psalm 100; Revelation 13 Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Bible reading plan.  We are on week 51 starting today.  We have truly almost made it all the way through the Bible.  Our Old Testament reading is Job 12-14. We find Job’s response to his friends in this chapter.  He is again lamenting his situation.  He has become a laughingstock to his friends, Job says.  As we read, we can see that Job is struggling with the idea of God’s justice.  He is innocent, so why is this happening to him?  God is all-powerful and wise.  Job wants to take his case directly to God.  This should not be happening to him.  “Why has God destroyed him?” Job begins to ask in chapter 14.  And there are no answers.  More tomorrow... Our New Testament reading is Revelation 13.  In today’s chapter, we meet the anti-Trinity–the dragon and the two beasts. The dragon certainly represents Satan and each of the beasts represent those who work for him. It’s been said that one of the beasts symbolizes the Roman Empire, which makes sense considering the context. The Roman Empire and its succession of oppressive emperors who harshly persecuted Christians would be large on the mind of John and the original listeners of this text. The other beast, the one with the healed wound, may serve to mimic Christ (the Antichrist). They are blasphemous to God and it says that there are people all over the world who follow them. This begs the question: who do we follow? Let’s chat for a moment about the mark of the beast. This has taken on a life of its own in popular culture, most of which is not Scripturally-sound. In the ancient Roman world, it was normative to brand or tattoo criminals, prisoners, and sometimes slaves. Some followers of the imperial cult would mark themselves as well. The mark of the beast is in contrast to the mark of God which seals the believers (we read about this in chapter 7). Now, some of the Christians, possibly those who are benefitting from the evil or power of the empire, will be marked by the beast. The true faithful will only have the mark of God. The real question for all of us: whose mark do we wear? Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope March 11, 2025 Day 3 of Week 50 Scripture: Job 1-3; Psalm 29; Revelation 10 Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope.  This is the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.    Today we are starting the book of Job.  This is a book of suffering.  We get to see that right away.  It’s an unusual book too.  The author says that it takes place in the land of Uz, which is far away from Israel and Job is not an Israelite.  It’s probable that the author intentionally doesn’t give a lot of historical detail because that isn’t the point.  The point is more the questions that are raised by Job’s suffering.   Chapters 1 and 2 are the prologue of Job.  We learn about Job, who is upright and blameless.  He has been blessed immensely but he has stayed humble with the highest of integrity.  From there, we are transported to the heavens where God is meeting with his angels and someone referred to as Satan, which means accuser.  When this accuser tells God that Job is only upright and blameless because God has blessed him with all kinds of good things, then God gives Satan the ability to take that away from Job, to test him essentially, and see if he will stay committed to God.   Of course, to most of us, this is incredibly frustrating.  Why does God do this?  It doesn’t make sense.  And we might think that maybe the book will answer the question of why.  But, spoiler alert, it doesn’t.  It does ask more questions about God’s justice which we will be forced to reckon with.  The accuser arranges for Job to experience the loss of his children, the loss of his fortune, and then to be covered in boils.  Essentially, everything good is stripped from him.  But he doesn’t curse God.    He has three friends who come over to try to comfort him but I don’t think they were much comfort at all.  But these friends do represent the typical way of thinking about suffering at the time in that part of the world.   Chapter 3 brings us into the main part of the book, which includes a lot of prose and poetry.  Job speaks first and as we move into the other chapters, we will hear the responses of the three friends.  Chapter 3 is exclusively Job, who is lamenting the day he was born.  Why did God even allow him to live?  We will delve more into this tomorrow.   Our New Testament text is Revelation 10.  In this chapter, John sees another angel come down from the heavens.  This angel is wrapped in a cloud.  Keep in mind, that clouds often refer to God’s judgment.  There is also a rainbow above the head of the angel.  Rainbows often refer to God’s covenant.  So, we might gather that God’s judgment is coming in regard to God’s covenant with his people.  But there is also this piece about the little scroll that the angel is carrying.  John is told to come get the scroll and eat it.  Eating the scroll is a symbol of being ready to prophesy God’s message. Remember that when Ezekiel eats his scroll he finds it to be sweet as honey in his mouth. The Word of God is described as sweet in multiple places in Scripture. Psalm 19:9-10 reads, ...the decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. Notice that when John eats the scroll, he also finds it as sweet as honey. However, after he had eaten it, his stomach was made bitter. The bitterness comes because of the judgments that are still to come.  More tomorrow...   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope March 10, 2025 Day 2 of Week 50 Scripture: Malachi 1-4; Psalm 2 ; Revelation 9 Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope.  This is the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.    For our Old Testament reading, we are reading the book of Malachi, all four chapters.  Malachi is the very last book of the Old Testament, a really short book, yet it gets its point across.   Malachi is the Cliff Notes of the Old Testament. In these four short chapters, the author gives a brief summary of the whole Old Testament.  One of it’s most famous verses, Malachi 3:7, in one verse, gives us a picture of the dynamics of the Old Testament.  God is basically saying, “Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” Your ancestors turned away from me, you have turned away from me. It’s time to come back and let me bless you, let me love you, says the Lord. That’s basically the whole Old Testament in a nutshell---keep in mind over and over again throughout the Old Testament (over hundreds of years), God’s people would commit to following God and then fall away. Eventually, they were so rebellious that God lifts his hand of protection and allows the people of Israel and Judah to be conquered by other nations. We’ve read through all of that.   Malachi prophesied about 100 years after the Jews returned from exile in Babylon (400-450BC)  As we learned in Nehemiah, only a small portion of people returned to Jerusalem. They rebuilt the city, the temple, and the wall around the city. Yet, after living in exile for 70 years, the people were still corrupted by the pagan culture in which they lived. They were far from God. So, as we read over the past few weeks, Ezra and Nehemiah both had instituted reforms, the people had sincerely agreed to follow God. But within a generation, all the reforms, the promises the people had made were forgotten.   What’s interesting is that the people were still going through the motions. They were externally religious–they went through the religious tasks that they were supposed to do but it was ALL about outward behavior. This is the period of time in which the Pharisees & Saducees came into being---there was this emphasis on outward religiosity, doing things which make it seem like you are a good religious person. But their hearts were far from God. And we know, what matters to God is not what’s on the outside, it’s not our religious busyness, but it’s our heart.   Basically, the people are in no better place than before the exile. No matter how religious the people appear to be, their hearts are not right with God. They have allowed the things of the world, their own selfishness, their own distrust, to lead them a drift, seeking fulfillment in anything BUT God. Thus, God will do a new thing. As we read through chapters 3 and 4, we begin to see Malachi point to something that is to come. No rules or reforms will change the hearts of the people. Rules and reforms don’t change our hearts. We don’t need external changes. Rather, we need someone who will come into our own hearts and transform us from the inside out. We need a Savior, someone to draw us back to God and back to one another. We need Jesus. Malachi 3:1-2,“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. After the book of Malachi ends, 400 years pass before the people get another word from God. 400 years! These were called the silent years. But then, in God’s perfect timing, God arrives on the scene in a new way, through the person of Jesus Christ AND Jesus picks up right where Malachi left off. In fact, Jesus’ very first message to the people in Mark 1 was to “Repent.” Repent, the kingdom of God is here. Yes, your hearts aren’t right with God. Yes, I know you are selfish, self-absorbed, distracted by the ways of the world, I know your heart through and through. Turn away from your ways and come back to me. Allow me to cleanse you, be the refining fire, to purge out all the impurities, all that’s harmful, all that’s led you astray.   Let’s take a look at Revelation 9.  Things are beginning to get kind of hard. Let’s do our best to unpack it. The fifth trumpet blows and a star falls from the sky. The star unlocks the key to the abyss. When the abyss is opened, all kinds of evil things come out of it. The people without the seal of God are forced to go through five months of torture at the hands of the scorpion-like locusts who have come from the abyss (five months is the life cycle of a locus). It’s all very graphic and hard to take in.   A wider look at the battlefield reveals that the one who rules over these terrible demonic creatures is the king of the abyss, Apollyon. There is a lot of symbolism here that John’s original listeners would have understood. The Greek name Apollyon means destroyer. It’s very similar to the name Apollos, the Greek god who was the favorite of the emperor of the time, Domitian (who reigned from A.D. 81 to 96).In fact, the emperor so identified with Apollos that he often called himself the reincarnation of the deity.   Domitian was known for his reign of terror against both Jews and Christians. Just imagine, the original hearers of this text would have drawn immediate connections between the king of this abyss and their emperor, who was persecuting them relentlessly for their belief in Jesus. They would understand that while Domitian may be the source of persecution, the true source of suffering was Satan, the evil one, the one who reigns over the abyss. Just when we think it might be over, the author says that it isn’t. The first woe has passed but there are more to come. Then ensues a wave of plagues. A third of humanity is killed and then another third. You would think this would be enough to scare the survivors into believing in Jesus. And yet, the Scripture says that they continue to be hardened. They don’t stop their evil behavior but persist in resisting God.   Fear and terror have never been effective methods for leading people to a saving relationship with Jesus. That begs the question–how do we effectively point people to Jesus? People are not frightened into the Kingdom (we are stubborn people!), people are not shamed into the Kingdom, lectured into the Kingdom, or forced into the Kingdom in any way. People are loved into the Kingdom. And even then, they have the choice to say yes or no to God’s free gift of grace.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope March 9, 2025 Day 1 of Week 50   Scripture:  Nehemiah 10-13; Revelation 8   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope.  This is the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  We start week 50 today.  That is hard to believe.  Congrats on all of you who have read almost the entire Bible!!!   Today, we are back in Nehemiah for our Old Testament reading.  We begin in chapter 10 with the people making a commitment to follow the Law.  They know it, now they will live it.    Jerusalem is the capital and the holy city. It had the leaders and the temple employees but it needed real citizens to make it a defensible community. It wasn’t easy to live there. They still had the residents actively serving as guards. The gates are complete, the wall is done, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be opposition. They still haven’t let their guard down. To live in Jerusalem, at that time, meant to be a rotating security guard of sorts.   A number of people volunteered to form the nucleus of the city. We find their specific names listed in chapter 11. These were real people with real families and responsibilities who volunteered to do whatever they could, even if it was a significant interruption to their lives, in order to make Jerusalem a functioning society. Sometimes God asks us to interrupt our lives for his work in this world.   Let’s move on to chapter 12.  After the wall was dedicated, there was much joy among God’s people. But after the music and celebration ended, Nehemiah made sure the people understood the importance of tithing. As they were seeking to be in alignment with God’s Word, this was of vital importance. The first fruits and tithes of the people provided for the work of the priests and the Levites, as well as any other need associated with the worship of God and his work in the world. Tithing is still of vital importance. Throughout Scripture, God calls his people to give 10% of their earnings to him. This isn’t because God needs our money. Rather, it is a matter of heart.   All we have comes from God–everything! As an act of obedience, he then calls us to give part of our resources back to him for his work in the world. In my experience as a pastor, people really struggle with this. This is an estimate but I would guess only about a fifth of our church truly tithes. Giving10% may feel hard at first but once you do it, it is actually quite freeing. You know you are in compliance with God’s Word and God always blesses that. For me, it is also an important acknowledgment that God is Lord of my life and I’m trusting him with my all. Do you tithe? Why or why not?   In chapter 13, we find that Nehemiah has to return to serve the king of Babylon. God had called him to Jerusalem for a season, he was obedient, and then he had to go back to his day job. But after some time (we don’t know how long but it must have been quite awhile), Nehemiah returns to Jerusalem. He finds that the people were not obeying the Law as they had promised to do. There were issues with the tithes and the temple, people were not obeying the Sabbath, and there was intermarriage with the pagan people who lived around them. Nehemiah does his best to institute reforms once again so the people would be in alignment with God’s law. This wasn’t easy. The people had grown comfortable in their ways. After each set of reforms, Nehemiah asks God to remember what he has done and honor it. Nehemiah was an honest and Godly man who simply wanted to serve God well and teach his people to do the same. Who are the Nehemiahs among us? Who are those men and women who seek to serve God and lovingly encourage others to do the same, even when it’s hard and even when the people don’t want to hear it? Our New Testament reading is Revelation 8. The interlude is over. It’s time for the seventh seal to be opened. After watching the last seals be opened, John is probably expecting something really big but this time, there is nothing but...silence. The Scripture says there is silence in heaven for about half an hour. Silence is often a way to show reverence to God in worship. There are whole religious orders that take vows of silence before God. I don’t know about you but, as an extroverted extrovert, I struggle with silence. It is in long, extended periods of silence that we are faced with our own thoughts, our doubts, and our struggles. That’s not always fun. But I’ve also found tremendous value in silence-it’s in those long periods of silence that I take time to really engage with God and allow time for listening, for resting in the presence of God. Mother Teresa is quoted as saying, “We need to find God, and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature—trees, flowers, grass—grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence ... We need silence to be able to touch souls.” Could it be that we learn the most from God in the silence? What has been your experience? God can also use silence as a method of preparation. We find this in today’s Scripture. After the silence, things get pretty intense. The seven angels who stand before God are given seven trumpets. The prayers of God’s people (symbolized by the incense) make their ways to God’s nostrils. And then, the trumpets blow and God’s wrath is poured out on the earth. The purpose of the trumpet blows is to warn the unbelievers of God’s impending wrath and judgment. There is something about a trumpet that makes you take notice. It’s quite loud, so loud in fact that there is no way to NOT notice it. Take notice, these angels are saying. Pay attention! Turn from your wicked ways and acknowledge God! Who do you know who has not yet acknowledged God? Are there people in your life that need to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ? Read the words of the apostle Paul from 2 Corinthians 6:1-4 and the unbelievers in your life in prayer. As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you,     and in the day of salvation I helped you.”   I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation. Blessings, Pastor Vicki      

Daily Dose of Hope March 6, 2025 Day 5 of Week 49   Scripture:  Nehemiah 7-9; Psalm 140; Revelation 7   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope!  This is the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.   We head back to Nehemiah for our Old Testament reading.  Let’s start with chapter 7.  Nehemiah knows that there are still dangers outside (and maybe even inside) the city. Thus, the leaders must be chosen carefully. Obviously, they needed to be competent. But more than anything else, they needed to have character and love the Lord. Those in charge of the city required more than professional skill; they required integrity.   That’s certainly just as important for us today. If we think of those who are in charge of our nation, our states, our cities, and even our churches, integrity matters. It isn’t just about voting record, we need to think of how these individuals actually live their lives. How have they treated their employees, their spouses, and their children? Are they honest? Are they respectable? What is their faith journey like? Integrity matters.   There is also a discussion about the times during which the city gates will be open. This may sound strange to us but it really makes perfect sense. Nehemiah is delegating some of the city protection tasks out to various trustworthy people in the community. They are to keep watch and keep the large city gates closed during the busy times of day and only open them during the hottest hours. During that time, the enemies and opponents are going to be less active; it is truly the safest time of day. The men watching the doors can let their guard down for just a moment. Basic commerce can occur and some people will be allowed in and out. But those chosen to guard should come from inside the city, particularly those who live close to the gate. These are people who have a vested interest in keeping that area safe.    Chapter 8 is an incredible chapter.  Ezra the priest brings out the Book of the Law and begins to read it to all the people who could understand. Verse 3 of this chapter states, He read it aloud from day break till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. I’ve been trying to visualize thousands of men, women, and children, listening to the reading of the law. Most likely, it had been years since they had heard God’s Word read out loud. Some may never have heard it. Remember, they had been in exile and then they moved to a very disheveled and chaotic Jerusalem, where survival was precarious. They had become disconnected from God’s Word for generations. And they begin to weep. They were both distraught and heartbroken at how far away from God’s Law they had moved. But Nehemiah gets up and tells the people not to weep. Rather, this was a holy day of celebration. They don’t need to grieve because God is joyful at their new found obedience. They need to rest in that and allow God’s joy to be their strength.   In chapter 9, we read that as God’s people stood and listened to the Book of the Law, they knew that things needed to change. After listening to God’s Word, they corporately spent time in confession and worship. And then, they began to move toward aligning themselves with the law. This was repentance. Repentance is more than being sorry for something.  It’s when we move away from sin and wrongdoing and move toward God. When we repent before God, we are saying that we will change. When we repent of our sin, we cannot go on consciously committing that sin without remorse. Repentance brings results that affect our behavior. When we continue to live in sin, we are short-circuiting God’s power in our life. Lack of repentance can keep us from thriving and experiencing true awakening. Sin is like a millstone around our neck as individuals and as a church.   For what do you need to repent? Let’s confess our sin, repent of it, become cleansed and available for the Holy Spirit to fill us and use us.   Let’s head over to Revelation 7.  The first six seals have been opened. Before the seventh is opened, however, John takes an interlude. There is something else that needs to be shared. It starts with a vision of four angels standing at the corners of the earth. God is in control over all the earth. These angels emphasize that. Then, the text speaks of putting a seal on all of God’s people.   I don’t know about you but over the course of my life, I’ve heard people speak of the mark of the beast (or the evil one) far more often than the mark of God. We will discuss the mark of the beast more when we get to chapter 13 but certainly it’s worth noting that some in religious circles stir up fear. “Be on the lookout,” we hear Bible commentors say. What is our infatuation with things that are dark, mysterious, and sinful? Perhaps we should be more interested and passionate about ensuring that Christ-followers are living in such a way that the world around them will notice the mark of God in their lives. As ones who belong to Jesus, we don’t have to be fearful of Satan. We have the Spirit of the Living God within us and there is power in that! Ephesians 1:13-14 states, And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. The mark of God is far more powerful than the mark of the evil one, yesterday, today, or tomorrow.   The chapter specifically mentions the number 144,000. Literal interpretations of this number have caused all kinds of problems throughout history. The Bible does all kinds of things with numbers that we don’t totally understand in our 21st century context. Obviously, 144,000 is 12 squared. Both the numbers 12 and 10 often represent completeness in Scripture. As we work our way through the chapter, we find that the heavenly population is expansive. Verse 9 reads, After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.   Heaven is larger than our ability to fathom. There are no limits in relation to size and numbers when we are talking about God and heaven. All people from all tribes, nations, tongues, and time periods are invited to receive Jesus and spend eternity in glory. Think about the awesomeness of that truth! People from across the globe will spend eternity worshiping God together.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope March 5, 2025 Day 4 of Week 49   Scripture:  Nehemiah 4-6; Psalm 98; Revelation 6   Good morning, everyone, and welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope.  The Daily Dose is the podcast and devotional that goes along with our daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.    For our Old Testament reading today, we are back in Nehemiah, specifically chapters 4 though 6.  In chapter 4, we find that when we are doing God’s work, there will always be opposition! Here we have Nehemiah and the residents of Jerusalem working day and night to rebuild the wall. This would provide fortification for the city, the residents could prosper, and the city could flourish. God’s city could flourish. Of course, the evil one doesn’t want that.   But while obstacles should be expected, we should also expect that God will provide the answers. Nehemiah prays to God and God gives him the wisdom to fight against the enemies. They would guard the walls day and night. They would work with their weapons. They would never let their guard down. God gave them the plan, the strength, and the courage, they needed to persevere. As a result, the enemies eventually backed down.   How has God called you to do his work? Have you experienced obstacles? Please trust God to give you the plan, courage, and strength to finish the work. Don’t be discouraged! God is with you. The same God who was with Nehemiah is with you.   Chapter 5 is distressing.  There is tremendous disunity among God’s people, which also threatens to hinder the completion of the wall.  Satan does not need to raise up enemies against God’s work if he can turn God’s people against each other. Many of the poor families were complaining against the rich. They were struggling to feed their children. Instead of the rich helping them, they were exploiting them. The poor Jews needed to eat. The rich Jews offered to help them, but did so at a price and it was a heavy one. The rich Jews forced their poorer brethren to mortgage their own property in order to get money to eat. That in itself wasn’t the worst of it. When property wasn’t enough collateral they took their children as slaves. In addition, they charged such heavy interest that the poorer class had no hope to get out from under this burden of debt. The king’s tax seems to be the catalyst for all of this. It seems that the royal tax was very high. This was what caused the people to get into debt at the beginning. Rather than help them get out of debt, the rich added to their burdens. It was a classic case of “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”    Nehemiah takes action.  He immediately speaks out against the wealthy.  He calls them to repentance and asks them to do right, to give back what isn’t theirs, and to stop taking advantage of the poor.  They promise to do so.  But Nehemiah is quite clear – he will hold them to it.    Let’s move over to chapter 6.  Here we see that Nehemiah’s opponents, people like Sanballat and Tobiah, continue to do all they can to intimidate him. They schemed to take his life, they sent ugly letters, and they hired crooked prophets to prophecy against him. They didn’t let up. And yet, God’s work continued. God had given Nehemiah wisdom. Nehemiah had to constantly be discerning what was safe and what wasn’t. He had to constantly listen to God rather than those around him.   There must have been times in which he was scared or unsure. After all, he was only human. But he knew that God was bigger than his fear. God was bigger than these men who were plotting against him. God was bigger than whatever they threw at him. He knew this, he believed it, and he trusted it. As a result, the wall was completed. The enemies grew scared and everyone knew it was the work of the Lord.   As I write this, I’m thinking that there are some people who need to know that God is bigger than whatever you are going through. God is bigger than your diagnosis, God is bigger than your grief, God is bigger than your pain, God is bigger than your financial worries, God is bigger than whatever burdens or worries you carry. Can you know this, believe this, and trust this truth?   Our New Testament reading is Revelation 6.  In this chapter, we find Jesus Christ receiving a preview of world history from the first century to his return. Each seal he opens reveals something different over the course of human history, none of which are desirable. As you read through the text, try not to get stuck in taking the words literally. Simply try to visualize what John is describing. Each aspect of the text has deep meaning but wasn’t intended to be taken literally. What these visions symbolize, however, are quite extraordinary.   When Jesus opens the first four seals, each action brings forth a rider on a horse. The first four riders represent pretty horrible things for humanity, such as military conquest (the first rider), warfare (the second rider), famine (the third rider), and death (the fourth rider). Wherever the first three go, death is sure to show up as a result. As horrible as these four scourges are for the human race, the symbolism here indicates that Christ limits their power. They could be worse. God allows these aspects of our sin and brokenness to exist but he will not allow them to overtake the world.   Just a small but interesting point: generally, we think of the number 4 in the book of Revelation as representing the world or the things of the world. The first four horsemen have trampled all around the world throughout the course of history, devastating humanity. But Christ has and will continue to limit their power. He is the one who holds the keys to death (John 1:18). Remember the first listeners to this message. These words would remind them that there was more going on in the world, particularly in the spiritual realm, than they could see. All the horrors they were experiencing on earth were real but there was something bigger going on. Oh yeah, and Jesus would have the final word.   After the fifth seal was opened, something else shows up on the scene–an altar. Under the altar were the martyrs of the faith. These were people who had been slain for their belief in Jesus. They call out to Jesus, calling him Sovereign Lord, righteous and true. But these souls are asking Jesus for justice, when their deaths will be avenged? This is a grim reminder that Christians have and will continue to be killed for their belief in Christ. How easy it is for us as Americans to set this reality aside, to forget that believers are being killed, tortured, or oppressed for their faith right now in various parts of the world. What might God be calling us to do about it?   The sixth seal isa reminder of the natural calamities that have devastated the earth over thousands upon thousands of years. Humans react by hiding or blaming God. But before Jesus’ second coming, we can be assured that the earth will continue to experience disasters of all kinds. The last line of the chapter is worth a mention. It expresses that the day of the Lord’s wrath is coming. The world will experience military conquest, warfare, famine, death, martyrdom, and natural disasters between Jesus’ first and second coming. These things are part of being human and part of living in this world. But ultimately, Jesus will prevail. He will come in all his glory and judge all of the world.   I know we struggle with concepts like judgement. But we have nothing to fear if we belong to Jesus. While trouble is guaranteed as part of life, Jesus’ people can rest assured that we don’t have to be afraid. We know the one who saves. We know the one who will have final victory. We can seek God’s Kingdom now and actively look for glimpses of the new creation to come. Rest in that.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki    

Daily Dose of Hope March 4, 2025 Day 3 of Week 49   Scripture:  Nehemiah 1-3; Revelation 5   Welcome back, everyone, to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.    Today, we start the Old Testament book of Nehemiah.  The way that Nehemiah came to be a leader of his people was by the influence exerted on him by a fellow Jew named Hanani, who is mentioned at the beginning of this book. Hanani came to Nehemiah with a report that the Jews in Jerusalem were struggling and experiencing great distress. The year was 445 B.C. By this point, it had been 90 years since Cyrus allowed the Jews to leave Babylon and begin to rebuild in Jerusalem and it had been 70 years since the completion of the temple. The Persian Empire was at its height but the small Jewish community in Jerusalem was hurting badly; survival was precarious.   Nehemiah was a faithful Jew who knew and studied the Law. But he was also the cup bearer for the king. He lived well. He could have ignored the report from Hanani but he didn’t. He was grieved by the distress of his fellow Jews and he decides to do something about it, regardless of the consequences. He begins to pray and fast and trusts that God will provide both direction and provisions.   How often are we deeply moved by something in the world–homelessness, human trafficking, families in crisis, suicide–and we do nothing because we just aren’t sure what to do. It’s complicated to care. We spend a few moments distressed by the topic and we move on. What would have happened to the fledgling Jewish community in Jerusalem if Nehemiah had simply been distressed but then moved on? History may have been different. God used Nehemiah. God wants to use us too. He has called us to live out his mission in this world. If God lays something on our heart, there is a reason for that. He doesn’t want us to move on but to get moving, praying, fasting, and listening. What has God put on your heart? Even if it’s a complicated problem, God can and will make a way.   Nehemiah knows he has to do something.  But he has an important job working for the king of Persia.  Nehemiah must have been truly admired by the king. The king actually notices because Nehemiah looks distressed and he asks Nehemiah what’s going on. Nehemiah could have just said, “I’m fine.” After all, he feared the king. The Scripture actually says that Nehemiah was very much afraid. Keep in mind, the Persian king had absolute power and literally held Nehemiah’s life in his hands.   But here we see a turning point in Nehemiah. Rather than give into his fear, he speaks up. He prays to God, listens to God, and speaks up. He is honest and tells the king what’s going on in Jerusalem. He asks if the king would allow him to take a leave of absence (of sorts) from his job as cup bearer to help his Jewish brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. Friends, that took courage. I think I should reiterate: Nehemiah was fearful BUT he prays to God, he listens to God, he trusts God, and he speaks up. Let that sink in. How often do we give in to fear and not speak OR we speak too quickly before praying and listening to God?   In chapter 3, we find God’s people getting to work rebuilding the wall around the city of Jerusalem. What’s fascinating to me about this text is the detail. We can see how individual people are given credit for their contribution to this important work. This wall they were rebuilding would protect the city and its inhabitants from invaders and those who opposed them. Before anyone could sleep well at night or prosper at all, they needed protection.   These men of God ensured that happened. The author lists the names. I love this! Each contribution was important. These were real people who stopped their lives for a period of time to do God’s work. They didn’t work on the wall to get famous (I’m guessing they had no idea their name would show up in the best-selling book of all time!) They did what they felt God calling them to do–the humble but necessary work. Think of all those people who have gone before us, who did the humble and necessary work, to invest in our lives, our Christian journeys, and this church.   As I think about my last 18 years at New Hope, many faces and names come to mind, people who led my Bible studies, prayed for me, invested in me, fed me, led this church, took care of my children in the nursery, and basically created a way for me to learn, grow, and prosper in my faith. These were real people who made what may have seemed like humble or simple contributions but yet changed the course of my Christian walk. What about you? Who are those people who made the humble and necessary contributions which led you to where you are right now? Take a moment, name them, and give thanks for their lives. If possible, reach out and tell them the difference they made. If that isn’t possible, just give a prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving, giving glory to the God who created them and placed them in your life.   Our New Testament text is Revelation 5.  Yesterday, in chapter 4, we read about and visualized the never-ending worship of God which has gone on in heaven forever. Today, the scene shifts a bit. Now, the Lamb of God, obviously slain from his time on earth, enters the picture. The voice John hears says that it is only the Lamb of God, only Jesus Christ himself, who is worthy to open the judgment scroll, sealed by God. In fact, it will be Jesus who will eventually enact the coming judgments.   The twenty-four elders worship the Lamb in the same way they had worshiped creator God on the throne. But now they are singing a new song, “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” In this new song, we see Jesus being praised for redeeming people from all tribes, languages, and nations. All people on the whole earth are invited to receive salvation and redemption from Jesus Christ. Try to wrap your brain around this: Jesus died to save the whole world, every person from every nation from every time period that has ever existed. Jesus is worthy to be praised.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope March 3, 2025 Day 2 of Week 49     Scripture:  Ezra 7-10; Psalm 97; Revelation 4   Welcome back, friends, to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.   For our Old Testament Scripture, we head back to the book of Ezra.  In chapters 7 and 8, we read about Ezra returning to Jerusalem.  The king of Persia has given him and any Jews who want to return permission to do so.  But it’s quite a journey.  Ezra records all that come with him.    One interesting thing about Ezra is that he was a leader who invested in his people. He didn’t just tell the people what to do, he actually taught the people Scripture and how to interpret it. Thus, as we move into chapters 9 and 10, the people are now recognizing that what is going on among them is wrong. They see how the Jewish people are out of alignment with God’s law and they decide to bring their concerns to Ezra.   What’s the issue? Well, the people of God have been intermarrying with all the pagan nations and cultures around them. They have given their daughters in marriage to Canaanites and Hittites. They have accepted Moabite and Amorite men as husbands for their daughters. God asked them to be a holy, set-apart people and they have done anything but. There are certainly instances in the Old Testament when Jewish people have married foreigners(think Ruth the Moabite) and things have turned out well. But in those cases, the foreign spouse became dedicated to the one true God. In other instances, when things didn’t turn out so well (think Solomon and all his wives), it was because the spouses remained pagan and brought their pagan gods into the home. It is hard to be holy and set apart when Pagan influences are at your kitchen table and in your bedroom.   As believers in Jesus, we are also to be set apart people. That doesn’t mean we isolate ourselves from the world, but rather we live differently. Our values are different than the world’s values. Our lifestyle should be different from the world’s lifestyle. When it comes to marriage, the New Testament also implores believers to marry other believers. It isn’t a command but it makes sense. When a person of one worldview covenants with the person of a totally different worldview, it can be really, really hard. When one spouse is committed to Jesus and the other isn’t, there will be value clashes.   Think about your own relationships, maybe your marriage. How might your pray for those closest to you in regard to faith? We know that God isn’t done with anyone yet. What relationship is heavy on your heart right now? Take a moment and pray.   Back to the Scripture - the people truly loved and respected Ezra and when they see how distraught he is, they also become distraught. Ezra really doesn’t have to force the people to acknowledge their wrongdoing. They know their guilt before God is significant. They have intermarried with people who worship other gods. They have broken God’s law and they know it. Now what is to be done?   Ezra as the leader guides the people but doesn’t force them into any specific solution. It is the people themselves who decide that the foreign wives and their children should be banned from their fellowship. This is a hard one for me. Presumably, some of these are innocents. It wasn’t their fault that their father decided to marry a foreign woman. And yet, they would be sent away. Sin always has consequences.   I think that is a hard lesson for us. Sin always has consequences. Sometimes, the consequences are more severe than others. In our case, we can receive forgiveness through Jesus Christ and be reconciled to God but that doesn’t remove the consequences for ourselves and others. Sin always has consequences.   Now we head to our New Testament reading in Revelation. We’ve moved from the concerns of the churches to the heavenly realm in chapter 4. John describes heaven’s throne room with God on the throne. Human words fail John at this moment and he can only describe God as having the appearance of jasper and ruby. I’ve tried to envision this. Jasper is a beautiful stone that can be either a deep red or dark green. Ruby is obviously a brilliant red. So God, in John’s vision, includes the flashing radiance of reds and greens. Take a moment, close your eyes, and try to imagine what John is seeing.   The main throne is surrounded by twenty-four other thrones occupied by twenty-four elders. Scholars have debated for years as to who these elders might be but it probably isn’t all that relevant. What is relevant is the majesty of it all. From that central throne, there are flashes of lightning and the sounds of thunder. There are seven blazing lamps around the throne, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. What is most interesting to me are the four creatures who surround the throne. They seem to serve as guardians of some kind. They are covered with eyes and they each have six wings. They are similar to the fantastic beings described in Ezekiel (chapters 1 and 10). And these beings never stop praising God. All the time, never-ending praise: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”   When the four creatures give praise, the twenty-four elders do as well, falling down and worshiping God. Think of it–praise to God all the time; continuous, nonstop worship and praise. In heaven, God is being worshiped constantly without breaks or pauses. Why? Because he is God. Because he is creator, because he is sustainer, because he is Savior and Lord of all. Ceaseless praise.   How much time do we spend praising God in our lives on earth? Be honest. What’s your praise level? How might we begin to worship and praise God on a continuous (or at least daily) basis? How might this change how we view God? How might this change how we view the world?   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope March 2, 2025 Day 1 of Week 49   Scripture: Esther 7-10; Revelation 3   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are in week 49 of 52!  Good job, everyone.  We have almost read the whole Bible in a year.    Today, our Old Testament reading is finishing the book of Esther.  Let’s start with chapter 7.  Esther was risking her life by approaching the king and she has no idea how the king will react. We know from previous chapters that he is prone to rash, angry decisions. First, the king does not know that she is a Jew. Second, Esther doesn’t know if the king will choose her over Haman, his trusted advisor. If the king chooses to side with Haman, then Esther and her people will be killed.   But she must have courage and take the risk–the stakes are too high. God calls all of us to take risks. Let’s hope our risks aren’t quite as scary as Esther’s but they might be! The reality is that the Christian walk was never intended to be comfortable and easy. The Holy Spirit is constantly prompting us to take risks: go talk to that person, volunteer for that organization, reach out to that neighbor, offer to pray with that person over there, give money here...you get the idea. The big question is are we listening and are we obeying?   Back to the Scripture...Esther again puts herself out there, asking the king one more difficult thing. The king had decreed that all Jews would be eliminated. Thus, another edict must be made that superseded the previous one. Esther knows this so she pleads with the king to overrule the horrible decree made by Haman so her people could be saved. The king basically allows Esther and Mordecai to create the new decree themselves and hands over his signet ring so they can seal it on behalf of the king. The new decree was strong. It guaranteed that the Jewish people could protect themselves, giving them the right to annihilate and plunder any group who tried to conquer or harm them. It even designated a specific date on which the Jews could attack their enemies.   In chapter 8, we read about Mordecai. He has the privilege of delivering the news of the new decree to the Jewish people. By this point, the roles have been totally reversed for Mordecai. No longer does he need to sit by the king’s gate in ash cloth. No longer does he need to worry about his life or the fate of his people. He is the victor, but only because a young queen was willing to do the right thing and risk it all for the sake of her people. What is God calling you to do right now? What excuses are you making? How does this text inspire you to step out in faith?   As mentioned, the new decree, written by Esther and Mordecai, allowed the Jewish people a specific day on which to attack their enemies, the 13th of the Jewish month Adar. As you read through chapter 9, you find that is exactly what occurred. The Jewish men assembled and killed thousands of their enemies. Then, on the following day, they rested and feasted.   This was the beginning of an annual celebration for the Jews called Purim. Purim means “lots” in ancient Persian. The holiday was thus named since Haman had thrown lots to determine when he would carry out his evil scheme. Purim is still celebrated among devout Jews. On the eve of Purim, they read the book of Esther and then do so again on the following day. There is also much gift-giving. They are to send monetary gifts to at least two poor people and then two food gifts to at least one other person. There is also much feasting and celebrating.   I have to admit when I first read about this, it sounded a bit gory. Are they really celebrating the death of all those people? But I had to reframe it. The Jews had been oppressed. They had received a death sentence. And then, they were freed from it. They had the ability to protect their families. They knew God was with them. This was worthy of celebration.   Let’s move to the final chapter in Esther.  Not unlike Joseph in an earlier Old Testament text, Mordecai moves from lowly and close to death to the king’s right-hand man. While God isn’t explicitly mentioned, we know that God acted extraordinarily to orchestrate the events of this story.   Today’s chapter was short but it gave me pause to reflect on the book of Esther as a whole. What can we learn from this book? ·If you are a Christ-follower, God has a purpose for your life. You exist to love and glorify God AND to demonstrate his love and goodness to the world. •God didn't make a mistake where he has you today. God put Esther exactly where he needed and wanted her to be. God has you where you need to be as well. How might God want to use you right now? •Sometimes, living into your purpose means making big, difficult decisions but it is often lived out in the small, everyday decisions of life.   Our New Testament text is Revelation 3. Here, John continues to proclaim the visions that Jesus has given him about the churches. Chapter 2 focused on Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and Thyatira. This chapter addresses the rest of the churches of Asia Minor, including Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Since we focused on the structure and flow of the letters on Thursday, I wanted to highlight the message to one particular church today–Laodicea.   I think it is incredibly important for all of us who are part of the American church. Laodicea was a very wealthy city. It was on a main trade route and it had several prosperous industries. It was known for its banking. It was also known for a black dye that it produced which was used to make black wool, quite a luxurious commodity in those days. It also had a respected medical school which developed an eye medicine that was quite sought after. But despite its wealth, the one really big problem that Laodicea had was lack of a water supply. Its northern neighbor, Hierapolis, had these amazing hot springs. It’s other close neighbor, Colossae, to the east, had a lovely refreshing cold water supply. As a result, Laodicea built an elaborate system to pipe the water from both those places into their city. But by the time it got there, it was not hot, nor cold, but simply lukewarm. Jesus has harsher words for Laodicea than any of the other churches. He says that just like their water, they are lukewarm! Hot water heals, cold water refreshes, but lukewarm water is useless. They are spiritually lukewarm; they are spiritually useless.   The thing is that they looked good on the outside. They went through all the motions. They worshiped, read Scripture, and sang hymns. But it was phony piety. Their hearts were far from God. There was no passion for Jesus. And they didn’t even realize this. In fact, because of their wealth and prosperity, they thought they were doing quite well. Largely sheltered from the persecution that other Christian communities in the area experienced, they were free to do as they pleased.   And what they were doing was not pleasing to God. They were self-reliant, complacent, lazy, and passionless. Not good traits for a church. But despite their spiritual mess, Jesus loves them and still yearns for them. He stands at the door and knocks, waiting for them to answer it. He wants a real relationship with them. He wants them to be passionate for his love.   Think about the American church. Think about our church for that matter. Are we lukewarm? Do we resemble Laodicea. In which ways? I’m not saying this to be critical but because I’m convicted. Do we serve God with passion? Are we simply going through the motions? Have we become stagnant?   Rate your passion level based on the following: -Do you experience joy and excitement in your prayer life? -Do you read Scripture with expectancy of hearing from the Lord? -Do you have spiritual conversations with non-Christians? -Do you actively seek out relationships with non-Christians so you can demonstrate the love of Christ to them? -Do you look for ways to serve Jesus and reach out to those who are struggling/hurting in our community? -What’s the last time you felt really excited about your spiritual walk with Jesus? -As a church, are we passionate about being disciples who make disciples?   Are our hearts close to God? I’ll stop there but do take some time to let this all sink in a bit. God wants our whole heart and life, not just some of it. He wants us to be passionate as individual believers and a church.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope February 27, 2025 Day 5 of Week 48 Scripture:  Esther 4-6; Revelation 2 Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  Our Old Testament Scripture for today is Esther 4-6.  In chapter 4, we get to the crux of the story. The fate of the Jewish people falls into the hands of the new Jewish queen. But wait, the king doesn’t know she is a Jew! Mordecai implores her to approach Xerxes and plead for the safety of her people. But this isn’t as easy as it sounds. One didn’t just show up in front of the king. He was supposed to summon her and he had not done so for a while. If Esther approached him, she was literally taking her life into her hands. If it pleased the king, he might allow her to approach. If it didn’t, well then things could get messy. But Mordecai tells Esther that just because she lives in the palace, there was no guarantee she would be spared. Could it be that God put her into this position for such a time as this? Could it be that God had strategically placed her there to do what was right and stand up for her people? Could it be that sovereign God had orchestrated all the pieces? Now, she simply had to respond with courage. Most of us have never been in such a dangerous and potentially deadly situation. That’s probably a good thing! However, many of us have found ourselves in difficult or serious situations, possibly in the workplace, at church, or even in a family crisis. Have you ever found yourself in a position where you simply knew that God had you there for a purpose? You were there for such a time as this. How did you respond? In chapter 5, we get to see more of Haman’s arrogance.  Haman is a piece of work! After being invited to Esther’s banquet, he sees Mordecai and is enraged that Mordecai does not rise in his presence or show fear. I can’t help but think what kind of man needs other men to be fearful in their presence. This is someone who is delusional about their own importance and/or has deep-rooted feelings of insecurity. Maybe both. Haman then calls together his wife and his friends to brag about how great he is. The only thing that bothers him, he tells this group, is that Mordecai is still sitting at the king’s gate. Their solution is to have Mordecai impaled on a pole before Esther’s next banquet so that Haman can fully enjoy it. The horror of their suggestion should not go unnoticed. Haman’s own feelings of grandiosity (and his friends desire to please him) have become so inflated that nothing else matters. A gruesome public execution for a seemingly very small offense would serve to demonstrate to the world who has power and who does not. It would instill fear and keep people in line. As you can tell, there is little value placed on human life as well. They are living in the Persian Empire. There was no issue with slaughtering all the Jews, men, women, and children. Actually valuing human life is a Judeo-Christian concept. Jesus especially changed our thinking by demonstrating that all lives are valuable to God. Because all people are made in the image of God, every single life has value. God loves everyone. And our last chapter of Esther for today is chapter 6.  The king couldn’t sleep so he has the record of his reign read aloud to him. This is a man who likes to hear about his own exploits. Regardless, he finally learns about the incident in which Mordecai uncovers a conspiracy to assassinate the king. The king realizes that Mordecai was never rewarded for this and so he asks Haman what should be done to a man who greatly pleases the king. Haman, totally self-obsessed, thinks the king is referring to him so he chooses a grand reward: wearing the a royal robe and being paraded around the city on one of the king’s horses. Things are beginning to be turned upside down. While Haman was originally planning on killing Mordecai that day, he ends up being the one who parades him around the city.  Our New Testament reading is Revelation 2. John’s first vision from the risen Lord includes messages to the seven churches of Asia Minor. We can think of these as “love letters” of sorts. Remember, Jesus knew the churches inside and out. He knew the pastors, the participants, the struggles, and the joys. He loved each church very much and wanted them to be effective and fruitful. Each church letter starts with this message, “to the angel at the church of...” Who were these angels? In the ancient Greek, the word angel is usually translated messenger. Who were the messengers? Most scholars agree that the messengers would have been the pastor of the church. As the shepherd of the flock, they were to bring the message to the people. The message itself was from Jesus. He is the one who holds the seven stars and walks among the lampstands (referring to the churches), he is the first and the last who came to life again, he is the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword, and he is the one whose eyes are blazing fire and feet are burnished bronze. These may not be typical images we have for Jesus but they give us another perspective of our Lord and Savior. Remember, he is the one who will return to defeat Satan and conquer evil forever. He is the lamb of God but he is also so much more. Each love letter to a church also lists the things the church is doing well (compliments) and things that are going wrong (criticisms). Remember, Jesus wants to encourage them but he also wants them to be who they are called to be. Kind of like our children, we want to see them grow and thrive and so discipline is important. We all need accountability. Without it, we will drift away from God. Because Jesus loved these churches so much, he provides them the remedy to fix whatever their problems were. At times, his words seem harsh. They need to be. This is a matter of eternal importance. It’s urgent. The letters close with a commitment from Jesus. To those who have ears to hear, let them hear what the Spirit is saying to them. This means not simply hearing it, but heeding it. If they do, then Jesus gives them a promise. In this case, it’s to eat from the tree of life, which means to have eternal life with God. The paradise of God could be thought of as heaven. Think of what the first hearers of this message must be experiencing. How they needed to focus on this promise! What about you? Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Daily Dose of Hope February 26, 2025 Day 4 of Week 48   Scripture:  Esther 1-3; Psalm 139; Revelation 1   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope!  This is the devotional and podcast that goes along with the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.   Let’s start with our Old Testament reading in Esther.  It was in 539BC that King Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon. A year later, he allowed the Jewish people to end their exile and return to Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36). But not all of them went. They had lives and livelihoods and the journey to Jerusalem would mean picking up and moving after generations in Babylon/Persia. Esther and her family, who this book is about, for whatever reason decide to stay put. They give us a picture of what it looks like to be a faithful Jew in a foreign land.   In the first chapter, we meet King Xerxes, who ruled Persia from 485 to 465BC. It was a very large kingdom and Xerxes expanded its borders quite a bit, all the way to what it now Pakistan to the east and Ethiopia to the south. While he may have been a good military commander and strategist, he struggled in the “don’t get drunk and mess up your marriage” area, as we can see in today’s text. Xerxes had thrown a huge banquet with many diplomats and important people from all over the region. He flaunts his wealth and then wants to flaunt his wife.   Most Jewish scholars think that when Xerxes asked Vashti to display her royal crown, it meant that he wanted her to appear naked in front of this large group of inebriated men. Vashti, his wife, isn’t having it. Women in those days had almost no say so in marriage, particularly if one was married to the king. And yet, something gave Vashti courage to say I’m not going to be paraded around like property before this group of drunk men. Maybe this had happened before. Regardless, it was a recipe for disaster and it would have been against custom of staying covered.   But Xerxes had unilateral power. To refuse a command of the king, especially in front of others, would most certainly have consequences. Vashti was willing to subject herself to them. She would rather lose her position in society than lose her dignity. She was brave, and while she knew it would mean something harsh, it was worth it to her. Sure enough, the king, probably under the influence of alcohol and without giving it much thought, decrees that Vashti is never to be in his presence again. Vashti has courageously served and now exited. God is making a way for someone else who will serve for a very specific purpose.   In chapter two, the search is on for a new queen. It’s quite the process as well. Beautiful virgins from far and wide are brought into the palace for all kinds of exceptional beauty treatments. Esther is one of those women. Esther was a Jew. She didn’t reveal her identity to anyone but she was part of the Jewish diaspora, the Jews who were spread outside of Jerusalem, trying to live faithfully in pagan lands.   She had been raised by her cousin, Mordecai, who we also meet in this chapter. He loves Esther like his own daughter and is filled with much advice for her. Esther is exceptionally beautiful and she catches the eye of the king more than any other woman. We also know that God is ensuring that she is chosen to be queen because there is something important that Esther will need to do for her people.   While God is not explicitly mentioned in the book of Esther, it is certainly a book that demonstrates the sovereignty of God. What does it mean that God is sovereign? It means that God is all-powerful and authoritative. He is ruler of the universe and is in all and over all. No matter the situation, God is present and God is at work. But unlike Xerxes, who uses his power selfishly, God uses his power in a moral, righteous way. He seeks what is best for his creation.   There is an interesting subplot at the end of the second chapter, in which Mordecai saves the king’s life. This is a small but important piece to remember and tuck away for later in the book.   In chapter three, we meet Haman.  Haman is a real piece of work. He hears that Mordecai won’t kneel down before him and he is enraged. Of course, we know that Mordecai is a Jew. He is only supposed to bow down before God. I’m thinking this plays in to Mordecai’s refusal but it could be that Mordecai knows Haman is a royal jerk and he simply won’t give him the pleasure. One can’t help noticing the similarity between Mordecai and Vashti in this story. Both refuse to honor men who do not deserve to be honored and they do so knowing there will be consequences.   And there are consequences. Haman, who seems to be evil inside and out, decides he doesn’t just want to punish Mordecai but his whole people group. He wants to ensure that all the Jewish people are killed. Let’s think about the absurdity of this: Haman wants to kill all the Jews in the kingdom because one Jew, Mordecai, refused to kneel before him. Haman senses that Mordecai is a threat to his power and he wants to punish that threat mercilessly. Thus, Haman devises a plan. He presents this idea to King Xerxes. There is a “certain group” of people who contaminate his empire and it is not in his best interest to tolerate them. Haman has a ready-made plan for elimination and it even involves a monetary bribe. Xerxes either doesn’t want to be bothered or is incredibly gullible. He basically passes his authority to Haman and says “do what you will” with an entire group of people.   Most of us will read this with a certain amount of horror. How appalling it is that a whole people group could be eliminated with nothing more than a flip of the hand. And yet, this scene, with different characters, has been repeated throughout human history over and over again. What is it about us as humans that we demonize whole groups of people? That we fail to value human life?   For our New Testament reading, we begin Revelation, one of the most difficult and misunderstood books of the Bible. It’s going to be a great journey! The book was written by the apostle John, much later in his life, while he was exiled on the island of Patmos. Revelation was sent as a circular letter to the seven churches of Asia Minor, to be passed from church to church and read aloud. It was intended to address the real needs of real people. For some churches, it was a word of encouragement in the midst of terrible persecution to give them a bigger perspective; there was more going on in the world than they could see or imagine. To other churches, it was a word of conviction. But most of all, it was prophecy.   Let’s be careful to not mix up prophecy with prediction. Prophecy is a divine message. Thus, Revelation is a word from God by his angel to John. It is God revealing that which was previously unknown. The beginning of today’s chapter, verses 1-8, serves as a kind of prologue. It introduces the author and general theme of the book. Then, the book goes right into four visions that John received from the risen Lord.   In our culture and reading style, we tend to be very concerned with words. Revelation is really more about images. My encouragement would be to not get caught up in taking the words literally but focus more on the images that your mind sees as you read the passage. Remember, this was intended to provide a broadened perspective, a more eternal one, for people who were being harshly persecuted and even tortured for their faith. This book demonstrates that while evil may feel overwhelming, it will NOT have the final word. There is more to the world than that which we see with our human eyes. There is a battle going on. And in the end, Jesus wins.   One additional note for today. The Scripture says that those who read it will be blessed, as are those who hear it and take it to heart. First, try to imagine how those words must have resonated with the first hearers of this message. It was the end of the first century and Christians were very much harassed and oppressed in many of these areas. How encouraging it would have been for them to hear this word of promise and blessing. While we live in a different time and culture, the Scripture also applies to us. I trust that we will also be blessed by reading this book and blessed as we try to understand it and take it to heart. I ask that we all pray for open hearts and minds as we begin this journey into this exciting and complex book of the Bible!   Blessings, Pastor Vicki