Inspirational ThoughtsI would like to share a few inspirational thoughts that I hope will bring peace and rest to your soul. Just as I have found that the sound of the waves crashing against the beach can be restful, I have also found a source of peace and rest for my soul that I would like to pass on to anyone who would like to read more. My hope is to continually add inspirational thoughts to this page so that you also may find rest and peace as I have.
HOPE I have found that hope is one of the most powerful things that we can have in our life. Without hope a person doesn't have any purpose to continue. With hope we will push through the most difficult of situations. How do we keep hope when everything around us seems to be hopeless? I have found that real hope has to be focused on something greater than the circumstances we are facing. Hope is believing that the end result will turn out better than what we are dealing with and everything will be okay Hope has to be based on truth that is unchanging. The only place I know where I have found unchanging truth to put my hope, is in the Holy Bible. The inspired Word of God. Why the Bible? If hope is going to carry us through the bad situations, the Bible is the only thing out there that has a promise that will never be broken. "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 "Nothing can separate you from the love of God." Romans 8:38-39 "I will be with you even unto the ends of the earth." Matthew 28:20 "Who can be against me when God is for me." Romans 8:31 "God is Love." 1 John 4:8 "Love (God) is patient, kind, longsuffering, gentle." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "Above all things, I desire that you prosper and be in good health." 3 John 1:2 "I can do all things through God who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13 These are just a few promises that I find to be a source of hope in my life. For the promises to be hope for me, I have to believe them. What is hope, but waiting patiently for what we do not have or yet see.
There are many people who believe that God exists, but they are asking what God is like. In our minds it seems to reason that if we can know what God is like then we can know what to expect from Him when we ask for something that we are in need of or desire. Since 1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love, then it would seem to be that we find out what God's character is like when we read. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
When I read this while thinking about what Jesus was like when He was on the earth I get a more clear picture of God the Father. Jesus himself said, Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father, in John 14:9 Jesus was the perfect mirror of the Father's image and likeness. As I have read the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), I start to get a clear picture of God's heart towards us. Jesus never turned anyone away that came and asked Him for something believing that He was willing to do what they asked. You see, a person cannot get to know someones character unless they spend time with that person. I have found that as I read the Bible and pray I get to know God and then as situations in life come, God proves to me that His words are true and then I trust Him even more. I have found many people veiw God as a judge and all He is ever interested in doing is judging us. There will be a time for judgement, but He is more interested in showing us His love and mercy so we can be free from judgement of our sins. God is as much interested in our eternity with Him as He is also interested in our lives here and now. I would recommend that you get to know God and see that He is good and loves you very much. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6
With the events that are happening every day in the world around us, the image of love tends to get blurred. We stand looking for peace and any sign of love in this world. Then we start to think, would we recognize love if we saw it? Most of the time the examples of love that come our way tend to be a selfish demonstration of love. We ask, is this love? We have been left feeling empty and alone after our encounter of what we thought was love. What does love look like? Every once in a while we see love in action and it is demonstrated by a person who has laid down their own life for someone else. You see, real love is more about giving than receiving. That's where we tend to miss love. Think about the times you have experienced love. When did love bring you the most joy? Has it been when love and kindness was given toward you or was it when you gave love toward another person? Love tends to be a reverse giver. What I mean is the greatest joy comes to the giver than it does to the receiver of the kindness. I believe God has tried to show us this by giving us His son Jesus. By becoming a giver of love then we'll start to recognize love again.
The team at SEAPC (Southeast Asia Prayer Center) have joined up with individuals in the USA and other countries by taking the love of God to the people through supporting orphans, performing heart surgeries for children,and developing economic strategies to end poverty. My wife and I have been supporting an orphan in Cambodia for the past eight years and it has been an extreme blessing being a part of this team. I encourage you to check out SEAPC for yourself and consider becoming a part of a team that is giving love around the world.
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