Daily Dose of Hope New Hope

Daily Dose of Hope
April 25, 2024
Day 5 of Week 4
 
Scripture – Genesis 49-50, Galatians 4
 
Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, New Hope Church’s devotional that complements our Bible reading plan.  We are at the end of the fourth week – congratulations!  You are making great progress.  I would love to hear some of your big takeaways thus far.
 
Today, we are finishing up the book of Genesis.  This has been quite a journey.  Did you know that Genesis is the second longest book in the Bible? (Jeremiah is the longest by just a tad.)  We have covered a lot of ground in Genesis and this is Scripture that provides the foundation for the rest of the Bible. 
 
As I mentioned yesterday, Genesis 49 includes Jacob’s deathbed prophecies for his twelve sons who will lead the twelve tribes of Israel.  Be sure to read through them.  Understandably, they aren’t all positive.  Most of the blessing was reserved for Joseph.  When Jacob finishes speaking, he dies. 
 
The final chapter of Genesis spans quite a few years.  It starts with Pharoah giving Joseph and his brothers permission to bury Jacob in Canaan and ends with the death of Joseph himself.  But despite Jacob’s desire to Joseph to go back to his homeland, he is embalmed (keep in mind that Jews don’t embalm so this was a very Egyptian way to handle his body), and his body stays in Egypt.  Joseph’s dying promise to his family is that God will pull them out of Egypt and resettle them in Canaan.  How will this happen?  We begin that journey tomorrow as we start the book of Exodus. 
 
Let’s move on to Galatians 4.  Boy, is Paul frustrated with the Galatians or what?  He doesn’t mince words.  But he continues to make his point. Paul contrasts humanity's condition under the law versus in Christ. Under the law, people were heirs to a promise that God made with Abraham, but really they were no better than slaves, for they were still in bondage to the law. Under Christ, however, there is true freedom.  People aren't merely heirs to a promise.  They are children of the one true God. 
 
Our salvation has nothing to do with the law.  Rather, our salvation rests in the work of Christ.  We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  When we are saved, God puts his Holy Spirit within us.  There is an intimacy there.  Now, we call out "Abba, Father" which effectively means "Daddy."  We aren't slave children.  We are truly God's children whom he loves.  We can rest in the love of our father.  We don't have to be fearful or timid.  We can spend time with our Father God, sit in his lap, and soak up the love he has for us.  I'll close today with Romans 8:15-16, So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.  Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
 
Over the next two days, you can rest, catch up, or get ahead.  Our next devotional on Sunday will start week 5.  Have a wonderful day. 
 
Blessings,
Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope
April 24, 2024
Day 4 of Week 4
 
Scripture – Genesis 47-48, Psalm 25, Galatians 3
 
Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope!  I want to take a moment for a quick announcement.  It’s Wednesday so I hope you will consider attending New Hope’s Recharge tonight at 6:30 in the Garage.  It’s a wonderful time of worship, followed by small groups.  I lead a prayer group at that time that you are all welcome to attend.  We also have some great topical groups that you can join.  Okay, with that, let’s get into our Scripture for today.
 
We are nearing the end of Genesis and Jacob is now on his deathbed.  He summons his youngest son, Joseph, and Joseph’s two oldest sons for their deathbed blessing.  By doing this, Joseph and his boys are getting double blessing, which means double inheritance.  This places Joseph’s sons higher in the pecking order than Reuben and Simeon, Jacob’s two firstborn sons.  Considering the horrific treatment of Joseph by his brothers (you know, the whole selling him into slavery thing), it’s not surprising that Jacob wants to give this blessing to his second youngest son.  If you recall, Jacob always favored Joseph as well. 
 
In kind of an ironic twist, Jacob decides to give the primary blessing to Joseph’s younger son, Ephraim, rather than the oldest son, Manasseh.  Remember, Jacob himself managed through some conniving to “steal” his father’s deathbed blessing from his older brother, Esau.  Joseph isn’t too happy about this, as evidenced in the Scripture, and tries to correct his father but Jacob wasn’t having any of it.  He wanted Ephraim to have the bigger blessing.  The blessing itself consists of a prayer for these two men to experience the same blessings Jacob has received from God during his lifetime. Jacob asks God to continue the legacy of Abraham and Isaac through them.  The chapter concludes with Jacob giving Joseph and his two boys a specific piece of land in Canaan.
 
One thing to notice here is that Jacob is making sure that Joseph and his sons understand that Egypt is not the end for them.  Jacob has told his sons to bury him in Canaan, not Egypt.  He also tells Joseph that God will be with him and will bring him back to the land of his fathers.  He gives Joseph a double portion of the land.  All of this is intentional.  He wants them to understand that Egypt is not their home.  God has promised them more.
 
In chapter 49, which we read tomorrow, we will find Jacob giving both blessings and prophecies to the older brothers.  They aren’t nearly as positive.
 
Let’s move on to Psalm 25.  This is a psalm of David, probably written a little later in his life.  It’s a psalm about trusting in God, even when circumstances are really tough.  More specifically, David asks God for instruction on how to avoid shame and disgrace and then provides instruction of those who wait on the Lord.  His plan, summarized, is to pray to God, actively acknowledging the utter dependence upon God, receiving the help that comes with God’s instruction, and exhorting God to selective remembering, meaning to forget his sins and remember the times he was faithful.  How many of you today are struggling with shame, disgrace, or embarrassment?  How might this wisdom from David help you right now?
 
Galatians 3 is our New Testament reading today.  Paul is discussing with the Galatian church about the role of the law.  Remember, he is very frustrated with them, as they are now placing more emphasis on the law than they are on faith.  This is alienating their Gentile brothers and sisters.  As you read through this, don’t worry if it feels repetitive because it is.  Paul is making his point strongly.
 
I want to focus mainly on the last portion of the chapter.  Paul speaks of the law being our guardian until Jesus arrived.  The promise was given to Abraham but the people needed more boundaries so God g

Daily Dose of Hope
April 23, 2024 
Day 3 of Week 4
 
Scripture reading for today – Genesis 45-46; Psalm 108; Galatians 2
 
Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional that complements New Hope’s Bible reading plan.  I’m hoping that you are finding this daily reading helpful.  Keep in mind, even when the Scripture passages are difficult, there is purpose in them.  So keep up the good work!
 
I’ve always loved the story of Joseph, which we’ve been covering in Genesis.  Through Joseph, we can learn so much about staying true to our faith, trusting in God, and forgiveness in the most difficult of circumstances.  If you haven’t done so already, read through Genesis chapters 45 and 46.  I think we have covered most of the main points in the past few days.  Today, I want to mix it up a bit and start with our New Testament passage.
 
On we go to Galatians 2.  This chapter provides an interesting discussion about how, early on, the apostles accepted Paul's ministry to the Gentiles and even blessed it.  There was a clear understanding, in Paul's view anyway, that Gentile Christians didn't have to follow Jewish law but needed to simply believe in Jesus Christ.  But the power of criticism is strong.  People within the church were highly upset about this and the apostles started to cave.  They began to profess the need to follow Jewish law again and even stopped eating with Gentiles.  Paul was forced to confront Cephas (Peter), who ministered primarily to Jewish Christians, about his hypocrisy which seemed to be spreading among the apostles. 
 
Let's think about the definition of hypocrisy: to state specific beliefs and values to which one's actions clearly defy. The church has often been accused of being hypocritical, professing one thing and doing another.  Individual Christians have often been accused of being hypocritical, saying one thing and then doing another.  Hypocrisy has been incredibly damaging to the Kingdom.  Paul is calling it out in today's Scripture, as he recognizes how dangerous it is for the new Gentile believers.  It has the potential to not only confuse them, but lead them away from the Gospel message.
 
The same can be said today.  When we live by the mantra "do as I say but not as I do" then people are turned off.  I've had a number of friends and family members leave the church permanently because they couldn't stand the way those who gathered on Sunday and professed one thing behaved poorly the rest of the week.  Friends, our behavior, attitudes, and words matter to an unbelieving world!  As we continue our week, ask God to give you a hyper awareness of the kinds of things you say and do.  Are you representing Jesus well?  Are we representing Jesus well as a church?  Might I add, even in our social media?
 
Blessings,
Pastor Vicki
 
 

Daily Dose of Hope
April 22, 2024 
Day 2 of Week 4
 
Scripture reading for today – Genesis 43-44; Psalm 24; Galatians 1
 
Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional that complements New Hope’s Bible reading plan.  Today we are continuing in Genesis, we have a Psalm to read, and we also get to start a different New Testament book – Paul’s letter to the Galatians.  This is good stuff!
 
Let’s dig in to our Genesis reading.  Joseph’s brothers have now journeyed to Egypt two times, seeking food.  The famine that was described in Pharoah’s dream (which Joseph interpreted) has come and affected the whole region.  When the brothers come down to Egypt, they don’t recognize Joseph; he probably had changed quite a bit from the young man they sold into slavery.  But Joseph does immediately recognize his brothers.  As he interacts with them, he has to leave the room to weep several times. 
 
I’m going to jump ahead a little.  Tomorrow, in chapter 45, we will read about how Joseph reveals himself to his brothers.  He has been kind of playing with them, hiding various things in their bags, including a silver cup in Benjamin’s bag, testing them at different times and trying to learn about his father.  Understandably, the brothers are incredibly fearful of Joseph, as they know he is Egypt’s second most powerful man.  He has the power to punish or kill them with just a word. 
 
It’s at a large banquet that Joseph tells them who he is.  This really scares the brothers!  But Joseph forgives them.  He totally and completely forgives them and weeps over them.  He embraces them and provides for their needs.  He goes to great length to help them bring their father, their wives, and families, down to Egypt where they can be safe and fed.  Do they deserve any of this?  Of course not.  They were horrible to Joseph.  But this bold act of forgiveness foreshadows another one, one all of us have experienced.  Despite our denials of Jesus, he forgives us totally and completely and has gone to great lengths to welcome us into his family.
 
I think there is another piece of the story here that we need to address – the issue of God’s sovereignty.  The brothers sold him into slavery.  It was horrific.  Joseph was successful at various times in Egypt, but he also experienced extreme hardship.  God took care of him.  In the good and in the bad, God had a bigger purpose of Joseph and he seemed to accept it with faithful confidence and peace.  If he cried out to God in anger, we don’t know.  What we do know is that God took all the really terrible things and used them for his glory.  What man meant for harm, God turned into good. 
 
Now, let’s take a moment and discuss Psalm 24.  I’m afraid I haven’t spent enough time talking about the various psalms.  They are certainly important and I do hope you have been reading through them and maybe doing some of your own research.  Psalm 24 is another Psalm of David.  He begins by stating that everything belongs to God, The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;  for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.  When we look around our world, at the skies, ocean, animals, trees, and even all the various kinds of people, it’s easy to forget that all of it belongs to God.  He is creator and sustainer of this place.  While we like to think in terms of “ownership,” the reality is that God is the real owner.  Our own lives belong to him.  So David is asking what right is it of ours to have any of it?  Can we go to heaven and stand in the holy place?  Only if God makes it so and invites us in.  
 
Our New Testament reading for today is the first chapter of Galatians.  During Paul's three missionary journeys, he established churches throughout what is now Turkey, Greece, and in Rome.  Once the church was started, he sent pastoral letters, pro

Daily Dose of Hope
April 21, 2024 
Day 1 of Week 4
 
Scripture reading for today – Genesis 41-42; Mark 16
 
Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional that complements New Hope’s five day a week Bible reading plan.  We have made it to week four!  Good job everyone.  Please give me feedback.  I am learning a lot, but I want this to be useful for you as well.
 
Let’s start with our two chapters in Genesis.  It’s obvious God’s had his hand on Joseph.  Whether Joseph is in prison, interpreting dreams, or running Pharoah’s food operations, he leans on God.  Let’s be clear that Joseph did not flourish because of any special skills or abilities.  He did so well because he listened to God in everything.  He made no compromises, didn’t take short-cuts, and simply trusted completely in God.  We will talk more about Joseph’s brothers visiting Egypt tomorrow, but it’s obvious that Joseph’s character is exceptional even when faced with grief and uncertainty.
 
Okay, I really want to spend most of our time today on Mark 16.  We have made it to the best part of the story–the resurrection!  I absolutely love this passage.  But before we dig in, let’s talk context.   Jesus was crucified on a Friday because the Jews had to have it done and over with before Sabbath (which for them runs from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown).  Thus, the women who wanted to anoint Jesus’ body for burial had to wait until the Sabbath was over before heading over to the tomb.  
 
Three women are specifically mentioned: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome.  I want to point out that these women were also specifically mentioned at being present at the crucifixion.  They watched Jesus die.  I want you to think about how the reality of suffering and intense grief is hanging over this whole scene. These were women who walked alongside Jesus, took care of his needs, and loved him.  It is because they loved him that they wanted to ensure that his dead body was properly prepared for burial.  Jews did not embalm but they ceremonially washed the body, wrapped it in cloths, and used herbs and spices to help with deterioration and smell.  In that culture, a proper burial was quite important, it demonstrated honor for that individual; for these women, this was an act of love and respect.
 
As they head over to prepare the body, they discuss what they think will be their biggest obstacle and decide it’s going to be the heavy stone.  They were at the crucifixion.  They knew that a large stone was rolled in front of the tomb.  How will they move it?  What’s interesting to me here is that they have no inkling that the tomb would be empty.  Jesus has taught about his death and resurrection but no one got it. 
 
Now, when they get to the tomb and the stone was the least of their worries. It had already been rolled away.  When they entered the tomb, it’s completely empty except for a young man dressed in a white robe just sitting there.  Mark doesn’t say so, but it’s implied this man is an angel.  The scripture says the women are alarmed.  They have been so consumed by their grief and suffering, so focused on taking care of this final act for Jesus, and then the stone is gone and there is this angel-like character sitting inside the tomb.  Of course they are alarmed.  And this man/angel person tells them that Jesus wasn’t there because he had risen, just as he said he would. This is all a bit much for these ladies. They were scared.  They flee and say nothing to anyone. And the book of Mark ends.
 
Over the years, people have added more appealing endings to this Gospel.  You may even have some of these manuscripts added to the end of chapter 16.  But most scholars agree these were added on later. While Mark’s Gospel may feel a bit unsatisfying in how it so abruptly ends, it also creates a sense of anticipation and yes, even HOPE.  We don’t have to m

Daily Dose of Hope
April 18, 2024 
Day 5 of Week 3
 
Scripture reading for today – Genesis 38-40; Psalm 12; Mark 15
 
Hello, everyone!  This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.  It’s also the final reading for week 3.  We will take Friday and Saturday off for you to catch-up, get ahead, or simply rest and spend time in prayer.
 
Oh my, there is a lot to cover today.  Let’s start with Genesis 38.  Judah (who is Jacob's oldest son) arranges for his oldest son, Er, to marry a woman named Tamar.  But Er was evil in the eyes of God, so God took his life.  Judah then arranged for Tamar to marry his second son, Onan.  In levirate marriage, which they practiced at that time, if a man died before he produced a male heir, then the next oldest brother would sleep with his sister in law to try to produce an heir.  The baby would then be considered a child of the dead brother. This may sound weird to us but it was one of several systems that God put in place to ensure that the most vulnerable segments of society would be cared for.
 
But Onan also did evil in God’s eyes, because he prevented Tamar from getting pregnant by spilling his semen on the ground.  (I bet you didn’t realize the Bible is this explicit.)  So, God took Onan’s life too.  At this point, Judah’s third son, Shelah, was too young to marry.  But what we know is that Judah has decided he didn't want to risk his third son with Tamar.  If Shelah dies, then Judah will be without heirs, and any inheritance he may gain from Jacob will be lost.  Judah misleads Tamar into waiting until Shelah is grown up. I'm not sure that we can understand the significance of this. This was a grave sin, denying Tamar the ability to have a husband, a male heir, or any kind of meaningful life.  He doesn't release her from the marriage-he tells her to go live as a widow which means she could not remarry-but he doesn't offer her the option of his third son. Tamaris in a no-win situation here.  She is doomed to live a life of poverty and/or prostitution.  Keep in mind, women were very vulnerable at that time if they didn't have a male to provide for them.
 
After some years go by, Tamar takes matters into her own hands.  Judah has basically abandoned her. Shelah, the third son, is definitely marrying age and Judah has never sent for Tamar.  She knows he isn't planning to, nor is he planning to release her from living as a widow.  She knows that her fate isn't good unless she does something drastic.  She takes off her widow's clothing and dresses like a prostitute. She hangs out where her father-in-law will see her and he propositions her.  So, this gives us more insight into Judah's character.  Maybe he frequented prostitutes, Tamar must have somehow known that he would be willing to solicit her.
 
This is a small thing but when Judah originally solicited Tamar as a prostitute, she was not a shrine prostitute.  Shrine prostitutes were part of the worship of Canaanite fertility goddesses.  It seems that Judah simply acted out of regular old lust and probably a bit of impulsiveness.  Later, he asks his friend to go look for the shrine prostitute, possibly because it seemed more acceptable.  Of course, both were really bad in God's eyes.
 
Tamar gets pregnant by Judah.  When Judah finds out she is pregnant, he considers her guilty of prostitution and is ready to have her killed.  Of course, he has no idea that he is the father of the baby.  Tamar then presents a cord, seal, and walking stick, saying the father of her baby is the owner of these items.  Just so we know, his cord, seal, and walking stick would be the equivalent to a driver’s license and credit card.  When Judah finds that he was the guy who got his daughter in law pregnant, he declares her righteous.  Even though she was deceptive, she was the one who managed to continue to family line.
 
Okay, so this whole scenario seems kind of