Daily Dose of Hope from New Hope

New Hope Church
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Daily

The Daily Dose of Hope is a devotional intended to provide context and reflection to the New Hope Church Bible Reading Plan. It's our goal to read the Bible in a year together as a family of faith. Five days a week we read. Two days a week we either rest or catch up. Reading the Bible is the number one way to grow in our walk with Jesus. We have to know God's Word to live God's Word. Now for our Daily Dose of Hope.

  1. 5h ago

    June 12 2026; 1 Kings 10

    Daily Dose of Hope June 12, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 10   Prayer: King of Kings and Lord of Lords, You are an amazing God.  Thank you for becoming one of us.  Thank you for emptying yourself to take on the form of a servant.  Your name is worthy of all praise.  Give us insight, wisdom, and discernment, as we read your Word today.  Help us take this precious gift of Scripture and apply it to our lives.  We are grateful, Jesus, and we love you.  Amen.   Welcome back to the daily dose of hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  We are currently journeying through 1 & 2 Kings.  Today, our reading is 1 Kings 10.   This chapter goes into great detail of the both the wealth and wisdom of King Solomon. The Queen of Sheba comes to ask him hard questions and see if what she has heard about this man is true. She leaves satisfied that King Solomon is indeed a man of God and wise beyond measure.  Just fyi, the Queen of Sheba is thought to have come from the ancient empire of Yemen or the ancient empire of Ethiopia.  There is a bit of debate here.    Verses 23-25 serve as a summary of the entire chapter. They read, So King Solomon became richer and wiser than any other king on earth. People from every nation came to consult him and to hear the wisdom God had given him.  Year after year everyone who visited brought him gifts of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.    Solomon is wiser and richer than any king who came before and any king who came after him. People are amazed by him and Solomon has many visitors who gifted him with even more wealth.  God certainly kept his promise to Solomon.  That being said, rarely does a human being have so much wealth and power without being corrupted by it in some way. When I read this chapter, I almost dread what is to come.    Can you name one billionaire that maintained integrity and focus on the right things throughout their entire life?  Thus, this begs the question–will Solomon continue to be true to God because of God's faithfulness to him? Will Solomon stay wise to the end?   More tomorrow...   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

    4 min

  2. 1d ago

    June 11, 2026; 1 Kings 9

    Daily Dose of Hope June 11, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 9   Prayer: Abba Father, We come to you today, grateful for your love and care in our lives.  Thank you for your presence and your peace.  Help us to gather our scattered thoughts and set aside distractions so we can focus on what you have for us today.  In the next few moments of silence, Lord, help me be still and know that you are God...We give you all the glory, Lord Almighty.  Amen.    Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading. This summer, we are working our way through the books of 1 & 2 Kings.  Today, our reading is 1 Kings 9.   This is a chapter with a lot of different elements.  It starts out with God blessing the Temple, but God also gives his conditions.  Solomon and the Israelites will receive blessing only if they keep the law and avoid idolatry.  In fact, God is very specific here – if Israel falls into a pattern of idolatry, God will lift his hand of protection, and allow this beautiful, grand Temple to be torn to the ground by their enemies.  This is an important point to remember as we move further into 1 & 2 Kings.   We then move into Solomon's dealings with the king of Tyre, Hiram.  If you recall, he provided a lot of lumber and supplies for both the Temple and the royal palace.  As a gift, Solomon decided to give the king twenty cities from the area of Galilee.  Apparently, the king was not impressed at all with the cities and calls them essentially worthless.  Doing a little more digging, I found that these cities were run-down and did not provide good agricultural land.  They weren't such a great gift after all.  Since the king of Tyre helped Solomon so much, it is interesting that Solomon offered him some of the worst land.    There is then this interesting discussion about where Solomon's conscripted labor was coming from.  The Scripture says that the laborers were from non-Israelite populations living in the land.  These would have been people that the Israelites failed to force out when they conquered the land.  They built the wall of Jerusalem, the Millo (a type of fortification), and the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.  The chapter ends with some talk about the many ships that Solomon had and all the gold they went to retrieve from Ophir.   I looked up where Ophir was located but its actual location is a mystery.   Solomon was very successful in his building projects.  But God makes it clear that he cares much more about the people's hearts than their building accomplishments.  Even when it comes to the Temple, God says he will tear that thing down by whatever means necessary if the people don't follow his ways.  God is always more concerned about our hearts.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

    5 min

  3. 2d ago

    June 10, 2026; 1 Kings 8

    Daily Dose of Hope June 10, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 8   Prayer:  Lord Jesus, We rejoice in you.  We praise your name.  You are the Alpha and the Omega, the one who was, and is, and is to come.  We cannot possibly express our gratitude in words.  You have offered us mercy but you have also given us freedom.  Thank you for that.  Help us live like free people.  Help us demonstrate your love and grace to others who cross our path.  Help us see people through your eyes.  We love you, Lord.  Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible plan.  For the summer, we are digging into 1 & 2 Kings.  Today's reading is 1 Kings 8. This is a very theologically significant chapter so if you didn't get a chance to read the whole narrative, I would encourage you to do so now.  We see God's promise to Abraham, Moses, and David fulfilled with the dedication of the temple.  We see the normal pomp and circumstance of a religious building dedication but there is also the amazing presence of God, Solomon's genuine prayers, and words of both encouragement and warning.  The Ark of the Covenant is brought into the Inner Sanctuary.  This was a high and holy moment for sure.  The chapter today discusses the presence of God filling the Holy Place in the newly built temple.  The priests couldn't finish their service because the glory of God was so powerful.  Obviously, we don't experience God's glory in the form of a cloud (I guess we could but I personally haven't.)  We do experience the powerful glory of God in other ways.  Because of the Holy Spirit, we can be assured that God's presence is always with us, closer than our very breath.  In fact, there is no place we can go where God's presence is not.  That being said, there are specific times in our lives in which we experience God's glory and presence in very real ways.  These are times in which God's beauty, grace, and manifold goodness show up in undeniable ways and we know, "Wow, I've just experienced God."  I have experienced God's glory in various ways.  There are some times in which I'm sure God is showing up but I'm simply not paying attention.  Other times, it is unmistakable–an answered prayer, a healing, a spiritual conversation or prayer with a stranger, special time with loved ones, a powerful worship service in which God's Spirit is almost palpable, hearing God's still-small voice, or even in the beauty of nature.  When did you last experience God's glory?  Share this with someone today. Blessings, Pastor Vicki

    5 min

  4. 3d ago

    June 9, 2026; 1 Kings 7

    Daily Dose of Hope June 9, 2026   Scripture:  I Kings 7   Prayer:  Almighty God and Risen Lord, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, We come before you today with praise and a sense of awe.  You are amazing.  You offer new life.  And yet, we still struggle to keep focus on you.  We struggle to not stray into the ways of the world.  Lord, please help us gather our scattered and distracted thoughts.  Help us take a moment of silence and remember who you are...Holy Spirit, speak to us today.  We want to hear your voice.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  This summer, we are digging in to 1 & 2 Kings.  Between these two books, we will cover roughly 400 years of ancient Israeli history.  Yesterday, we read about the building of the temple and today, we encounter another building project.   Today's reading is 1 Kings 7.  This first part of this chapter describes the building of Solomon's palace.  The very first line is interesting to me.  While Solomon took seven years to build the Temple, he took thirteen years to build his palace.  That right there should make us raise an eyebrow or two.  While the temple construction is detailed, Solomon's personal palace is even more. It is also much larger and thus, most likely more expensive. Remember, he used conscripted labor for his own palace. This can't help but send up red flags for the reader. While Solomon asked for wisdom, it appears he doesn't always use it.   The second portion of the chapter goes into, in great detail, the Temple furnishings.  Again, God's Temple is being outfitted with beautiful things by the best artisans.  This makes me feel better after reading about the palace, but we have no idea how the furnishings in the palace compare.    The question we will continue to ask as we witness Solomon's time on the throne, "Is this palace and all of Solomon's wealth a sign of God's blessing OR a sign of self-indulgence?" We all would be wise to reflect on this question in our own lives as well.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

    4 min

  5. 4d ago

    June 8, 2026; 1 Kings 6

    Daily Dose of Hope June 8, 2026   Scripture:  I Kings 6   Prayer:  Almighty God, Thank you for a new day and a new chance to give you glory and praise.  You are an amazing God.  How incredible it is that you, who created everything, know my name.  You know every hair on my head.  While I am so grateful for your love and care, it is sometimes difficult for me to adequately wrap my brain around your expansive love and mercy.  Help me be a better reflection of you, Lord.  Help me see others through your eyes.  Help me be merciful, kind, and good.  Lord, I know I fall short.  So often.  But I want to do better.  In these next few moments of silence, Jesus, hear my prayer...  In Your Name, Amen   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  This summer, we are digging in to 1 & 2 Kings.  King Solomon has taken the throne and is starting out pretty well. Our reading for today is 1 Kings 6.  In this chapter, we get a play by play of the building of the temple.  Everything about the temple is impressive.  It's huge and ornate.  Solomon seems to spare no expense.  Just to be clear, this temple is known in history as the First Temple.  And it has huge theological and cultural significance for Israel.  It would replace the portable Tabernacle, transitioning God's presence from a tent to a permanent sanctuary.  It would serve as the literal and spiritual center of Israelite worship and secure Jerusalem as the place where worship and festivals would occur.  The inner sanctuary would house the Ark of the Covenant, which is what held the tablets with the Ten Commandments.  It also was the fulfillment of a promise that God made to David, a sign of God's faithfulness.  This was huge!  Throughout the stories of Solomon, there is a pattern that develops.  Solomon does some kind of activity and we wait to see if God approves.  We can see that here as well.  Solomon is building the temple with great attention to detail.  Then, we see God give his approval.  Of course, approval is always dependent on covenant faithfulness.  If Solomon keeps the commands of God and walks in obedience, then he will prosper, the temple will remain, and God will be with Israel. This leads us to an important point.  Kings and temples can fall.  God is God over everything.  God can easily bring down a temple, a monarch, or a whole nation, if they repeatedly disobey.  On the contrary, God can protect and expand the territory of a king and a nation if they obey the ways of God.  As I read this, I can't help but think of what is to come.  God will make good on his promise: the kings do not stay obedient, the people stray, and the nation will fall. What are your thoughts on Solomon thus far and the building of the Temple?  How is God speaking to you through these first six chapters of 1 Kings?   More tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

    5 min

  6. Jun 5

    June 5, 2026; 1 Kings 5 and discussion with Emmy R.

    Daily Dose of Hope June 5, 2026   Scripture:  I Kings 5   Prayer:  Abba Father, We come to you today in awe of your love for us.  Thank you, Lord, for your sacrifice.  Thank you for sitting high and looking low.  We give you all the glory and praise, Lord Jesus.  Help us to be less selfish and more like you.  On our own, we mess it up.  We need you, Jesus.  We need you minute by minute.  Guide our thoughts today, Lord.  Guide our words and guide our actions.  May we look more like you today, Lord, than we did yesterday.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Daily Bible reading plan.  This week, we have starting digging into 1 Kings.  Our reading for today is 1 Kings 5.  I'm going to do a short devotional on today's reading and then we will be joined by Emmy Roberts, who leads our youth (and does a lot of other stuff) here at New Hope.  She is wonderful and I know you are going to enjoy having her with us on the Daily Dose. On to today's chapter - now that there is peace in Israel, Solomon decides that it is time to begin work on the temple.  As you might recall, David had wanted to build a temple for the Lord but God had declined.  Instead, God simply wanted David to lead the people.  God also made a covenant with David that one of his descendants would be on the throne forever.  In the covenant (refer to 2 Samuel 7), God also mentions that one of David's descendants "will build a house for my name."  That descendant is Solomon.  Thus, Solomon hatches a plan.  He makes an alliance of sorts with the King of Tyre who can provide labor and lumber. As we read in the chapter, the men of Israel also had to play a role in the manual labor required for the massive undertaking.  Solomon enlists the very unpopular practice of conscription, forced labor, but he does not make slaves of the people.  They work in shifts.  This required tremendous coordination, management, and skilled labor.  I was trying to think of a more modern equivalent to compare this to, maybe the making of some of the larger cathedrals.  What kinds of massive undertakings do you know of that humans have taken to please the Lord? Now, for those who are listening to the podcast, welcome to my discussion with Emmy Roberts...

    23 min

  7. Jun 4

    June 4, 2026; 1 Kings 4

    Daily Dose of Hope June 4, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 4   Prayer:  Almighty God, As we move into our Thursday, we pray that today will be a day that we see glimpses of your glory.  We need you, we yearn for you.  Lord, help us set aside our distractions and settle our scattered thoughts so we can focus on you and you alone.  In the next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers... In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Daily Bible reading plan.  This summer, we are digging into 1 and 2 Kings. One thing I haven't mentioned yet is that, throughout these readings, we will be joined by Emmy Roberts, our youth lead.  Every Friday (that's tomorrow), she will join me for additional discussion.  I'm really looking forward to this and think it will offer us new insights and depth.   Today's reading is 1 Kings 4.  The events of this chapter take place in the early to middle years of Solomon's reign (he reigned a total of forty years).  Solomon was king over a huge amount of territory, from the Euphrates River to the north to the border of Egypt on the south, and there was a large population for him to oversee.    The first section of the chapter lists Solomon's religious and civic leaders.  I always find it interesting when specific names are mentioned in lists throughout Scripture.  These were real people.  They had jobs, families, and a place in their community.  If you get a chance, go back and look at some of the names.  The names may sound unusual to us, but try to imagine what it might be like for these individuals to live during the reign of King Solomon and be in service to him.    The second part of the chapter focuses more on Solomon's wealth and wisdom, particularly in regard to the prosperity of the nation.  The prosperity of the nation was completely connected to God's blessing.  As long as Solomon and Israel were in obedience to the law, the blessing would continue.  This was a time of unparalleled peace for the Hebrews as well.  They were well-fed and they weren't fighting anyone.  Many scholars say this time in Israel's history is actually a foretaste of the happiness and peace we will experience in heaven.  Kind of an interesting thing to think about.   This chapter also mentions the Proverbs that Solomon wrote.  This book of wisdom literature make it clear their purpose – to help people walk in wisdom or one might say to live well.  And the main ingredient in doing so is right relationship with God: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10; 15:33).  But as we read the proverbs, we will begin to see how these "wise words" are really intended to build good character, to foster traits like honesty, integrity, hard work, and self-control.  They address basic areas of human life.  They might not be super interesting reading but they do make sense to people.  If you have some extra time today, be sure to read through some of the Proverbs.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

    5 min

  8. Jun 3

    June 3, 2026; 1 Kings 3

    Daily Dose of Hope June 3, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 3   Prayer: Dear God, You are amazing!  How awesome it is that you who created all things are also so intimately involved in our lives.  We give you glory and praise for who you are.  We are so thankful for your love.  We want to know you more.  We want and need to hear your voice.  Help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on you.  In these next few moments of silence, Lord, hear our prayers...  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Daily Bible reading plan.  This week, we have started digging into 1 Kings.  King David has died and his son, Solomon, is now firmly on the throne.  After yesterday's chapter, we are left wondering exactly what kind of king Solomon is going to be.   Today's reading is 1 Kings 3.  It seems that Solomon starts his reign out fairly well.  Solomon was following God's laws, making the appropriate sacrifices, and walking with the Lord.  Although, do notice that the people were still sacrificing in the high places.  These high places were shrines or raised platforms on top of hills in the open air.  The Scripture says that the people were doing this because the Temple had not yet been built.  I wanted to point this out because, even after the Temple is built, the people struggle to dismantle these high places.  And this is where the people are tempted to sacrifice and worship to other gods, not just the one true God.  Keep an eye on this as we progress through 1 & 2 Kings.   Back to the chapter - Solomon recognizes his own immaturity and lack of experience and asks God for a discerning, obedient heart so that he can administer wisdom in his kingdom.  This pleases God because Solomon doesn't ask for selfish favors, but rather the ability to help other people.  In response, God grants wisdom, wealth, and fame to Solomon.  The only caveat to all this is that Solomon continues to obey God's commands.    In the last part of this chapter, we get a glimpse into Solomon's new wisdom being tested.  As Solomon begins to rule, he is also very prolific in his wisdom writings, penning Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon.    More tomorrow.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki

    4 min
See All (440)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

The Daily Dose of Hope is a devotional intended to provide context and reflection to the New Hope Church Bible Reading Plan. It's our goal to read the Bible in a year together as a family of faith. Five days a week we read. Two days a week we either rest or catch up. Reading the Bible is the number one way to grow in our walk with Jesus. We have to know God's Word to live God's Word. Now for our Daily Dose of Hope.

Information

More From New Hope Church