A Moment of Hope

David and Marilynn Chadwick with Jenn Houston
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Daily

Begin your day with a "Moment of Hope." This podcast is a compliment to David and Marilynn's weekday devotional - providing deeper insights and encouragement. Featuring Jenn Houston.

  1. 12h ago

    Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:9

    by David Chadwick "Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure; I am clean from sin'?" Proverbs 20:9 A pure heart. Clean hands. A renewed and righteous spirit. These were the cries of King David's heart in Psalm 51:10. Solomon had a similar anguish in Proverbs 20:9 when he said, "Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure; I am clean from sin'?" He knew the value and importance of holiness. But he also knew that apart from God's grace we are inherently filthy. Remember, this is written in the Old Testament. The Messiah had not yet arrived. Solomon and his people were living with an awareness of a holy God but great anticipation for salvation that had not yet come. So they had a deep awareness that the atonement for their sins could only come through the shedding of blood through animal sacrifice. Solomon knew the answer to his own question. No one! No one can say, "I have made my heart pure. No one can say, "I am clean from sin." This proverb paves the way for a Gospel proclamation. This is the simple Gospel. Let's remind ourselves of it today. Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." All means all! Or as the psalmist in Psalm 14:1 said, no one is righteous, not even one. The wages of sin is death. We cannot, by our human efforts, be forgiven. There is no way out apart from the free gift of salvation through Jesus (Romans 6:23). These are all clear statements in God's Word. Our hearts can only become pure, and we can only become clean through the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus was beaten, bloodied, and tortured. He was persecuted and killed as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He took all of our unrighteousness upon himself. The One who was perfectly righteous in every possible way and knew no sin became sin so that in him we might become righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). THIS is the great exchange. Jesus took our sin. We receive his righteousness. We are now forgiven and made pure and clean by the grace and mercy of Jesus. Salvation is a gift from God by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). What a deal! Who wouldn't receive this? For this forgiveness is what gives us the entrance into heaven and a reason to live on this side of eternity. But first we must realize that we are sinners, like Solomon, and need a Savior.

    5 min

  2. 1d ago

    Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:8

    by David Chadwick "A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes." Proverbs 20:8 Today's proverb is all about the importance of strong, godly leadership. We are going to look at what Solomon had to say about his "throne of judgment." Proverbs 20:8 says, "A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes." Let's take a look at the definition of the word "winnow." It means "to remove the unwanted parts of something or to narrow down a large list of options into a smaller, more desirable selection." Agriculturally speaking, "winnowing" is "the process of tossing harvested grain into the air so the wind can blow away the lightweight chaff, leaving only the heavy, valuable grain to fall to the floor." What a powerful picture! Solomon is essentially saying that one of his major responsibilities is to remove evil so that those under his leadership can prosper. This proverb teaches that one of the major purposes of someone in governmental leadership is to eliminate evil and to protect its citizens from any and all forces of darkness. Now take a moment and look at the end of this verse. Solomon says that this king "winnows evil with his eyes!" Somehow a righteous king is able, with a mere gaze, to expose evil and throw it to the ground. A Godly king, filled with the Holy Spirit, can often discern evil by looking at a person or situation. This is why we have a police force. To protect citizens from criminals. This is why we have a military force. To protect a nation from enemy invasions and forces. Much like kings, these are the ones who have been given authority to winnow evil from our midst. Many have joked through the ages that the best and most efficient form of government is a benevolent dictator. I'd add a benevolent, Christian dictator. One who functions by God's Word and makes immediate decisions for the good of the citizens and the nation. A deeper dive on the importance of biblical leadership within government can be found in Romans 13, where Paul dives deeply into God's original design for government. It is to serve its citizens and to protect its citizens–to winnow evil immediately whenever it's seen.

    4 min

  3. 4d ago

    Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 19:17

    by David Chadwick "Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed." Proverbs 19:17 Generosity is a mark of a follower of Christ. It shows a surrendered life and a yielded heart. A generous life is the fruit of someone who fully knows how much he or she has been given by Jesus and, in turn, greatly desires to give his or her life away. Proverbs 19:17 says, "Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord; and he will repay him for his deed." I love this proverb! God wants his people to be generous to the poor. To "lend" to them like a bank lends to us for different things that we either want or need. This is a profound truth. Too often, we separate caring for the poor from the Gospel of Jesus. This separation is what has led to social justice movements where people care for the poor without preaching the Gospel. But according to God's Word, these two demonstrations are inextricably connected. Effective ministries to the poor must be Gospel-centered and Christ-exalting. Lending to the poor, which is lending to the Lord, brings about a repayment from the Lord. He always brings back a large return to whatever we give away. God is a God of abundance. He has more than enough to meet our every need. He can do exceedingly and abundantly beyond what we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Too often, we put God in a box. Our finite minds try to compute his infinite existence, and, in turn, we can force our carnal, human minds into an understanding of the Lord that is incorrect. His ways and his thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). Now, think again about the bank illustration. When the bank lends to us, it expects a return on investment. Interest rates allow the bank to get more and more money to be able to lend out more and more. When you give and lend to the poor, you should expect God to return a blessing to you. Expect a return on your investment! It's what today's proverb says. God will repay you for your deed when you give to the poor! And your lending will yield a return that is better than any bank in the world. God already owns everything. Everything is his! You're the steward. You manage his assets. And he loves it when his people are generous to the poor.

    5 min

  4. 5d ago

    Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 19:16

    by David Chadwick "Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life; he who despises his ways will die." Proverbs 19:16 God gives us commands all throughout Scripture to guide us, lead us, and sanctify us. He knew that we needed clear instructions and boundaries in order to rightly live in his world. His commandments were never meant to control us but to offer us true freedom. Proverbs 19:16 is today's proverb. It says, "Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life; he who despises his ways will die." This is a general life principle: the person who keeps God's commandments will live a good and worthy life. God has ordained certain principles into his universe that he desires all people to follow. As a general rule, living according to God's ways leads to experiencing God's blessing of life.  Said another way: We don't break God's laws. They break us. But if we despise God's ways and live in open rebellion against him, the result is death, both physically and eternally. A selfish life lived on our own inevitably leads to pain, hurt, and agony. How do you know what God's commands are? What are his commandments by which he expects us to live? The 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:2-17) are a good place to start! They are a tremendous starting point to find God's ways and principles. A great discipline would be to memorize the 10 Commandments so that they are always in our hearts. From there, read God's Word on a regular basis. It is so important to know his Word and obey it. Obedience brings blessing. Disobedience brings discipline. This principle holds true in our everyday lives, but more importantly, in our relationship with God. It is also so important to teach these principles and commandments to our children so they, too, can learn how to live faithful and righteous lives for Jesus. Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). The only way to experience his abundant life is through a yielded life. A life committed to his ways, his truth, and his life! Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). The Gospel is the most powerful force in the world. God created commands and sent Jesus to live them out in a perfect way. Where we would have fallen short, Jesus reigned victorious. He has now given us his Holy Spirit to empower us to model our lives after his and invite others to do the same. What grace! What love! What power!

    5 min

  5. 6d ago

    Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 19:15

    by David Chadwick "Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger." Proverbs 19:15 Slothfulness. Defined as the "state or habit of being lazy, indolent, or inactive." According to the Bible, this behavior casts people into a deep sleep and leaves them hungry. Did you know that within Christian theology, the historical church actually came up with what is called the "seven deadly sins?" While all sin is horrific in the sight of a holy God, these are historically the worst of the worst sins that can cause the most harm to us and others. Here is the list of the seven deadly sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and… are you ready for #7? Sloth! Laziness. A bent toward apathy and a refusal to work. A lazy person is always too tired to work. Too exhausted to lift a finger. Or has excuses as to why they can't work. As laziness and slothfulness become more and more severe, poverty becomes inevitable. God created us to work. His intent was for work to be good and enjoyable. His original design was to invite us to participate with him in creating something, look at it, and say, "Well done!" There's no better feeling than to have accomplished a hard task. Hard work leads you to feel pride at an accomplishment. God knows that! Paul even said to the Thessalonian Christians, who were sitting around and not working at all, waiting every day for Jesus to return, that if they didn't work, they wouldn't eat (1 Thessalonians 3:10). Hunger is a great antidote to laziness! If someone gets hungry enough, he or she will work! My prayer is that those who profess Christ will learn the value of developing a strong work ethic. That we will have a high value for excellence and working hard! We must overcome laziness. Discipline your body to work hard and train yourself to see accomplishments. Make sure to teach your children, if you have them, the value of hard work. Try giving them an allowance and teaching them about generosity as well. In all you do, work for God's glory. Work with all your heart for the Lord, not for man (Colossians 3:23). God is the ultimate boss. Give him your very best.

    5 min

  6. Jun 23

    Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 19:5,9

    by David Chadwick "A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape… A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish." Proverbs 19:5,9 Today, I want to look at two verses from Proverbs 19 that are very similarly worded and carry the same message. Verse 5 says, "A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape." Then, almost to make sure we get this truth solidified in our heads, Solomon essentially repeats it verbatim in verse 9, which says, "A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish." One of my friends, who has a PhD in theology, once said, "If God tells you something once in his Word, take it seriously. If he says it twice, you'd better pay attention and obey it! It's very important to God!" In these two verses, God says the same thing twice with only a few verses separating the two! So we had better pay attention! So what is God trying to say here? Someone who lies, who bears false witness, will not go unpunished. Someone who breathes out lies will not escape God's judgment but will perish. We live in a culture where lies are rampant. Deception is commonplace. In fact, I would say it is more common to twist and deceive than to be truthful. People love themselves and pandering to the crowd more than they love the truth. Every judicial system in the world is dependent on the truth and on truth-tellers. It is heavily reliant on strong witnesses and accurate recollection of TRUTH. God, as the supreme judge and jury, is no different. He places a very high value in Scripture on accurate witnesses and on the truth! It hurts when lies are told against us and are seemingly never corrected. But don't become discouraged. God will deal with every idle word (Matthew 12:36-37) and every lie raised against us! Every lie stated by someone will one day be held accountable before a holy God. May we always be people who speak truth. Let your yes be yes and your no be no (Matthew 5:37). Jesus said, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32).

    5 min

  7. Jun 22

    Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 18:24

    by David Chadwick "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there's a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24 Today, we are going to look at Proverbs 18:24, which says, "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there's a friend who sticks closer than a brother." There is a significant difference between acquaintances and a true friend. Most everyone has many acquaintances: neighbors, co-workers, people you bump into at your children's schools or sporting events, and so forth. You interact with these people. You talk. You may even say hello. But there is little depth. In fact, people may have many acquaintances, or companions, but are severely lacking when it comes to experiencing the kinds of blessings that only true friends can bring. A true friend is someone who sticks even closer than a brother or sister in your immediate family. These are the kinds of people who are there in your toughest times. When life stinks. When others have deserted you. These are the ones who remain. They are present with you immediately in a time of need. They are always just a text or phone call away. Unlike Job's three friends who came to him in his distress and pontificated about God's "why" he was going through all his tragedy and pain, even suggesting it was because of some sin he had committed, a true friend is a master of what many refer to as "the ministry of presence." Seldom saying a word. With a hand on your shoulder. Holding your hand. Rejoicing with you in joys and weeping with you in sorrows (Romans 12:15). Do you have this kind of friend? If so, at some time today, call, text, email, or write a letter to that person and simply thank him or her for being a friend who sticks closer than a brother or sister. These people are what some call "forever friends." They are more valuable than all of the money in the world.

    5 min

  8. Jun 19

    Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 18:21

    by David Chadwick "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." Proverbs 18:21 Did you know that our words are powerful? The Bible says the tongue is a small, yet powerful, part of the body and that we should keep a tight rein on it. It is powerful enough to even corrupt the whole body and set the whole course of one's life on fire (James 3:1-12). Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Death and life are certainly two extremes. It should sober all of us that something as small as the tongue in our mouths has the ability to bring about two diametrically different end results. Solomon knew the importance of words and regularly addressed the significance of the tongue, including the power and the danger of our words. In today's proverb, Solomon was emphasizing that words can either lift up or tear down. They can either drive toward despair or give eternal hope. They can cause lifelong scars or they can bind broken hearts. They can push toward depression or lift weary souls. They can win or lose games in sports or success in business. They truly do bring either death or life. As my mom used to say, "If you can't say anything good, don't say anything at all." We all must learn the power of the tongue and use it to speak life and to encourage others… especially to the next generation. Children desperately need to hear words of life from their parents, teachers, coaches, and other leaders. They are so eager to be encouraged and edified. They want to hear that you are proud of them. When we ingest food, it enters into our bodies and affects it. The same is true with words. Whether it's words we speak or hear, and whether good or bad, we internalize words and reap the effects of whatever we ingest. And sometimes they go deep within us and rummage around for a lifetime. So how should you apply this truth to your everyday life? First, guard your words. Be aware of what you are saying and use discretion. Secondly, speak positive words. Use your words to give life and motivate you and others. After all, death and life are in the power of the tongue.

    5 min
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About

Begin your day with a "Moment of Hope." This podcast is a compliment to David and Marilynn's weekday devotional - providing deeper insights and encouragement. Featuring Jenn Houston.

Information

  • Creator
    David and Marilynn Chadwick with Jenn Houston
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    1.1K
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © copyright 2025 Moments of Hope Church Media
  • Show Website
    A Moment of Hope

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