Sunday, November 29th – What can I do to bring hope to someone?
Suggestion– contact (phone / note / email) – someone you know is lonely or depressed and would love to hear from you.
Read – Romans 15:13. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Monday, November 30th – Hope is a “reservoir of emotional strength”
Suggestion – feed your soul – read your bible, pray, give thanks, listen. Offering Hope to others is easier if we maintain our own reservoir of emotional strength. You can maintain your reservoir by reading the following scripture—
Psalm 42:5. Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
Tuesday, December 1st – Biblical Hope – expects it to happen/confident it will happen
Suggestion – spend time with a child in order to experience a child’s hope – excitement, anticipation and belief that it will happen! If it is not possible to spend time with a child, maybe remember our own childhood, or remember a time when we spent Christmas with children around.
Micah 7:7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Wednesday, December 2nd – Opposite of hope? Hopelessness/loss/empty/alone
Suggestion – give thanks for all of God’s blessings in our lives – count your blessings!
Romans 5:5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Thursday, December 3rd – How do we wait patiently?
Suggestion – Once we have asked for God’s help, we leave the request with Him, to respond in His way, in His time.
Romans 8:25 – But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Friday, December 4th– Acknowledge loss of hope, but we need to rejoice
Suggestion: maintain a positive attitude. It’s too easy to slide into negative energy. Reinforce the positives in your life – relationships, talents, events.
H- health – take care of yourself – food, exercise, calming music
O – optimism – count your blessings, set short-term goals
P – Patience – take a breath, count to 10.
E – Everyday / endurance – pat yourself on the back
Saturday, December 5th – Hope of Christmas – 2020 – Experience a different type of Christmas during a pandemic (new traditions?)
Suggestion – reread/ relive the Christmas story in the bible (Luke 2:1-20) – the hope that God sent to mankind by sending his Son to live on earth. Sing your heart out with Christmas carols.
Psalm 42:5-6. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation.