hope

There’s Bad News and Good News…

October 1, 2024

Today I am a bit overwhelmed with sadness. The news is FILLED with reports of evil things being committed…lies, thefts, rapes, murders and more. It breaks my heart to think of people living a life searching for self-satisfaction in sin. They are missing out on a joyful life with Jesus.

I am, right now, walking away from the tv asking myself…”What is YOUR part in this Tina? So you are sad. What are you going to DO about it?” Then…

My first answer would be to wallow in despair and hopelessness, but that will not do any good. I am definitely craving more “Jesus” so I could put more time into reading the Bible? That’s good, but does that affect the lost or the hurting? NOPE. Not unless I tell others where to find hope. Not unless it moves me to love more, with every interaction the Lord allows. Not unless I say something, do something. But what do I do? At a loss, I just opened a new prayer devotional. Wow, this verse…

Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:4-5

We do not always need to plan our own steps. We should tell God and HE can show us the way. I know that it is HE and not my virtue that makes me sad about the news. I know that it is HE who puts cravings for His Word in our hearts. HE makes me love others and want to help them. Everything is about Him.

So what can “little ‘ole me” do? Let God lead. Let God teach. Let God show me the way to love others more, how to pray for them more, deeply. He is a good, loving and patient teacher. It is unlike me to relinquish my former plans but I will do it for Him! I hope to be an encouragement to all who read the blog in the coming days, as the Lord guides me.

Dear God, You are the most important person in my life. All I want to do is serve You better. Forgive me for not allowing YOU to plan my steps. Forgive me for losing a bit of hope in this cruel word. Refresh me with Your love and wisdom to reach others for You in whatever way You think best. Write Your desires on my heart and I will do them. I love You! Amen

With love from the Father to you, have a wonderful, spirit-led day. God is able to make every single day hopeful when we walk in His way!

…thanks for reading:)

Tina

Winner of the Storm

December 2, 2023

It is a poem day! I wrote this a few years ago when going through trials that made me feel as if I was in a bad storm with no way out. Ever feel that way, too? I am aware that so many people now have worse ‘storms’ than I ever did.

Sometimes, the only way out is to wait it out. If we wait on God, trust His timing, have faith that He knows what He is doing or allowing, we will make it through. God’s Word says…

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. James 1:2-8

This poem is about making it through the storms in your life. James says they can be opportunities to grow!

Winner of the Storm

In places and times,
no choosing.
uninvited storms will greet me,
and force a challenge.
Right or wrong,
we are all losing
when weather appears.
In a sudden gush,
hard winds roaring,
breath is taken, short in coming.
Heart is heavy with the fight.
On a dare, water starting,
trickling down and then a flood
Will there be any good?
Breathe!
My heart is worn
and must be strong
before it falls victim
to the lightning,
brightly angry
In the rain.
I seek a better place,
away from this storm of pain.
But how to escape
and can I win?
seeing through tears
I look around.
A cave ! I peer from it.
All is wet and ruined;
but the storm has stilled!
The mighty wind,
is now a breeze.
Sunshine dares a peek.
I can breathe!
I can grow.
Despite the pain
that weather brings,
My heart has faced a test,
and beat throughout
the storm’s progress.
A victory earned!
The storm is dead!
And I am breathing!
Copyright©2020-2023 Christina Crute

Dear Father,

You have brought us through so many storms already, so we know You will help us in our current storm, too. Please remind us that all storms are opportunities to lean on You and learn from You and maybe help others do the same. Thank You for loving us enough to help us no matter what we are facing or how scared we are. Increase our faith, please, and we will give You all the glory, forever and ever. We love You! Amen

Friends, I have missed being on here, missed you. Life got super busy!

With love from the Father to you, Have a great weekend. See you on Monday for “Monday Mindset.”

Tina

Good Morning, Jesus!

February 17, 2023

But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness. Psalm 69:13

Here’s a little poem I jotted down this morning as I was saying “Good Morning” to Jesus:)

Good Morning, Jesus! How are You today?

Are You hearing lots of prayers being sent Your way?

Are You sad for all the loss some people have to bear?

Are You hugging them with peace and covering them with care?

Are You oh so happy to hear all the voices raised?

Will You hear this voice of mine and listen to my praise?

YES to all these questions, already do I know.

You are our faithful Savior to whom our prayers go.

You never cease to answer, every single plea.

But yet I’m still amazed You even answer me.

Jesus, Thank You for being my best friend and constant guide. Thank You for the way that You encourage and shower me with peace, when You have so many hurting people to listen to. Thank You for all the answers to prayer. Make me a better pray-er and better help to those who need it. Help me to listen more to them and talk less. You know how I can be:) Amen:)

With love from our Father to you, have a great Friday and weekend. Do not lose hope, as God is in control:)

Tina

Peace is Mine

February 6, 2023

I was reading my Bible recently when the idea of Jesus’ peace took hold of my mind. It is so wonderfully incomprehensible how invisible peace, from an invisible God and Savior can visibly meet our needs for peace during trials!

Have you known someone, who, even while in a terrible trial, praised the Lord? I have! Their faith amazes me! That’s visible peace!

What a witness to me that peace CAN be found in Jesus, no matter what. We may not face the same trials as each other, but we can turn our faces to the same Lord and Savior and He will meet whatever needs we have, for peace.

Jesus’ peace is a “One size fits all” peace! I say that because He is more than enough for anything any of us face. God’s Word says so…so it’s true! Period. End stop.

Jesus said “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NIV

Because He has over come the world, overcome death, we know that He really CAN do anything. Right now, the world is in quite a state…pun not intended… but we do not have to be in a fearful state, personally.

God’s got this. Things may not be as we want and we may not feel our world is headed in a good direction, but…Jesus has left us His peace.

Though He has left us on earth , He has not LEFT us. The Holy Spirit is with us. Isn’t it so precious that the Holy Spirit lives in us to provide any and all guidance that we need?

Jesus cares that much. God cares that much. The Holy Spirit cares that much for us. (If I knew how to make a heart imoge here, I would do it!)

I can almost hear Jesus’ love in this next verse. Can you?

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 NIV

That sounds like a great plan! Friends, I hope you have a great Monday, NOT being afraid, but peaceful. I will pray for that for you and myself, too. Remember…

God’s got us, all of our moments, our minutes. He also has our days, weeks, months and years in His hand. All we have to do is hold His.

Lord, Thank You so much for all the ways you encourage us to lean on You and not be afraid. Your peace is such a precious gift to us! We do not deserve and could never afford something so priceless. Though we may not understand how You can attend to all of us and our different issues or fears, we know You can. We love You and we will be witnesses of Your peace. Amen.

With love from the Father to you, have a great day,

Tina

How High is Your Hope?

March 21, 2022

“My strength and my hope have perished from the Lord.”Remember my affliction and roaming, the wormwood and the gall. My soul still remembers and sinks within me.This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. Lamentations 3:18-22 NKJV

Jeremiah was sorrowful. He had hung his hope on God’s promise to bless the Israelites if they worshipped according to His law. But many turned from God to false gods and sin pervaded the area. And now Jerusalem was in ruins. Here is what God promised the Israelites, for worshipping Him.

Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously. 2 Samuel 7:10

I get why Jeremiah was lamenting. Jerusalem had so much going for them, but sin invaded and so did Babylonians. They came in and destroyed everything, even the temple. This makes me think of the war going on in the East. My heart is broken for Ukraine as I am sure yours is. As I read Lamentations, I wondered… ” How can Ukraine have hope when the enemy is after them and their world is crumbling?”

They do have hope and I think it’s because they believe in something bigger than themselves. They believe in freedom! This is an ‘Aha!’ moment for me!

If WE are in crisis, personally, we can only get through if we have hope in something bigger than ourselves, the Lord! And we will all be in crises at some time. The Bible says so:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. James 1:2 ESV

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 ESV

Both of the verses say WHEN we have trials, not IF we do. When they occur, when we have a ‘Jeremiah moment,’ instead of despairing at things around us that have leave us at our wits’ end, we can look high to our hope that will never end! That is exactly what Jeremiah did! Despite the destruction, he still had hope. (Lamentations 3:22) We never ever have to be without hope. God, is always there:)

Hmmm…How high is my hope? Does it rely on everything going according to MY plan? When disaster strikes (not if) will I look up and see hope?

Dear God, Thank you for sending hope to the world through Your Son. That You would give us something eternal, knowing we would have trials, shows what a loving God You are! Please help us during stressful times and grant us hope enough to share with others. Amen

With love and hope from the Father to you, have a wonderful day!…Tina

On the Way to Forever

December 22, 2021

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Romans 8:18 KJV

I came down to my office with a heavy urging to have God help me write something that matters, something that will encourage you and myself, too, something from the Word of God. Just saying those three words…Word of God…how blessed are we to have that resource of truth and hope?! Not only that, but we can have the Word and hope inside us, with us, every second of every day!

As humans, we forget that we are totally provided for and supported by God, especially when the enemy tempts us to fix things ourselves. We need to remember that God is our fix! We should also remember that our current sufferings are just that, current. They will not last forever!

We are on our way to forever and we need to suffer a bit, perhaps to appreciate God’s strength, Jesus’ teaching and the Holy Spirit’s guidance. It is too much for our brains to figure out all the whys of this world or life, but God has it all planned. Since we are on our way to forever, we can trust the One who made the forever plan!

Thank you for reading! I pray to the Father that you have a great day and holiday week and you feel the joy and hope of Jesus in your heart for now and always. He was born just for us! Love, Tina

His Blood Covers All

October 4, 2021

Do you ever wonder why people do the things they do? Do you shake your head in amazement at the crazy things going on in the world today? I do, but then I remember….all is not hopeless! God has a plan to save us from our sin, so there is hope for the world! The blood of His Son, Jesus, covers a multitude of sins.

Today’s devotion is simple, because, well, sometimes the simple, basic truth needs to be dwelled on the most. There was and is a problem, sin, and God solved it. It is that simple and wonderful!

Here is the problem as Paul describes it…

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. Timothy 3:1-5 NIV

We all have sinned, have lived for self, then Jesus’ blood saved us to a better life and purpose! He is the answer to our problems. My words do not seem to be sufficient so here is God’s Word with the answer. Inspired by God, Paul writes…

At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. Titus 3:1-8 NIV

There is a problem and God solved it. I wanted to stress this simple but profound truth because…God has the answer to every problem we face. He is the answer. No matter the craziness and evil that goes on in the world and hearts, Jesus’ blood covers all. We cannot give up believing that men and women can be saved from sin. Jesus’ blood was shed for all of us and it covers a multitude of sins.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 NIV

I think we need encouragement or at least I do this morning and, as usual, God delivered! We should not lose hope! Just as God had an answer for sin, He has answers for all of life’s problems. Trust Him and His plan and have peace and hope! Do not stop doing good, as Paul describes above. Do not stop believing that people with all backgrounds and histories can be saved. All is not lost. Jesus can be found.

Dear Father,

Thank You does not seem to express how grateful we are for Your answer to sin and answers in Your Word, for all of our fears and problems. You have it all covered, so we do not need to lose hope. We do not deserve Your goodness but You give it every day. We see it when we focus on You. Thank You for being our answer and our hope. Help us to share this answer with the world and do good, believing that all can be saved, not because of the good we do, but the good You do. We love You! Amen

With love from the Father to you, be encouraged that God is on the throne, in control of our world:)

Christina

Let’s Glory in the Morning

December 12, 2020

This is a picture my husband took of our view of the sunrise. Isn’t it beautiful God art? It may seem strange that I chose a beautiful picture and am getting ready to quote Lamentations. After all, the book was authored by a poet of Jerusalem that was lamenting the horrible destruction of his city. There is a method to the madness though…

See, the author was angry at God for not helping the Jews as the Babylonian army took over their city. I can’t blame him… I can hardly stand to read about the atrocities he saw and experienced! The book of lamentations are the result of the poet going through stages of immense grief, in a way. He experiences sadness, grief, anger, and also self-reflection. He realizes the Lord had promised to punish sinfulness and has kept His promise because:

Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean. ( Lamentations 1:8 NIV)

Isn’t it a “hard pill to swallow” when we recognize our sin? We are fortunate enough to have a Savior and a God that will always forgive us. The lamenting poet sings a new song when he remembers this about God:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22- 23 NIV

Thank you, Lord for each new day! You forgive our wrongdoings and give us reasons to glorify You anew! We love You and thank You for Your faithfulness and love. We will do our best to give You the same! Amen