Now HOPE does not disappoint...

"Now hope does not disappoint..." Romans 5:5

This  jumped out the pages at me this morning. If we could give or do nothing else for poverty stricken communities it would still be so worth bringing them hope. If every ministry/charity suddenly ran out of all finances and could not continue any kind of programs, it would still be worth going to the people and reflecting hope. Hope should be at the core  of everything we do.

Hope changes a heart. It gives life to dead eyes. It energizes a person to live another moment. Hope reveals a way out , gives a purpose and urges us not to give up.

Hope gently whispers... hang on for one more minute.

If a person sees even a glimmer of the true hope that God gives, they will take another breath, take another step and find the strength to go on.

If hope is rooted deep within us, it cannot be stolen  by anything or anyone. People can disappoint. Organisations can disappoint. Circumstances can disappoint. HOPE  does not disappoint-I'm thankful for hope!

Accidently on purpose

Just thinking about how I want to live a life with purpose. I hope when I'm elderly I don't look back and remember the "good old days". I hope by Gods grace I would be living a life with meaning.It's amazing and totally humbling that God would give us a purpose much greater than ourselves. True fulfilment is living in His purpose- in His will. How beautiful that when God places a purpose in our hearts, it becomes our own. He plants His desires in our hearts, making them our desires too.

Sometimes the life we have mapped out for ourselves is so small compared to what the Lord has in store for us. We have our own ideas at times, but when we grasp a God dream everything changes.........Everything.

I can think back to times in my life when I had one plan and God had another and His have always been far superior and more wonderful. Such grace.  When Ron and I came to the Philippines in 2007 we had a plan to stay for a few months  and then go back to live in Scotland. We have quite often used the term "accidental missionary's"to describe ourselves. There was no strategy to start any kind of ministry or any kind of organisation. No thought at all in fact. But God had another plan. He had a purpose. So really we are "accidentally on purpose missionary's".How humbling is that! Who knows how many more years we will be here or what the future holds, but as the old song says "I know who holds the future and I know who holds me hand". I'm so glad I know my saviour holds our future in His unshakable, irremovable, loving hand.

I pray by Gods grace whatever the path holds,whatever he asks us to do or wherever He asks us to go we will obey with purpose. I was thinking if everything changed somehow what an awesome honour it's been to work with the families in the squatter communities. I'm grateful that throughout my life God has guided my steps. I can honestly say I have never worked in a place that just felt like a job.There's always been a sense of purpose. I'm so thankful for that.God has been so good. Everywhere He has opened doors I have loved working. What a lovely daddy I have!  How precious that even in the seasons where its tough  that God  has a purpose in the hardships. He can take a time of brokenness and weave it into something beautiful. His purpose is always for our good.

God has a purpose for you today and everyday of your life.

"To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven" Ecclesiastes 3:1