We all want good things in life. We want happiness, we want a steady job, we want deep friendships, we want healthy kids, we want good things. But is the old cliché true that you can have too much of a good thing? Defining "A Good Thing" We can't answer the question without more fully … Continue reading Is There Really Such Thing as “Too Much of a Good Thing”?
The official Thanksgiving holiday may be past for this year, but is your heart actually less thankful today than last Thursday? We hope you enjoyed a fun celebration on Thanksgiving Day, eating delicious foods with family and friends. But every day is an opportunity to give thanks and celebrate the gifts we have! Whenever we … Continue reading An ongoing need for thanksgiving
How do you handle the storms of life? We know they are inevitable, yet we often find ourselves ill-prepared and overwhelmed. Let’s take a look at how the disciples and Jesus handled a storm in Mark 4. As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they … Continue reading Success in the Storm of Mark 4
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3: … Continue reading Grasping God’s Love in Ephesians 3
Work is not meant to be a bad thing in our lives. It is not the punishment for Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden. In fact, work is a God-given, good thing for men and women. The first three chapters of Genesis show a lot of work. God created for six days, and then … Continue reading Why do we work?
The quick answer? YES. We all want to be happy and to enjoy life! And the Bible tells us that this is a good thing. God promises his people joy: it is part of the Holy Spirit’s fruit in a believer’s life (Galatians 5:22) and Jesus promises his disciples multiple times that they will have complete … Continue reading Is it okay to want joy?
"But I pray to you, Lord, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up … Continue reading Prayer during suffering in Psalm 69
Today the Church celebrates Easter Sunday: the resurrection of Jesus. We at iHope are professing Christians, and we accept Jesus as our Lord, our Savior, and the Messiah of Israel. His death on "Good Friday" is good because it restored our relationship with God. His resurrection on "Easter Sunday" is a joyful celebration that changed … Continue reading A prayer for Easter
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24 It is an exciting thing … Continue reading The attitude of your minds, in Ephesians
Clearly, God has created us to be in families. We see this in the first chapters of Genesis, as God tells his people to “be fruitful and multiply” (1:28), declares that “it is not good for man to be alone” (2:18) and proclaims that children will then leave their father and mother and unite to … Continue reading A prayer for our families