In HOPE

 

 

 

  In HOPE 10.24

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David Timms  

 

 

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New Book Released

This past Friday (October 1), Bethany House released The Power of Blessing: How a Carefully Chosen Word Changes Everything.

The book explores the power of our words to create a new reality for someone else and examines the remarkable blessings ("beatitudes") with which Jesus opened His famous Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5).

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Thankyou for being part of this "In HOPE" e-community that allows me to "think on paper" about issues of faith, truth, and Christian spiritual formation. Those reflections have shaped this book significantly. 


Prayer for Today

Father, open my eyes and heart to You. Help me see you more in every moment. Remove the veil that produces nothing but full days and grant me the grace to live this day to the full with You. Please. Amen. 

 

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"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
~ Jesus (John 10:10)

Full Days

For most of us, life is very full. Work, home, spouse, children, and church all require our time. How often do we get to the end of a day and want to just collapse in an arm-chair for a while? Silently. And watch some senseless television program to soothe our spirits and ease our exhaustion.

Full days.

Yet, in a quiet moment before the cable programs lull us into a complete coma, we know that "living a full life" and "living life to the full" are two very different experiences. We have an uneasy feeling that we do too much of the former and too little of the latter.

When Jesus declared that He came that we may have life and have it to the full, He was not offering to intensify the busyness of our lives but to guide us into a new quality of life. Have we confused the two? Have we subtly swallowed the suggestion that busyness equals worthiness, that hurry is a synonym for holy, and rush is a legitimate alternative to relationship?

We're in bad shape!

Importantly, life to the full does not depend on our circumstances but on His Presence. Do we live fully aware of Him? The cancer patient and the CEO can live today equally "to the full." Conversely, the slum-dweller and the jetsetter can equally miss the essence of the day. Life to the full is not about our experiences but His Presence. It transcends our circumstances.

We don't live to the full by having everything we want or ever dreamed for. Fullness of life is fundamentally a spiritual issue.

We may feel stressed, worried, heart-broken, exhilarated, or excited, but none of these can make or break the day God intends for us -- a day with Him. Fun is fleeting. Pleasure is passing. In reality, some of the most "afflicted" people live more fully than the rest of us. They see what we miss, because they have His eyes.

How then shall we live?

Will we finish today declaring it another "full day" or quietly grateful that we've lived it to the full? Will we trade the hamster wheel for a train ticket? It's not about money or material things. It's all about the Journey with Him.

In HOPE –

David

 

 

Want to chat more on a topic? Hit "Reply" and share your thoughts.
I'm always happy to explore these issues further.

You can find back issues of "In HOPE" (2005-2010) at http://www.hiu.edu/inhope/ .

David Timms serves in the Graduate Ministry Department at Hope International University in Fullerton, California. "In HOPE", however, is not an official publication of the University and the views expressed are not necessarily those of the Administrators or Board. "In HOPE" has been a regular e-publication since January, 2001.