Point Of Hope - Issue #2 - February 2014
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Transcript of Point Of Hope - Issue #2 - February 2014
Staff
-founder / president
Melissa Pearce
-copy editor
Laurie Hamby
-contributing writers
Jamie Clawson
Katie Cline
Pastor Chuck Hamby
Maureen Kurp
Melissa Pearce
Ronald Pearce
Mary Beth Pecora
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Contact
We are two months away from shepherding our second conference at EHM. Our mission at
EHM is to equip and empower women with the Word of God so they can walk in their God-given
destiny. God desires for you to know who you are in Christ Jesus. “Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17. We
are no longer defined by our past sins or what people may try to say about us. It is Christ
Jesus who defines who we are! We just need to realize truth.
However, I don’t believe that Ignite is just a theme for EHM’s conference. I believe it is an
infusion that God is looking to cultivate within the hearts of His people. God is on the move.
He is pursuing His creation to enter into a relationship with Him. For some, this will be a new
concept. For others, the longings of your heart to go even deeper with Him will be satisfied.
The word ignite means to set something on fire or to cause to burn. It also means to give life or
energy to someone or something. God wants our hearts to be a blaze for Him. He wants our
hearts to be filled with His love, grace, holiness and truth.
Jeremiah 31:33 “’This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,’
declares the LORD. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their
God, and they will be my people.’”
God desires for His truth and love to inhabit our hearts; living our lives for Him. His love
towards us will be received as truth, and in return, we will reciprocate His love back to Him and
to others around us.
How I pray God ignites your hearts with His holy fire; setting your hearts ablaze for Him and Him
alone.
~In Him
Melissa Pearce
Founder/President
Enduring Hope Ministries
It is usually the fear of the unknown. When
a heart is faced with change, we will do one of
two things; we will either resist it or we will
embrace it.
When a heart is faced with change, God
desires for us to rest completely in Him.
Resting completely in God requires trust.
That is another word we have a hard time
embracing. Trusting opens our hearts to
risk.
There is always risk involved when we trust
because we are placing our hope in that one
person, believing he/she will fulfill his/her
commitment.
God desires for us to trust Him. He longs for
us to realize we rest securely in His hands.
This, however, doesn’t mean we will escape
hard times and difficulties. It does mean that
when we trust Him, we rest assured knowing
He will work all things out for His glory and
our good.
A heart will only trust another when he/she
knows the character of the one the trust is
placed in. God desires for us to know His
character. He is love (1 John 4:8b). The
love He has towards us and for us is beyond
our human comprehension. God
demonstrated His love by sending His One
and Only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, for us.
Love is not just a mere feeling - but an action.
Why is this so important within our lives?
Life has difficult seasons and in those times
of unexpected loss or hardship, we question
God’s love towards us. Yet, He wants us to
realize we rest securely within His hands like
clay within a potter’s hands.
Jeremiah 18:1-6: “This is the word that came
to Jeremiah from the LORD: ‘Go down to the
potter ’ s house, and there I will give you my
message. ’ So I went down to the potter ’ s
house, and I saw him working at the wheel.
But what the potter was shaping from the clay
was marred in his hands; so the potter formed
it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best
to him. Then the word of the LORD came to
me: ‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you
as this potter does? ’ declares the LORD.
‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you
in my hand, O house of Israel.’”
God, Who is the Creator of all things, is our
Potter. He holds each of His masterpieces
securely within His hands, forming and
developing them to become what He had
intended them to be. Just as the clay is
placed on the potter ’ s wheel, we too are
placed there. As we sit on the wheel of life,
we can rest assured God never removes His
hands from us. Romans 8: 28: “ And we
know that in all things God works for the good
of those who love him, who have been called
according to his purpose. ” It is very clear;
God will use all things within our lives for our
good.
Once the clay is ready to be set, it goes into
the kiln, enduring much heat and fire. The
purpose of the firing is to remove the physical
and chemical water so that the piece can be
glazed without returning to mud and
breaking.
i
The fire is to bring forth the
impurities that could impact the end result of
the masterpiece.
We too will endure hardships, and it will seem
like we are passing through a fire too
unbearable to take, BUT GOD! This is
where our reassurance of being His must
come into effect. If we do not capitalize on
the love He has for us, we will crumble. We
must recognize that even in the depths of our
hardship, God never takes His eyes off of us.
God, who is good, doesn’t cause bad and
destruction within our lives. This would go
against His character. He is not the God of
death, but the Author of Life. He came so
we could have life in Him. Many today have
very skewed thinking about God. I believe
He is looking to dismantle the falsehood
about Him and replace it with His truth.
Personally speaking, I went through a season
with God early on in my walk with Him. I had
a false perception about Him. I thought
God was punishing me for my past sins when
I got diagnosed with MS. I did not recognize
the Father’s love that He had towards me. I
also did not realize the true meaning of the
Cross and the truth behind the works of the
Cross.
Just as the potter uses the kiln to remove the
impurities that could impact the development
of His masterpiece, God will use the
hardships of our lives to remove the dross
that is impacting our walk with Him and His
Kingdom plan. He wants us to be imitators
of His Son, Jesus. He wants us to display
the fruit of the Spirit to those around us. He
wants His love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness
and self-control to be at the core of who we
are.
Ephesians 2:10: “ For we are God ’ s
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do
good works, which God prepared in advance
for us to do.”
Each of us is God ’ s workmanship! No
matter where we are in the Potter’s process,
we can seize one truth – He loves us!
When we rest securely in His love, we
embrace change knowing no matter what
comes our way, the Potter is in control and
will bring about His end result.
Written By:
~Melissa Pearce
Founder/President
Enduring Hope Ministries
__________
Photography by:
Abigail LaFleur-Shaffer
wildcornersoftheworld.wordpress.com
“As Jesus and the disciples continued on their
way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain
village where a woman named Martha
welcomed him into her home. Her sister,
Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what
he taught. But Martha was distracted by the
big dinner she was preparing. She came to
Jesus and said, ‘Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to
you that my sister just sits here while I do all
the work? Tell her to come and help me.’
But the Lord said to her, ‘My dear Martha, you
are worried and upset over all these details!
There is only one thing worth being
concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and
it will not be taken away from her’” (Luke
10:38-42, NLT).
Do you feel the pressure to always do more?
To be at every meeting? Host another
event? To bring an extra appetizer or
dessert? Is your house clean enough? Are
your kids well-behaved? Are you making a
good impression at work? What do people
think of you?
These can be the things that plague us as
women in our current American culture – a
culture that says productivity equals
worthiness. While these things themselves
are not innately bad, being consumed by
them draws us away from our First Love.
So I ask you this: What are you concerned
about? Getting one more load of laundry
done? Emptying the dishwasher? Running
to the store ? Catching up on emails and
phone calls? God knows you have things to
accomplish each day, but He has given you
adequate time to complete them. Jesus said
to Martha, “There is only one thing worth
being concerned about.” That is time
with Him. And He tells us that it will be time
well spent; and what we gain from that time
with Him “will not be taken away from [us].”
Try out these S.I .M.P.L.E. Tips:
1. Take a “Time Out!” Kids dread them; parents need them. Start with five minutes and a
solitary place. Sit still before the Lord.
2. The key is “quiet!” It is hard for us to be quiet. We want to do more and say
more…constantly. Practice being still. God just loves to be with you.
3. Keep your Bible, a journal, and a devotional in your solitary place. Read a verse or
chapter, or a page from your devotional. Write down any thoughts you may have about
what you read.
4. When your mind starts to race, give yourself grace. This is not about perfection; it’s
about being with the Lover of your soul!
5. Talk to Him. He longs to hear your voice.
God loves you, and He’s on your side! Take a seat and enjoy time with the One who knows you
best.
Written By:
Jamie Clawson
In one sentence, Paul tells the church of Ephesus that he prays that they’ll grasp
the fullness of God’s love, yet also recognizes that God’s love is beyond what we
can fathom. Despite the impossibility of completely comprehending His love,
Paul knew how life-changing it would be if we tried to understand and receive it.
Ephesians 3:17b-19 says, “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.”
God’s love is wide enough to cover this earth and the vastness of our sin.
God’s love is long enough to span from “in the beginning” until the end of time.
God’s love is high enough to lessen our pride and nurture our dreams.
God’s love is deep enough to meet us when we’re in the pit and to heal those
wounds that we’ve buried within us.
God’s love is all of that and more! No wonder Paul prayed that the Ephesians
would get it! If we accept His love – truly receive it – we walk through this life
differently. We walk with our heads held high, not in pride but in confidence.
We see the hope that His love brings us in the dark times, encouraging us to
keep moving forward. We share this amazing love with others because we
wouldn’t dare keep it to ourselves.
Just like Paul, I pray that you’ll receive, be filled with, and remain rooted and
established in God’s love. Once you’ve allowed God’s love to fill you, I pray that
you’ll then share it with others. Continue trying to grasp His unfathomable love;
it changes everything.
In Him,
Katie Cline
Generation Hope
February is the month we celebrate the feast
of St. Valentine. There were at least two
Valentines who were martyred in the first
three centuries of the church. Valentine of
Terni, (the one that has the celebration on
February fourteenth, the day of his
martyrdom), was a priest near Rome in the
third century. He was known to have
performed wedding ceremonies for soldiers
of the Roman army. This was very much
against the law and most likely one of the
charges for which he was martyred.
It is said that during his imprisonment, the
daughter of his jailer was healed of blindness.
In his final letter to the young girl, he wrote
the first valentine, signing it, “your Valentine.”
In his letter to the church before his death, he
sought to … "remind them of God's love and
to encourage them to remain faithful
Christians."
With this beautiful history of St. Valentine, it is
difficult transitioning to our modern age where
love is the most abused word in modern
language. Valentine gladly offered his life
because of his love for Jesus and the people
he served. Today love is used for anything
from an attraction to ethnic food, i.e. “ I just
love Mexican food…” to our deepest feelings
for another. Our culture has rendered the
word love into a confusing gibberish of
meaninglessness.
Consider this. First, and foremost, love is a
choice, not an emotion. Emotions are
evoked, not commanded; yet Jesus
commanded us to love one another just like
He loved us. In John 13:34-35 we read, “A
new commandment I give to you, that you
love one another, even as I have loved you,
that you also love one another. By this all
men will know that
you are My
disciples, if you
have love for one
another.”
If love is a choice,
then it is possible.
It is not easy, but it
is possible. If love
depends on us, it
will not be possible. Our ability to properly
love comes on our surrendering our wills and
our lives over to the care of God.
There are two passages that lay a foundation
for what real love is. In his letter to the
Corinthians, Paul writes about love. Among
other things, he tells us that love survives
faith and hope. Why is that? Long after faith
becomes a reality and what we hope for has
been seen, we will always have love. Long
after hope is fulfilled In the presence of God,
love will still be the essential element of our
lives. Love will last forever!
The other passage is Galatians 5:22-23, But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness,
23
gentleness, self-control;
against such things there is no law.
There are two things to notice here; the words
is and fruit are both singular. That means they
refer to one thing,
yet there are nine
things listed.
Perhaps there is
only one fruit and
the other eight on
the list are merely
descriptions of the
first – love.
These qualities do
not just appear in us right after we become
Christ followers. They are called fruit; it takes
time for fruit to grow. Our daily walk with
God – listening to Him by reading the Bible
and talking to Him during the day (prayer) is
what causes the love to grow. Love brings
with it a number of important and beautiful
things. Love is simply the Fruit of the Holy
Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, this kind of love
cannot grow.
Joy could be called the disposition of love. It
is different than happiness. Happiness is
often circumstantial or situational. When
I f love is a choice,
then it is possible.
I t is not easy, but it
is possible. I f love
depends on us, it
w ill not be possible.
things are wonderful, we are happy. But
when sickness, financial stress or job troubles
come, our happiness goes by the wayside.
Joy is the result of love being our choice. St.
Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13: Love does
not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices
with the truth; bears all things, believes all
things, hopes all things, endures all things.
This joy is settled in confidence. Love is a
decision; as long as I decide to follow my
Lord, I will love. I don ’ t have to worry about
what anyone says about me. I can rejoice in
truth; that Spirit- grown love will support me to
bear all things. The Spirit- grown love will
have faith to call those things that are not as
though they were (Romans 4:17). I don ’ t
have to worry about anything but my
commitment to Jesus Christ to follow Him.
Nothing man can do will affect my joy.
Peace can be said to be love ’ s character.
Again, in 1 Corinthians 13, we see that love
is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love
does not brag and is not arrogant, does not
act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is
not provoked, does not take into account a
wrong suffered. Love is peaceful because it
is always content to let others make their own
choices and leave the results up to God. I am
not responsible for what they choose to do; I
am responsible to love them whatever
decision they make. I do not have to approve;
I have to love. It takes so much stress off
when we decide that we are not God. We
cannot control the whole neighborhood. In
fact, if we were honest, we would say it ’ s
pretty hard to control ourselves.
Love is patient. Patience is love under
pressure. Paul will tell us that in 1 Corinthians
13:4. In the original language the word was
mak-roth-oo-meh'-o; to be long spirited, that
is, (objectively) forbearing or
(subjectively) patient:—bear (suffer) long, be
longsuffering, have (long) patience, be
patient, patiently and leniently endure. When
patience has run out, love steps in.
Love is kind. Kindness is the temperament
of love. Love acts benevolently or literally in
“goodwill.” This kindness is not an act; it is a
sincere attitude of goodwill to all. Kindness is
the nature of love. It is the communication of
God’s love even to those who dislike us.
Goodness is the core of love. The Spirit-born
fruit is saturated with goodness. The word
also means moral excellence or usefulness.
Goodness is not the trait of the fruit bearer; it
is the core.
Faith is love ’s motivator. It is love ’s moral
conviction, the absolute dependence on
Christ Jesus for salvation. Love is also
faithful.
The Spirit-grown love is gentle. The main
characteristic of Jesus was His gentleness.
He had time for children, the sick, the weak,
and the disenfranchised.
The self-control of love is the attitude toward
itself. Persons of self-control do not want to
disgrace themselves, their families, etc.
In our celebration of the death of St Valentine,
let us allow the Holy Spirit to grow in us the
“real thing;” that is – the agape love that is
grown in us by God’s Holy Spirit.
Written by:
Pastor Chuck Hamby
As we begin this month, February, let’s take
the time to remember those we love and to
express that love to each person in a special
way. Perhaps it will be a dinner
engagement or a box of chocolates that we
indulge in. Whatever it is, we ‘remember’
the ones we love.
While pondering and asking the Lord what He
wants us to ‘remember’, my thoughts took me
back to ‘remembering’ the Greatest
Commandment that we, as believers, have
been given. I recalled that commandment
has two parts, and the Holy Spirit reminded
me of this scripture, as the Pharisees were
testing Jesus with this question, asking,
“ Teacher, which is the greatest
commandment in the Law?” Jesus then
replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind. This is the first and greatest
commandment. And the second is like it:
“Love your neighbor as yourself. All the
Law and the Prophets hang on these two
commandments” (Mt. 22: 36-40).
As I sat meditating on this scripture, I noticed
that the love that Jesus was asking for from
us was all of us – all of our heart, all of our
soul, and all of our mind. This deep love
that He requires is from all of us, indicating
every part of us. Then if we live our lives as
this, every commandment, stems from this.
This is why it’s the first and greatest! This is
why love is the most excellent way…it’s
actually the only way…because He is ‘The
Way.’ ‘The Truth’ and ‘The Life.’
As we ask the Lord to help us love others as
ourselves…it really begins with our ‘First
love’…It has often been said that “One never
forgets their ‘first love.’” Scripture tells us
that “ We love because He first loved us”
(1 John 4: 9).
Is Jesus Christ our first love? As we “first
love” Him, that love will enable us to love our
neighbor because when we are in a ‘love
relationship’ with Jesus, that love poured out
in us will be then be poured out through us, to
others.
As believers, all of our deeds, hard work, and
perseverance are measured by our love –
first love for the Lord. For when He
addressed the Church in Ephesus, He clearly
saw all of their deeds and hard labor, yet He
said, “…I hold this against you: You have
forsaken your first love” (Rev. 2: 4). May
that never happen with us!
In Summary: It is only that pure Agape love
which is poured out to us through the Holy
Spirit, that can enable us “to love,” because
He first loved us. As we forsake everything
that is first in our lives, and place Him first -
our First Love, Jesus Christ - then and only
then will we be able to carry out the first and
second commandment…For these two were
always meant to be together!
Simply put, if we love the Lord with all of us,
or with every fiber of our being, we will love
others too. His love flows from us, for it was
never meant to be contained or withheld.
Loving Him and loving others was never
intended to be separated…For the entire law
hangs on this! This love even activates the
spiritual gifts! Everything we do should
reflect this love - His love - which is
unconditional, unselfish, not proud, not
self-seeking, and keeps no record of wrongs.
For if we “ …Give all we possess to the poor
and surrender our body to the flames, but
have not love, we gain nothing” (1 Cor. 13:3).
Let’s make it our goal, to ‘gain love’…by
nurturing that love relationship, by spending
time with Him. For if we gain love, His love,
we have gained everything!
In the Precious Love of the Lord,
~Mary Beth Pecora