Dear Hope family,
Thought for the Week
Christmas – Immanuel!
Matthew 1v23 “and they will call him Immanuel – which means ‘God with us’”
Let’s celebrate this wonderful gift of God who has come among us!
Let’s take the time to absorb all that God has done for us in Christ Jesus!
With love, blessing and best wishes for a Christmas full of hope,
Roland
Dear Hope family,
Thought for the Week
Christmas – God’s Promise fulfilled!
Micah 5v2-4 “But you Bethlehem … out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times … she who is in labour bears a son … He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD … his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.”
I find it faith-building to read prophecies we know were written so long before Christ and which were so clearly fulfilled – despite the in probabilities! Let’s just consider the elements of this prophecy from Micah around 700BC and their fulfilment around 6BC:
-Out of Bethlehem will come a ruler – God arranged for Caesar to call a census around 6BC so that Mary would journey to Bethlehem and have her baby while there.
– This child’s birth would not be their beginning – God sent his Son, who had existed forever, in the form of a baby to live here on earth.
– His rule would reach to the whole earth and he would take good care of his people – God arranged for the birth to be in the Roman period so that the news could reach far and wide quickly.
Reading Micah without knowing about Jesus is confusing, but reading it with the knowledge of Jesus makes complete sense. We may find God’s promises for the future confusing sometimes, but we can rest assured that God is working for our good. When God has accomplished his purpose, we will see exactly how he fitted it all together and every word is fulfilled.
May God enable you to hold onto His promises this Advent season.
With love and blessing,
Roland
Dear Hope family,
Thought for the Week
Samuel – Anointing God’s Choice!
1Samuel 16v7 “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
God had rejected Saul as king, even though Saul would continue to reign for a few more years. But God was already working on his grand plan, and so he sent Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint the next king. Samuel met each of Jesse’s sons, but even though they seemed impressive, God had not chosen any of them. This is when we hear the famous words: “God looks at the heart.”
The youngest son, David, wasn’t even invited to the parade. Aged 15, he was despised by his brothers and was out caring for the sheep. But God told Samuel to anoint David, and when Samuel did this, “the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power from that day on.”
This moment in history is very important. David—this humble, overlooked shepherd—was the ancestor of Jesus. From this point forward, the Scriptures repeatedly point ahead to the coming Messiah (or “Christ”), both words meaning “Anointed One.” As we approach Advent, we could look back to God’s promises to Adam or Abraham, but here we begin around 1020BC with David: chosen and anointed by God.
It would take another 15 years before David would actually become king. During those years, he lived completely by faith—trusting God for protection, provision, and the fulfilment of His promise. He spent years running for his life, yet he kept choosing to live God’s way. Jesus also lived as God’s anointed, walking fully in God’s way long before he was revealed as King.
Right now, you and I have also been anointed by God. He has chosen us as His children and appointed us as His ambassadors. He has given us His Holy Spirit and His power. When David was anointed, the Spirit came on him in power—not just for a moment, but continually. After Jesus was baptized and the Spirit descended on him, Scripture says, “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.”
If you have received the Holy Spirit, then it is time to live in His power. Paul reminded Timothy of this when he wrote: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”
May God strengthen you to live each day in the power of His Spirit—whatever you may be facing.
With love and blessing,
Roland
Dear Hope family,
Thought for the Week
Samuel – To obey is better than sacrifice!
1Samuel 15v22 “To obey is better than sacrifice and to heed is better that the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.”
God’s Command – God sent Samuel to tell Saul to destroy the Amalekites. This might feel uncomfortable to us today, but it’s important to remember that Israel was a physical kingdom involving physical battles—unlike Christ’s kingdom, which is spiritual.
The Amalekites appear many times in the Old Testament as a people who were openly hostile toward Israel without provocation. Their first attack happened just after the Israelites left Egypt, when they were exhausted. This is the famous incident where Israel only prevailed in battle when Moses’ hands were held up in prayer.
A later and well-known example is in the book of Esther, where Haman—an Amalekite—attempted to wipe out the Jews. God intervened through Esther and saved His people.
Saul’s Disobedience – Instead of obeying fully, Saul spared the best Amalekite animals and possessions, intending to offer them to God as sacrifices. On the surface, this sounded good and sincere—but it directly violated God’s command.
Samuel explained that disobedience is a mixture of rebellion and arrogance. When we disobey God, we act as if we know better than Him. In Israel, idolatry and witchcraft were considered terrible sins, and Samuel placed Saul’s disobedience in the same category.
The Consequences – Because of Saul’s refusal to obey completely:
Meaning for Us
What sin or evil is God commanding me to get rid of in my life?
With love and blessing,
Roland
Dear Hope family,
Thought for the Week
Samuel – When patience runs out!
1Samuel 13v13 “You have acted foolishly,” Samuel said, “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you.”
How do you respond to a rebuke? A rebuke hurts the pride in us. Our pride likes to think we know best. One of Solomon’s proverbs is, “Whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse … rebuke a wise man and he will love you.” (Proverbs 9v8-9) May we be wise people who accept rebukes and change!
I feel a bit sorry for Saul. He had started well, but he now faced the Philistines in battle, and Israel was outnumbered and out-tech’ed. Saul’s men were “quaking with fear” – many hid and many others escaped to safer ground. Good old Saul had followed Samuel’s instructions and waited 7 days for Samuel to arrive and offer sacrifices to seek God’s favour. But Samuel had not turned up, and the longer he waited, the less men he had. So Saul did what he was not authorised to do and offered the sacrifice himself.
As a consequence, Samuel said, ‘You have acted foolishly, you have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you.’” His kingdom would now be handed over to someone else who was “after God’s own heart”.
Saul was not patient enough to wait for God and his prophet, and so he was rebuked by God through his prophet Samuel. Saul offered his excuses, but they did not excuse his disobedience. It was now too late to exercise patience and trust God.
Where is God calling me to be patient today? Am I prepared to wait for God or am I going to act in my own way?
With love and blessing,
Roland
Dear Hope family,
Thought for the Week
Samuel – Popular opinion or God’s!
1Samuel 12v14 “If both you and the king who reigns over you, follow the LORD your God – good.”
Winston Churchill once said, “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” We know that the majority isn’t always right, and trying to please people doesn’t always lead to wise decisions.
Samuel understood this well. He faced strong public opinion but continued to seek God’s guidance — and he urged the people to do the same.
The Israelites had demanded a king, and God allowed it. Their new king, Saul, had just won a major battle, and everyone was thrilled. They celebrated and placed their trust in him. But this was the problem — their confidence was in the king, not in God.
It’s easy to make the same mistake. We often measure success by comparing ourselves to others. Or we measure by how things look on the outside. Or we measure by the initial results. God’s idea of success often looks very different from the world’s idea. True success doesn’t come from our achievements — it comes from trusting and depending on God. Sometimes the fruit of our faithfulness won’t be visible until eternity, but one day we’ll see the full picture of what God has done through us.
May God help you keep the eyes of your heart fixed on Him — the true source of success.
With love and blessing,
Roland
Dear Hope family,
Thought for the Week
Samuel – God at work in the ordinary!
1Samuel 9v16 “The Lord revealed this to Samuel: ‘About this time tomorrow, I will send you a man … Anoint him leader over my people.’”
Samuel was a prophet who clearly heard God’s voice. He not only listened but also obeyed what God told him.
For Saul, everything seemed ordinary and maybe even frustrating. His father’s donkeys had gone missing, so Saul was sent to find them. After searching with no success, he decided to ask the prophet Samuel for help.
But what looked like a series of unfortunate events was actually God’s plan unfolding. The day before Saul arrived, God had told Samuel that Saul would come—and that Samuel should anoint him as the first king of Israel.
When they met, Samuel told Saul not to worry about the donkeys—they’d already been found. He then anointed Saul and gave him several prophecies. Over the next few days, those prophecies came true, confirming to Saul that God had indeed chosen him.
There are many lessons in this story, but here’s the main one for today: God is at work in your life, even when you can’t see it.
Like the song says, “Even when I don’t see it, You’re working.” Saul thought he was just out looking for donkeys, but God was using those ordinary events to lead him to something far greater—to his calling and destiny.
This week, remember to:
God is always working out His purposes. And one day, when you look back, you’ll see just how perfectly He guided your steps.
With love and blessing,
Roland
Dear Hope family,
Thought for the Week
Samuel – Be careful with Your Motives!
1Samuel 8v5 “Now appoint a king to lead us such as all the other nations have.”
We don’t know exactly why, but like Eli’s sons before him, Samuel’s sons didn’t follow the Lord. Instead of walking in God’s ways and serving him faithfully, they chased after money and worldly things.
The people of Israel saw this and asked Samuel to appoint a king to lead them — “just like all the other nations have.” There’s some irony here.
Samuel was upset about their request, but God told him three important things:
Even after Samuel warned them, the people refused to listen. They wanted what they wanted. So God told Samuel, “Listen to them and give them a king.”
Because they were working with the wrong motives, they worked at the wrong time, and they would end up with the wrong person. Their religious worship looked good on the outside, but in their hearts, they weren’t letting God truly be their Lord and King. As a result it would all become messy — but later in Samuel, God’s plan would still succeed.
Let’s learn from this. Let’s check our motivations. Let’s make sure our hearts and timing are in line with God’s will — not just our own desires.
With love and blessing,
Roland
Dear Hope family,
Thought for the Week
Samuel – Returning to God!
1Samuel 7v2 “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts …”
Do you want to return to the Lord? Are you crying out to Him in complete dependence?
Last week we saw that Israel had faced disaster at the hands of the Philistines. It took 20 years before Samuel gathered the people for a revival meeting. He saw that their hearts were beginning to turn back to God and said, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts…”
It’s possible to turn to God for the wrong reasons — because it seems like the best option, because others are doing it, or just to play it safe. But God calls us to return to Him with all our hearts — with deep desire, passion, and determination. The one thing to do, is to turn fully to the Lord.
Samuel told the people to prove their sincerity by removing the idols in their hearts and homes. They had been giving their time and attention to false gods. The sign of a true heart for God is to clear out the things that compete with Him in our lives. Samuel said, “Commit yourselves to the Lord and serve Him only, and He will deliver you.”
This is echoed in Jesus’ words: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
We need that same return to the Lord today — in our lives, in our church and in our nation.
Am I willing to be among the first to return to Him with all my heart?
With love and blessing,
Roland
Dear Hope family,
Thought for the Week
Samuel – When Disaster strikes!
1Samuel 4v3 “Why did the LORD bring defeat on us today?”
Do you ever feel like everything around you is falling apart?
Samuel was probably in his twenties when it seemed like his whole world was collapsing. His nation, Israel, lost a major battle against the Philistines. So for the next battle, they decided to take the ark of the covenant with them, thinking it would bring them good luck. The ark represented God’s presence and was usually kept at the center of worship.
But things got even worse. The Philistines captured the ark and killed Eli the priest’s two sons. When Eli heard the news, he fell over and died too. The people cried out, “The glory has departed from Israel.”
Then something unexpected happened — the presence of the ark brought trouble to the Philistines, and they eventually sent it back to Israel. Through all of this, the people began to respect God again and said, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God?”
The Israelites had forgotten about God’s holiness. Their faith had become just a ritual. So God allowed disaster to get their attention and refocus their hearts on Him. A new generation grew up with a renewed awe and respect for God’s presence.
We need that same reverence today. God isn’t someone we should turn to only in times of crisis — He deserves our worship every day.Lord, give us a deeper reverence for You and Your holiness today. Help us to honour You not just in crisis, but in every moment of life.
With love and blessing,
Roland