Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Loved and Filled with Love!

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” – Romans 5v5

What does the Holy Spirit do? One thing He does is to pour out love in our hearts. This gives a deep sense of God’s love for you. A deep knowledge that he accepts you. A sense that he has his arms around you and is working in your best interests.

This love poured out in our hearts is also a capacity to love others. Do you find some people difficult to love? By the power of the Holy Spirit within you, he enables you to love them just as Jesus does.

Do you know God’s love in you? Do you see that taking effect in your love for others? If so, then this verse states that you can have absolutely certain hope because the God who is working in you now will continue to work in you right through into eternity.

May God pour out his love in your heart today.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Loved and Given a Fresh Start!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God.”  – 2 Corinthians 5v17 

Maybe, like me, you have taken a wrong turn when driving. And maybe you have found the road is a cul-de-sac: there is nothing else you can do except turn around and go back to that junction again.

Sometimes we find ourselves in similar situations in life. Only a return to the start will do.

Jesus offers us a completely new start in life. The old is all forgiven and gone. He has put a new Spirit in us. He has set us on a new road – the road to being with God for ever. We are now a road of hope and peace in Christ. He has even changed our hearts so that we desire to follow Jesus rather than our old ways.

This is something both to celebrate and to live out day by day. It is like a homeless person being given somewhere to stay. They no longer live in their old ways on the street, but in the warm, in a home.

May God fill you with joy because of what he has done in you. May He enable you, by his Holy Spirit to live out your new life in Christ.

With love and blessing,

Roland

Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Loved and Paid for!

Romans 5v8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 

We tend to think of substitution in a team game such as football. In that context, a player may often not want to be substituted. But in a Nazi concentration camp, the guards were about to shoot ten men. A catholic priest, Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward out of concern for a man who had a wife and children. He said to the guards, “I wish to die for that man.” His offer was accepted and he became a substitute for Francisek. Francisek and his family were forever grateful.

In God’s justice, our inclination to sin means we deserve eternal punishment and separation from God. But God wanted to rescue us, so he chose to exercise justice on our sin by sending Jesus. He took our sin on himself and so was given the punishment due on us.

This is an amazing exchange. The price for our sin is paid. We are set free from guilt. All this is because God so loves us!

With love and blessing,

Roland

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:

• God declared that the kingdom would be taken from him and given to someone else.
• Samuel, God’s prophet, would no longer visit or guide him.

Meaning for Us

What sin or evil is God commanding me to get rid of in my life?

• Let’s be careful not to rank sins as “small” or “big” in a way that excuses ourselves.
• Let’s be careful not to justify partial obedience as “close enough.”
• Let’s be careful not to assume we can improve on what God has said.
• Above all, listen to God—and actually do what He says.

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:

• Listen to God and follow his lead just like Samuel.

• Trust Him in the everyday moments that seem unimportant or confusing.

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.

1. They were not accepting Samuel’s sons because of their worldliness, but they themselves were looking to the world for inspiration rather than God.
2. God planned for Israel to have a king one day — King David, whose descendant would be King Jesus. But the people’s motivation was wrong. They weren’t asking because they wanted to follow God’s plan — they just wanted to copy the world around them.

Samuel was upset about their request, but God told him three important things:

1. They weren’t rejecting Samuel as much as they were rejecting God as their King.
2. Samuel should let them have a king.
3. Samuel must also warn the people about what would happen as a result and give an opportunity for them to change their mind.

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