A Moment of Hope

David and Marilynn Chadwick join Jenn Houston in a discussion about today's blog.

by Marilynn Chadwick We've seen how the "Doctrine of the Trinity" is a  weapon against false teaching.  Sound doctrine prepares believers to  defend their faith. The doctrine of the Trinity is powerful and necessary because the teaching—and whatever we know of the Trinity—springs straight from God's Word. Its origins are revealed in Scripture, lived out in the Incarnate Christ, perpetuated, and po...

by Marilynn Chadwick God's work of salvation requires the interplay of all three Persons of the Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity calls to mind the  staggering wonders  of our Creator. Through the lenses of the Trinity, we learn of God as Father. He is the Providential Creator and Savior in the Old Testament, as well as the Father of Jesus in the New Testament. Creation itself bears witness to...

by Marilynn Chadwick   Many religious groups, including Jehovah's witnesses, Jews, Mormons, Unitarians, and others deny the existence of the Trinity. A dear friend used to be a devout Muslim. She tells the story of how she finally gave her life to Christ after wrestling with the reality of the Trinity. She knew in her heart it had to be true.  Another friend, now a Messianic Jew, was astounded to...

by Marilynn Chadwick   We live in an age where false teaching is rampant. Cults, counterfeit religions, and even Satanism are on the rise. You might be surprised to learn that the early church also battled false teachers and heresies. Then, as now,  sound doctrine is a powerful weapon against the lies of the enemy.  Throughout Scripture, spiritual leaders are exhorted to "teach what accords with s...

by David Chadwick Jesus's return is imminent. Therefore, we must "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might" (Ephesians 6:10). As we learn to wait well for our soon and coming King, we must pray and praise, love our neighbors, be self-controlled and sober-minded, live excitedly and expectantly. And finally, today's tip,  we must share Jesus! We must never be ashamed of sharing the gos...

by David Chadwick How to wait well. It's something we all must learn when Jesus becomes the Lord of our lives. I believe as we cultivate strength in our ability to wait well, we are developing  eternal qualities as we await our soon and coming Savior. Today, I want to urge you to learn to wait  excitedly and expectantly! These are two adverbs that should describe our attitudes toward Jesus's Secon...

by David Chadwick In order to wait well, we must practice. We must strengthen the muscles that our flesh would tend to let atrophy—especially our minds. As we crucify our flesh and feed our spirits, we will become stronger and stronger. Here is today's tip for how to wait well:  Be self-controlled and sober-minded. This is a clear command from God's Word, found in 1 Peter 4:7. It starts off by say...

by David Chadwick Such a simple concept that requires tremendous patience.  Loving your neighbor  is a skill that, if developed, will  strengthen your ability to wait well. It helps you to become long-suffering. Many don't realize that this is an Old Testament command from Leviticus 19:18. God instructed his people to live as a  different kind of people  in his Promised Land. He urged his people t...

by David Chadwick In order to develop muscles in the gym, people have to weight train. The same holds true for our spiritual walks. We must spend time in the "wait" room in order to learn to wait well.  Waiting is a discipline that every follower of Jesus must learn to cultivate, especially as it pertains to us waiting for Jesus's return. I want to give you some tips as to how you can "wait train"...

by Marilynn Chadwick   Look Up!  The personalized license plate on the car in front of me caught my eye.  Look up!  Two simple words, right out of Luke's Gospel. Jesus was reminding his followers to pay close attention to the signs of the times. "So when all these things begin to happen," he explained, "stand and look up, for your salvation is near!" (Luke 21:28 NLT). Believers all over the world...

by Marilynn Chadwick I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day (2 Timothy 1:12 NKJV). When our children were small, I taught them a practical lesson in prayer using what I called the "Secret Mailbox Club." I made a mailbox out of construction paper and encouraged the children to write out their secret prayers on a piece of pape...

by Marilynn Chadwick Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything (Philippians 4:6 NLT). How many times on any given day are you tempted to lose your patience? If you're like me, the answer is plenty.  Next time a petty problem causes you to unravel, I challenge you to pause. Try to wait for three minutes before you allow yourself to become anxious.  Time yourself, if necessary, but...

by Marilynn Chadwick While waiting for answers to my prayers for a baby, I found that  simple daily disciplines were somehow connected to hope. Small habits often lead to big dreams. And big dreams can have a wider reach than we can possibly imagine. Navy Admiral and former SEAL William H. McRaven challenged graduates at the University of Texas to realize how simple, daily habits can have world ch...

by Marilynn Chadwick During my hardest days of waiting for a baby, there were certain friends who breathed fresh faith into my soul just when I wanted to quit. It's humbling to realize how much you depend on others. I've never liked being the needy one, much preferring to be the rock that others lean on. A Marine friend is one of those strong types. He saw lots of combat duty in Iraq and shared a...

by Marilynn Chadwick "I'm sorry," the nurse said gently, "you are not pregnant." I sat stunned. All signs had pointed to pregnancy. It looked like our long wait was over. But once again, our hopes were dashed. Month after month of disappointment had left me raw. I couldn't have imagined that waiting for something I desperately wanted would be so hard. Nor could I realize then that  I would eventua...

by Marilynn Chadwick We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19 NIV). God's strength can help us keep our hope alive. Hope, in turn, makes us stronger— like an anchor for our soul. Perhaps you're fighting to hold on to your hope. The mountain of obstacles facing you looks too big to overcome. It takes spiritual muscle to keep dreaming when circumstances look bleak....

by Marilynn Chadwick   "How do I hold onto my hopes and dreams when God seems silent?" The question came from a good friend and a sincere follower of Christ. Her question hit a chord. How do we handle those times when we have prayed and prayed, but the answer is so slow in coming?   Perhaps we sense that a particular dream is God's plan for us. But the days, weeks, months, and even years go by. Ho...

by Marilynn Chadwick If we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience (Romans 8:25 ESV). Are you waiting for something? Maybe it's the fulfillment of a dream or the resolution of a long-standing problem. You're waiting for a spouse, or a baby, or a wayward child to come home. Or you're anxiously awaiting a medical diagnosis, waiting for healing,  waiting for hope. Whatever you're wa...

by Marilynn Chadwick Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart  (Psalm 37:4 ESV). "But Mommy, all I want is what I want when I want it," howled my friend's three-year-old daughter in the middle of a tantrum. Like little Molly, all I want is "what I want when I want it." Who doesn't? But life doesn't always work that way, does it? Truth is, I've had to wait for my...

by David Chadwick God has written the greatest story ever told. It has both bad guys and good guys. Heroes and villains. But he uses all of them to accomplish his purposes. Nothing is too hard for him (Jeremiah 32:17). Remember, God is always able to work out everything for his good (Romans 8:28). Yes, even with bad guys! Pharaoh is today's bad guy. Found in Exodus 7-11, he was the mighty leader o...

by David Chadwick We have taken some time to search out the bad guys and good guys of the Bible. The heroes and villains who God used to write out the greatest story ever told. Have you heard of a Bible character named Shimei? There are actually 18 different characters in the Bible named Shimei. But the one I want to focus on is found in 2 Samuel 16:5-6. He is today's bad guy of the Bible. The Shi...

by David Chadwick Today's hidden hero is the last one we will look at before wrapping up with two final bad guys of the Bible. King Lemuel. Mentioned as the author of Proverbs 31, a chapter primarily focused on advice that was given to him by his mother. Under the supervision and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, this chapter is a significant part of God's Word (2 Peter 1:21). We don't know very muc...

by David Chadwick Solomon wrote the majority of Proverbs, but interestingly, Proverbs 30 was not one of those chapters. Our hidden hero today is the author of one of the chapters in Proverbs that Solomon did not author. Agur, the son of Jakeh, is our hidden hero today.  Who is Agur? We actually don't know. 3,000 years later, his identity is still obscure. But what we do know is that he wrote the s...

by David Chadwick This week, we are going to continue on with three more hidden heroes and then finish up with two more bad guys of the Bible. I hope that as you look at both heroes and villains, you will see the beautiful contrast of how God uses all things, both the good and the bad, to work together for our good and his glory (Romans 8:28). James is today's hero. Author of the book of James and...