Hope with God... with Andrew and Wendy Palau

Do you ever feel the need to be perfect? Like you can’t rest unless every flaw and failure in your life is fixed? Well, Jesus set us free from that kind of perfectionism. He knows… we will often fail. And we are flawed. And we sin. That’s why He sent His son to purchase our freedom… Galatians 4 says… God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his ve...

At the beginning of time, God created light. And from that moment on, He has been and always will be the light of the world. Light makes things clear; light exposes, it guides, it reveals, and it penetrates. AND light is always stronger than the darkness. At the end of time, when we’re with the King in eternity, we’re told there will be no need for sun or moon to shine because the glory of God wil...

What has been holding you back in life? Are there old habits, old ways of thinking, things that you just return to over and over that you know are weighing down your life? 1 Corinthians says… When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. I want to challenge you today to let go of the things that you know are holding you back. Pray...

God is not just a good idea... a better way to live. God isn't just offering a list of principles or moral values. God isn't an add-on to your disciplined life or your perseverance. His way, His rule, His lordship are everything. Romans 3 tells us that "ALL (of us) have sinned and fall short of God's glory." That means we all fall short of His standards. We're all failures in the light o...

2 Corinthians 5 says this... …anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! Now that is a promise! And as we look toward the start of a new calendar year, there is no time like the present to make a fresh start in life. Just like cleaning out and getting rid of old clothes, do the same with old habits that are not benefitting your life… You can a...

Another Christmas has come and gone. Maybe you’re still cleaning up the mess from your family celebrations. Or maybe you’re wishing things had gone a little differently. The holidays can be very difficult for so many reasons, and maybe you’re still reeling from the emotional toll that it can take. Pause for a minute and meditate on this thought. It's from Philippians 2: [Christ], being in very nat...

We can’t see the wind, but we see the effects and the impact of the wind. We weren’t in Bethlehem when the King was born. We didn't see a mother labor and deliver a tiny baby- The ONE who would be Messiah, King of the world. We didn't see thousands and thousands of angels singing, “Glory to God in the highest!” But thousands of years later, we see the impact, we witness lives changed and freed. We...

This Christmas, I hope you feel the love and guiding presence of Jesus. As we celebrate the miracle of His birth—God in human form—let’s remember that He was not only born to be the Savior of the world. He came to be a shepherd to His people- to you and to me. In Matthew 2, the priests reported this ancient prophecy, terrifying the evil king who was ruling at the time: And you, O Bethlehem in the...

How is it that the God of the universe became so small? He entered the world as a tiny baby. What a miracle! Dependent, needy, vulnerable… The creator of all lowered Himself to come. What kind of King would do this? He is a King who had nothing to prove, who simply made a way through this act of humility and obedience, sacrifice and suffering. God made a way. And He asks each of us. He calls us, C...

Christmas is a season of miracles and expectation. The birth of Jesus was not a complete surprise to the Jewish people; they’d been waiting for a savior to come for a long time. They’d heard about Him long before in a scroll written by the prophet Isaiah. …the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which...

The Christmas season can be so busy and stressful. Will you take a moment to hold still right now? Take a deep breath. Philippians 4:6 says this, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Consider this your personal permission to pause from the hurried pace and come into a moment of prayer. You can bring every...

God is a rock- unmoving, stable, secure, a shelter, a refuge, a place of stability and safety. Not a mountain far off in the distance, looming and unreachable or unscalable. But a place of power available to every one of us. Over and over again, the Psalmists in the Old Testament, cry out to God. And they say, My God, my rock, will you help me? You are the ONE I take refuge in. And Jesus says, Bui...

Have you ever thought this? My life will calm down in a few weeks. After I finish this project. As soon as I get a better job. When my kids are a little older… It’s true that some seasons of life are more difficult than others, but it’s also true that there is no magical arrival point. There’s no time in our lives when everything is going to be sorted out just right. So, you may be thinking, Andre...

Jesus tells us that life in Him is like having living water in your soul. Have you seen the way that water flows? It’s amazing! Always finds a way, a path, an avenue to move. It fills every space, and when the space is full, it finds more space until it eventually overflows. This is the promise Jesus offers to you; it’s so beautiful! He says: If you ask me, I will give you living water- my very se...

Do you have peace in your heart? Deep peace that stays steady even when things are going badly? Long ago on the first Christmas, a group of angels announced the birth of Jesus to a group of shepherds watching their flocks one night. Luke 2 in the Message version of the Bible says… At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peac...

In the story of the first Christmas in the Bible, there are many signs and wonders showing people who Jesus is and where they can find Him: A star, a choir of angels, the prophets of old, miracles, healing, and deliverance. All these things displayed the truth—that Jesus was God, and had come to save humanity. But who will proclaim the truth of Jesus now? It’s our turn. In Mark 16:15 , Jesus said…...

A father cares for their child. Shows them the way to walk through the world. A father protects and provides. God says: I want to be your father. He says: I am an everlasting Father. I am a father to the fatherless. He also tells us that He is a good Father. That He will never abandon us, He will never forget us. He will never abuse us or take advantage of us. No matter what type of earthly father...

Have you ever wanted to share the Good News of Jesus but didn’t feel like you had the right words? We do not need to rely on eloquence. We can just tell what He’s done for us. The first ones to share the Gospel were a bunch of young shepherds. Most likely, children, dirty from tending sheep. An angel woke them up and told them, “Good News, a Savior has been born!” The Bible says... They hurried to...

Our failures don't change God. Do you remember the story of Jesus and His disciples at the Last Supper? Right before He went to the cross? Jesus tells His friends that that night, all of them would fall away... Peter boldly says, "Never, Lord!" But sure enough, as Jesus was taken before the leaders, Peter denies Jesus three times. He says, "I do not know this man." His friend-...

Who was the first to announce the birth of Jesus? Actually, it was a star. As the Bible tells the story, a group of wise men, they’d been watching for a star that would signal the birth of the Messiah. Matthew 2 tells it this way… And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were...

Did you know that Jesus foretold His own death? Often we think of Jesus dying on the cross as a tragedy, and we may even think it was cruel that God would let that happen. But no…Jesus knew this was His destiny, and He walked into it intentionally and willingly. Jesus said this about Himself, drawing from ancient prophecy: “The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,” he said. “He will be rej...

God is a gift- Something someone intended for another. A gift is given, not bought. A gift isn't worked for, and a gift isn't forced; it's simply given and received. Immanuel means God is with us, and He came as a gift. None of us can buy Him. None of us can work for His presence or His love. And it is impossible to earn Him. Immanuel is simply a gift offered for all humanity and offered for you....

Have you ever wondered, “Why would God send His son, Jesus, into the world only to be executed on the cross?” It doesn’t sound like something a good father would do. But it was a plan that was made long ago. And Jesus came into the world willingly, to offer Himself as a sacrifice. Listen to the words of John 3:16 … "For this is the way God loved the world—He gave His only begotten son so that...

God is our dwelling place. Immanuel means God with us. And He says, _come and dwell with me. Live with me. I came and lived with you as a baby, and then as a man. So that you could live with me. One day in eternity, yes. But also, now today. _ The Psalmist writes in Psalm 84, “How lovely is your dwelling place, Oh Lord Almighty, My soul yearns, even faints For the courts of the Lord My heart and m...

The story of all life is told through the Bible. Most stories are written by human authors, but the story of our world was written by God. It’s a true story—the Bible! And not only that, the author of our story wrote Himself right into the plot and became the very character that changed everything! Luke 2:11 says this… The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the cit...