Happy Aloha Friday! I always love saying that. In Maui Fridays were just a little bit more special, they were Aloha Fridays. It was not just another workday, it held a certain joy that rang throughout the island. Aloha is translated as the ‘breath of life’ and it was an exchange by two natives touching their foreheads together as they would inhale each others breath, symbolic of them sharing their life-spirit and thus becoming one. It’s a beautiful image and one we should see as symbolic in our Christian walk. Together inhaling God’s Word that was breathed into existence by Him, so that we can walk in the Holy Spirit together through life. (2 Tim 3:16) Since we shipped our truck back from Maui it still to this day has a sticker on the back that says Live Aloha. It would translate well to, "live to love others." Don’t just say it or read it, live it. Good stuff.
So I have a question for you. How would you like to have 3 things that would radically change your life today? How would you like them for free? And how would you like them to be 100% guaranteed to work now and forever? The three items? Patience, comfort and hope. I can use more of all 3 by the truckloads, I bet you can too. Interested?
Think about it, no matter what you’re experiencing today; pain, obstacles, trials, sickness, heart break, disappointment, adversity, disease, or death. They can all be alleviated by these three things; patience to endure the trial, comfort from the pain at hand and hope that a better tomorrow is only a day away. So you may be asking, “Dan, how can you promise these things?” Well, because they were promised to me just this morning as I read them in God’s Word. His Word is truth. His Word will never fail us. His Word is our promise. Romans 15:4, “For whatsoever things were written in times past, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”
What a promise this is from God. God says, “read what I have written for you and you shall have my free gifts of patience, comfort and hope as result.” I guess the only question I have is this; why is the world not claiming this tremendous promise today? Why are you not claiming this promise today? If you are, are you telling everybody you know about this promise? My friends, I do not know a single person that walks this planet today that cannot use more of at least one of these items if not all three. This is a promise that the world needs.
The caveat? You actually have to do what God says and that’s read His Word. I think the single biggest problem in our Christian world today is just this, we don’t spend time in God’s Word. In fact, this is the whole reason the 5 minute challenge even exists. To encourage all to spend daily time in God’s Word.
Back in Maui as I was working with the youth I noticed an alarming problem. The kids were spending ZERO time in God’s Word. As I moved onto Florida for a 6 week service trip and worked with young adults this time, I noticed the same thing. Very few were spending ANY time in God’s Word much less daily. God spurred me to challenge both groups to spend at least 5 minutes in God’s Word every day for 30 days and I would read along with them and report back to them about what I had read. This is how God created the 5MC.
You see, God’s promise is beautiful, fresh, sweet fruit and its just hanging there, all you must do is reach up and pull it down. Open God’s Words every day, read it’s power, its promise, its glory and as a result God will deliver to you patience, comfort and hope. Really, what do you have to lose? I double dog dare you to try it.
Let me close with one of the most beautiful sentences in God’s Word. This is Romans 15:13 and you can feel Paul’s heart in this prayer to those whom he wrote this letter. To this day, 1960 years later, you can feel the love, the promise, the desire in Paul that these things will ring true in the heart of the believer. It's still Paul’s prayer for us and its my prayer for you today, that the God of hope will fill you to overflowing with joy, peace and hope.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."
Share this message of joy, peace and hope with everyone you can today, I double dog dare you.
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