Jump Start # 436

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1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

We begin a new thought with this Jump Start. When we started this over a year ago the original purpose was to help folks read a passage a day and to provide some insights that would help them. Our first 30 Jump Starts were based upon the book of Proverbs. Those were printed in a neat book. We continue to use that book in many applications. We followed that with a second thirty on Psalms. That, too, was printed. Then another thirty on the life of Jesus. That was the final book that we printed. I thought for a long time that I wanted to have a fourth book on the theme of comfort. I have seen many times when I wish I had something to give someone that would help them when there has been a loss in their family, something specifically designed for comfort that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. I have not found anything like that. Starting with this Jump Start, I will write 30 short Jump Starts dealing with hope, comfort and the caring Lord. This hopefully will be printed and can be used as a means to help one another.

We live in difficult times. Actually, we always live in difficult times. There always seems to be wars, family issues, economic uneasiness and problems. Anxious times and fearful moments are not uncommon for many of us. These are the times that we must hold on to our faith and believe and trust in the Lord.

The pages of the Bible are filled with similar thoughts, such as the young mothers who witnessed the death of their babies by the hands of Pharaoh and years later, Herod. We read of storms upon the seas, and famines and wars and we find the people of God crying out to the Lord. The Lord hears. The Lord responds.

Tough times often separates the men from the boys is something many of us have heard all of our lives. More accurately, tough times will separate the people of faith from those who really do not have faith. When the storms come, some houses stand because the people took the time to build upon the foundation of Jesus Christ. Others didn’t. The storms destroyed whatever faith they had. They collapsed in ruin. Hopeless and helpless they blame God and become bitter because of what happened.

We see so many people today who hurt. My prayer is that you can help them through these simple writings. Knowing what to say to hurting people is hard.

Come join us on this thirty day adventure, “Starting with Hope.”

Roger