How To Love Your Neighbor
Substantial Hope
by chris@substantialhope.com
10M ago
The world seems cold to me lately. Oh, there have always been mean folks around but it seems like now more than ever people are just harsh to each other. The answer to this issue, as with all problems, is in God’s word. So I decided to look in the Bible to see what it says about how to love your neighbor. The more I thought about the topic of how to love your neighbor I realized first that I must understand who my neighbor is.  Is it the people who own the land adjacent to mine? How about the folks a mile or two down the road? Perhaps it is just church folks. In Luke Chapter 20 a lawyer ..read more
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Christian Grace: 5 Ways To Extend It To Others
Substantial Hope
by chris@substantialhope.com
11M ago
I have no hope without Christian grace. It is just that simple. My works and deeds can never be enough to warrant the favor of God. What is Christian grace though? We sing about it at church a lot. Do we really understand how big it is? Christian grace is the unmerited favor of God. I did not deserve a savior that died for my sins. There is no way I am worthy of a high priest that still intercedes on my behalf in Heaven today. Jesus gave himself as a perfect sacrifice when I could not. Grace like this is more than I can comprehend. Now my duty is to spread that grace to others. I am ashamed t ..read more
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Sunrise on Mother’s Day
Substantial Hope
by chris@substantialhope.com
11M ago
I was blessed to watch another sunrise this morning. I have seen many but most of the time I don’t slow down enough to appreciate them. Today was different. This one was on Mother’s Day. Sunrise in these North Alabama hills is special. The morning air here is thick, dripping with the sweetness of slow, Southern living. Russell, the neighbor’s donkey brays loudly, probably in protest of our lunatic Bluetick Coonhound Boone, who is barking for no apparent reason. Birds are singing, crickets chirping, and bullfrogs croaking. It is a symphony of simplicity that I believe if it spoke would have a s ..read more
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You Cannot Bear Your Burdens Alone
Substantial Hope
by chris@substantialhope.com
11M ago
God wants to help you bear your burdens. You have a heavy load, I know, but God has the strength that you do not. He desires for you to trust Him fully with your trouble. Maybe you have heard it said that God will not give you more than you can bear. This is not true. The weight on your shoulders is simply more than you can handle alone. People will quote 1 Corinthians 10:13 to try and say that God will not put on you more than you can take. This verse does not say that. It does say that we can overcome the temptation to sin through Jesus. Scripture has many examples of the children of God in ..read more
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Self-Worth : Realizing Your Value As A Christian
Substantial Hope
by chris@substantialhope.com
1y ago
I struggle to see my self-worth. This battle goes on in my mind daily. It is easy to get lost in this noisy world and feel like I am just a number. Perhaps you are fighting this same conflict in your mind. The preacher said you were a dirty sinner. The Bible said your righteousness was like filthy rags. How could you find any value in yourself if you are so rotten? Should you even seek self-worth at all? The fact is I have pondered these kinds of thoughts all of my life. I have been up and down so many times about my self-worth. There have even been points when I just wanted to give it all up ..read more
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5 Benefits of Waiting On God
Substantial Hope
by chris@substantialhope.com
1y ago
Waiting on God does not come easy for me. I have a bit of a patience problem. The vast majority of mistakes in my life have come because of my lack of patience. This week I was reminded by a cormorant the value of waiting on God. I noticed one day while relaxing by the sea a bird on a piling. He sat there for a while. Later in the day I saw that the bird was still sitting on his perch. My wife did a little research and discovered that our friend was a cormorant. We named him Eduardo. I recently wrote a post about time management so the thought of sitting there like Eduardo all day seemed a wa ..read more
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Do You Trust God’s Timing?
Substantial Hope
by Chris_Darden
1y ago
Do You Trust God’s Timing? Do You Trust God’s Timing? Today I had plans. They were not big plans but they were mine. Then I got out of bed to a cloudy, rainy day so those plans were changed. Rain is falling now as I write. The leaves are drooping on the trees from the water, and the fall colors that have started to show here are made darker with the dampness. I have turkey breasts on the smoker, and the smell of burning cherry wood permeates the back porch air. A fresh cup of coffee, late in the day for it, smolders by my side. There is a tree in my backyard that I have grown fond of. I like ..read more
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Why You Should Look To The Bible Daily For The Peace You Desire
Substantial Hope
by Chris_Darden
1y ago
Why You Should Look To The Bible Daily For The Peace You Desire Have you ever had that feeling you forgot something? The one where you knew there was something you were supposed to do? I have that often. There is one thing that I neglect that really gets my day off track. My worst days are the ones when I don’t read my Bible. Sometimes I may go several days without turning a page. I know that it contains the bread of life for a Christian. The sustenance I have found there in the past has always brought peace to my soul. So why do I neglect my study then? How could I waiver from the very ..read more
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Time Management Is More Important Than You Think
Substantial Hope
by chris@substantialhope.com
1y ago
I have heard about time management for many years now. It has become a hot topic in success and self-improvement circles for a while. The truth is that it goes back a lot further than recent history. Men were inspired to write about time management in the Bible. Today was the first full day of my vacation. I have been counting down the days at work for a couple of months. My wife and I are in the Florida Keys. It is one of our favorite places to go. If I have learned anything about trips like this it is that this will be the fastest week of the year. I am not sure why it feels that way but it ..read more
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Christian Kindness: A Command That Changes Lives
Substantial Hope
by chris@substantialhope.com
1y ago
Everyone in this world needs some Christian kindness. Not just your friend at work. It is not reserved for the person in front of you at church. It is easy to show kindness to your grandparents. All of these people should receive Christian kindness from you, that is true. The command, however, is to show Christian kindness to everyone. This world seems as cold to me as I have ever seen. Daily I hear or see a story about someone killing, beating, or robbing someone else. I believe that the world needs some love. The love of Jesus is all that can heal the bitterness that permeates the heart of m ..read more
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