An M&M for You!
Here in the States, we have these chocolate coated candies called, “M&M’s” (I’m not sure if they have them internationally). Anyway, they are a sweet treat! Today, I’d like to give you an M&M, but with no calories!
HOPE is a Christian Infertility Support Group at Lakewood and each month we have a teaching encouraging others spiritually as they walk along the road of infertility. My friend and fellow volunteer, Kathryn came up with the “HOPE M&M”. The M&M is an acronym standing for “What You Might have Missed!” Pretty clever, huh? It’s a way to pass on the encouragement to others who may have missed the meeting topic and to you who are reading this now!
Hope you’ll enjoy your first M&M! (smiles)
January: HOPE M&M
(What You Might’ve Missed)
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“Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt” (Hosea 2: 14-15).
“Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you” (Zachariah 9:12).
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In these two verses, God is speaking to the Israelites, who had lost focus and wandered away from Him. Like the Israelites, we can take our eyes off God and lose our way. However, at this month’s meeting, Lesli shared some good news: Where we are right now is not where we have to stay.
As we see in Hosea 2: 14-15, God can also “allure” us out of the “Valley of Achor,” (Achor means “trouble”). He wants to make whatever valley we are in (perhaps it is a bad doctor’s appointment or a closed adoption) “a door of hope.” God is able to make pain a door to promise!
We see in Zachariah 9:12 that God wants us to make Him our “fortress” and wants us to be “prisoners of hope.” Lesli demonstrated that we should be so connected to Him and His Word — the Truth — that it would require a struggle to get loose. If we trust and follow God, He will bring us us out twice as blessed as we were before we entered the valley!
Lesli shared 3 ways to help us keep moving in the right direction:
1) Go to God.
2) Change our attitude.
3) Determine to stay focused.
What we say determines what happens next, so it’s important to be aware of our words (Prov. 18:21). Importantly, when we stumble, let’s not get bound in condemnation. Every moment can be a do-over with Christ Jesus.; on purpose we must change direction. As we regularly do so, over time we will expect victory and have victory over defeat.
The HOPE Ministry meets the first Thursday of every month at 7 pm in the New Beginnings room located on the second floor. For more information or prayer, please email [email protected]