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Hope in the Face of Sacrifice

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Acts 2:17-21

Thank You, God that You are so loving. Thank You for telling us so much in advance what the end times are going to look like, not to scare us but to prepare us, wake us up and draw us back to the “origin and ultimate” source of inner peace - YOU!

While most of the time we focus on the end-time blood, fire and billows of smoke; God has much, much more for us. He gives us tremendous hope through His promises:

  1.  He will pour out His Spirit on ALL people - regardless of ages, ethnicities, social status, on and on; and
  2. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved - regardless of when, where, and what is going on.
When writing this devotion, it was exactly the time where the devastating building fire in London and fatal shooting at our Capitol Hill just happened. We pray for those who were sacrificed. We pray for tears being wiped and those hurt being healed, all in the name of Jesus! Their sacrifice will not be in vain, because our God can turn curses into a blessing (Nehemiah 13:2)! Thank You, Jesus for Your HOPE!

Prayer Focus: Dear Heavenly Father, hurting people hurt people. Please forgive us. May Your transformational loving power nourish all. May we all humble ourselves for You to guard our heart, for it is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4:23). Thank You, Jesus for Your sacrificial love that brings us life! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

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