Live Hope Minute: 365 Daily Devotionals

By Mark Smeby

Become a champion of hope!

As we see chaos in the world around us, we want to have hope. But what is hope, and where does it come from? Hope is more than simple optimism that things get better, or a finger-crossed wishing that things go our way.
Live Hope Minute explores the life-transforming concept of true hope and how to keep a godly perspective in our current circumstances. Through these short, inspiring devotions:

• Your hope will become grounded in unshakeable faith.

• Your life will become marked by love that you cannot help but give away.

• Your vision will grow and keep you moving toward God and his plan for your life.

When you discover true hope, you will find you are building your house on the rock that will not move. Regardless of the storms and challenges you face, you can demonstrate to those around you that life is more than just what we can see or feel. Be amazed at the power and comfort God's hope can offer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Release date: Dec 12, 2017
• ISBN: 9781424555680

Mark Smeby

MARK SMEBY is a Nashville-based author, musician, and speaker who creates products, resources, and live events focused around the topic of hope. His nationally syndicated radio feature, the “Live Hope Minute,” is heard on 250 outlets throughout the U.S. and Canada.

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JANUARY

Hope says, God, I can see that you’re writing

a grand story in the world and in my life. And I

can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next.

January 1

Three Parts of Hope

I’m on a quest—perhaps you are, as well. I’m really wanting to discover what hope is—you know, beyond the cliché, finger-crossed wishing that I hear a lot of people mention. This quest has uncovered a couple ideas I’d like to offer as what might be an easy way to understand hope.

Hope is made up of three parts—faith, love, and vision. Faith says God is in this—it’s trusting, it’s the knowing beyond knowing; it’s the spirit part. Love is the action—knowing you are loved and then declaring the worth of every single person you meet. This is the heart of hope, its motivation. And vision is looking ahead with desire—it’s the why. It has a goal in mind (I’m building God’s kingdom). This vision is what guides us and keeps us living day to day with great expectancy of what God will do.

These three elements, when combined and working together, can guide us throughout this year into a life of hope.

Since we have such a [glorious] hope and confident

expectation, we speak with great courage.

2 CORINTHIANS 3:12 AMP

What additional elements of hope might you add to the formula?

How can you best adopt a posture of hope and live rooted in it?

Hope = Grounded in Faith + Fueled by Love + Guided by Vision

January 2

Is Hope an Overused Buzzword?

Does the McDonald’s Happy Meal really give hope as their commercial suggests? Advertisers use the allure of hope to get us to do what they want. But true hope is deeper than anything a consumeristic transaction could ever promise.

So what is it really, this hope? I want to know true hope—hope that is rooted in something real. But more than trying to define something as mysterious and spiritual as hope, I want to explore what it means to live hope—to actually live life fueled by, driven by, and infused with hope.

Hope says this is not all there is. This pain, this struggle, and these circumstances don’t solely define us. Our story is not finished being written. And, in fact, the best is yet to come.

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.

ROMANS 15:13

Why do businesses and politicians like to use hope as a way to advertise?

How do you define hope?

January 3

Are You Struggling to Find Hope?

As I travel the country, I constantly meet people who are struggling to find hope. Life is difficult for many people. So many of us feel alone, tired, defeated, broken, or victims of our circumstances. We long to have some light break into our darkness, to experience hope amid our pain.

Light can come from a variety of places—from something you read, a phone call with a friend, an inspirational song, a meaningful Scripture, or a stranger’s kindness. That glimmer of light—however small or large—is the first sight of hope and tells a person, I can continue. This is something we can help each other with.

The greatest truth, which I believe to be our great hope, is that we are not alone—that God is with us, Emmanuel.

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.

Look! the virgin is with child and she is about to give birth

to a son, and she shall call his name ‘God with us.’"

ISAIAH 7:14 LEB

Where do you see the light of hope breaking through?

Who is someone you could reach out to today with a touch of hope?

January 4

Where Do You Find Hope?

Ask anyone where they find hope, and after they struggle to try to figure out what you mean, they may say, I don’t know. Some of them may say they find hope in their family or their kids. Some may even say their job or their education or maybe even God. But what would you say?

Hope has a major element of looking forward within it—our vision needs to be placed on something to live lives of hope. And as we choose to keep our eyes on Jesus as the source of hope, the things in the world around us will, as the old hymn says, grow strangely dim. As we see more clearly God’s plan for the world and our lives, the old way of living just doesn’t cut it any longer.

If you’re frustrated by how the world keeps letting you down, perhaps it’s time for a hope readjustment.

"And you will feel secure, because there is hope;

you will look around and take your rest in security."

JOB 11:18

In what ways do the things of this world let you down?

What does it mean for you to put your hope in God?

January 5

How Do You Demonstrate Hope?

I grew up thinking I had to present a picture of perfection to everyone I met, mostly because I wanted people to see the perfection of Jesus in me. I had to smile and show that I had it all together, or, at least, that Jesus had put me all together. It was exhausting! I was missing out on something quite profound about God.

Second Corinthians 1:3–4 says, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles (NIV). God longs to comfort us in our pain, our struggles, and even in our imperfection. God says, It’s okay, I’ve got you. It’s okay to struggle, to not be perfect. That’s good news.

We live hope when we show how God comforts us through our struggles and imperfections.

Even though I walk through

the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

PSALM 23:4

How does God comfort you during your struggles?

How can you show hope to others through your authenticity?

January 6

When It Hurts So Much

Many people are going through challenging circumstances, whether health related, financial, or relational. Where is hope found in the midst of pain and struggle? Second Corinthians 1:4 says that God comforts us so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God (NIV).

Our pain can keep us focused on ourselves and how difficult our circumstances are. Or we can focus on the comfort that God promises to us so we can make it through anything. Then we are better able to share what we have received with other hurting people. Hope is found when you let your pain make you more compassionate to the world around you.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who

comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to

comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort

with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

2 CORINTHIANS 1:3–4

What have you been through that has equipped you to reach out to someone else?

Why is it so easy to focus on our pain rather than God’s promise of comfort?

January 7

How Do You Live Hope?

We all know people who seem to be able to walk around with a great attitude, always hopeful about the days ahead. I don’t know if you’re anything like me, but sometimes I just don’t feel that way. Sometimes I can’t see through the darkness right in front of me, even the very next step. This is why hope is such an important topic for me.

Hope is one of the great promises of God. But it’s also my responsibility—my opportunity—to live in that hope. It’s a choice every day for me to say, God, I trust you. You’ve got me. And, as it says in your Word, you have a good plan for my life; a plan to prosper me and not to harm me; to give me hope and a future. I accept that for my life, both for today and forever. That’s when I truly live hope.

"For I know the plans I have for you,

declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil,

to give you a future and a hope."

JEREMIAH 29:11

Why is hope an important topic for you?

What is a prayer you could pray every morning to commit to living with hope?

January 8

In the Midst of the Darkness

Hope is such a big word with a lot of different meanings for different people. I love hearing from people all over the country about what hope means to them. Mary (Florida) told me that hope is the beautiful unknown, yet it has the strength to get one through. She told me about the day her mom died. She knew it was her time and was grateful she could be with her mom during her final moments.

As sad it is was, Mary said that when the sun rose the next day, there, as bright as could be, was a stunning rainbow in the distance. As she worked to get through all the details surrounding her mother’s passing, the rainbow said, Yep, all is well. I love that so much. Just like in Genesis 9, God’s promise to Noah and his family came through in vivid colors.

"I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be

a sign of the covenant between me and the earth."

GENESIS 9:13

How do you see hope in the darkness?

Has God provided you any specific signs of his presence?

January 9

Christ in You, the Hope of Glory

Colossians 1:27 says, Christ in you, the hope of glory. I’m curious what that means for you. As believers, we know that Christ is within us, that we are, as the word Christian has been translated by some, little Christs. It means that we are sons and daughters of God. It means that we can share in the life of Christ, a life that was before time and will always exist. And as C. S. Lewis said in Mere Christianity, the whole purpose of becoming a Christian is simply nothing less.

Knowing that I share in the life of Christ, not only in how he lived and loved his Father, but also in his death, and ultimately in his glory and resurrection—this is what gives me great hope.

"Nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold,

the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."

LUKE 17:21

How does Christ in you give you hope?

How does the truth of living forever change the way you live today?

January 10

Do You Have a Favorite Hymn of Hope?

One of my favorite hymns is Great Is Thy Faithfulness. A woman from Minnesota wrote it was hers as well. She said, Over the last year, I have faced many times when I didn’t know how I could go on. … In the third verse of this hymn, Thomas Chisholm writes—strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow, blessings all mine with ten thousand beside!

She continues, I have prayed this prayer to God so many times and have also prayed it for other family members and friends going through trials. These words and thoughts give me so much peace and comfort, knowing that I’m not doing this on my own but that it is God who gives me strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.

Next time you sing this song, remember that you are not alone and that God is strengthening you for whatever you’re facing.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of

God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting

all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

1 PETER 5:6–7

What is your favorite hymn of hope?

What does it mean for you to have bright hope for tomorrow?

January 11

If Life Is a Journey, Where Are We Going?

As followers of Jesus, we are going somewhere. We are following Jesus to our actual home, which is being prepared for us right now. Hebrews 11 talks about the heroes of our faith and how they admitted they were foreigners and strangers on earth. Verse 14 says, People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own—they are longing for a better country, a heavenly one.

I know that feeling—that nagging feeling that things aren’t exactly like they’re supposed to be; that indeed, I’ve been made for another place. We are not there yet, but we are on our way. There’s great hope in the idea that life is a journey, which means your story is still being written. And it’s a good one.

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is

destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not

made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent

we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:1–2

How does longing for heaven impact your life now?

What’s the best way to engage this world, knowing eternity is coming?

January 12

One of the Most Important Things You Need

I love the idea that we are all on the road to our actual homeland—that we realize we are meant for something more than this temporary, superficial, broken world. But many days are more difficult than we ever imagined. For some of us, leaving the house requires great courage.

Do you know how a runner needs a coach to tell him or her not to give up, to keep training, to keep working out, because it’s all going to be worth it? I’m the same way. I need people in my life to stay in my face, telling me to not give up, to keep pressing on. Let me encourage you with a favorite verse from Hebrews 12:1: Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings,

knowing that suffering produces endurance, and

endurance produces character, and character produces

hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s

love has been poured into our hearts through the

Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

ROMANS 5:3–5

How does your hope journey require patience?

What tempts you to give up and quit the race?

January 13

Are You Making Your Own Choices?

We make hundreds of choices each day—to enjoy the ride and see the beauty in the world around us, or to live in a prison of resentment and fear, wishing others would give us the life we deserve. For most of my life, I chose a twisted cocktail of these two. I enjoyed times of beauty and fun that crossed my path. But when times were tough, I thought about all the people who hurt me. I felt miserable most of the time. And I could not figure out why.

Then I realized I could choose. I could live my own life, or I could let other people live it for me. Living my own life means continually choosing hope instead of despair, faith instead of fear, and forgiveness instead of resentment. And it means refusing to let the actions or attitudes of others determine the outcome of my life.

Aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs,

and to work with your hands … so that you may walk

properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

1 THESSALONIANS 4:11–12

How have you let other people control your life?

Has the blame game held you back in any way?

January 14

Creatively Showing Hope

God has given each of us unique gifts and talents for a couple of reasons. First, we can experience significant joy in the expression of our talents. And secondly, our talents can to be used to bring life and hope to the world around us.

Personally, I believe music can change a life. If we hear a certain song at a certain moment, something powerful can occur. That’s what I hope to be a part of with the music I make—creating moments where people who are just about to give up hope don’t. Or people who feel completely alone realize they aren’t. To be a part of that is perhaps the greatest honor I could attain.

The possibility that somehow, somewhere, someone will be encouraged or inspired to take one more step on their own journey allows me to keep pushing forward.

Therefore encourage one another and build

one another up, just as you are doing.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:11

How have you been impacted by someone else’s creativity?

In what ways have you been uniquely equipped to show hope?

January 15

Losing Yourself in a Good Story

Are you enjoying the story God is writing with your life? A good story lived over several chapters can be a great example of redemption and hope. Have you ever read a book like this? Sure, you can find all kinds of books written specifically about hope. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about a real page-turner—a book you just can’t put down.

For me, losing myself in a wonderful book is one of the great joys of life. The author has managed to create a scenario where I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next, and I trust that reading the whole book is going to be worth it. This is what it’s like to live a life of hope.

Hope says, God, I can see that you’re writing a grand story in the world and in my life. And I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next. But more than anything, I know that it’s all going to be worth it in the end.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

PROVERBS 3:5–6

How is God writing a grand story with your life?

How can you live with anticipation for what God is doing next?

January 16

You’re a Star

There’s a song by Coldplay called Sky Full of Stars. I find that interesting, considering Philippians 2:15, which says, Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky (NIV). If you get a chance, find the darkest place you can, away from any city lights, and sit in awe of the brightness of these glistening diamonds held up by the hand of God. Not only can a starry night be a breathtaking sight, but it’s a great analogy.

I find great hope in seeing the family of God as a sky full of stars. We live in a dark world, but the light of Christ is shining through us. Matthew 5:16 says, In the same way, let your light shine before others. that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (NIV). You can show bright hope to the dark world by letting the light of Christ shine through you.

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,

which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

PROVERBS 4:18

In what ways do you let the light of Christ shine through you?

How do we shine as a family of God?

January 17

Is Life with God a Dance?

I just read how author Jean Rhodes wrote about the word guidance, how she kept seeing the word dance at the end. And then she saw g, u, and i at the beginning and thought, God, you and I dance. Cool, huh? She says, When two people try to lead in a dance, nothing feels right. When one person realizes that and lets the other lead, both bodies begin to flow with the music. The dance takes surrender, willingness, and attentiveness from one person and gentle guidance and skill from the other.¹

Are you looking for hope in the midst of your circumstances? Let me encourage you that God is with you, with his gentle hand of grace, love, and comfort wrapped around you. He is guiding you. And he’s never going to let you go. Even if you feel like he has, the truth is that he hasn’t. Hanging on to this is how you start dancing to the song of hope in your life.

Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light to my path.

PSALM 119:105

How do you feel God leading you?

How can you increase your attentiveness to how God is leading your dance?

January 18

Are You in a Smiling Contest?

As a kid, I was taught to smile big all the time, that my happiness would be the way to attract people to Jesus, because you might be the only Jesus some people ever see. This is true, but to be honest, I didn’t always feel happy, and I didn’t always feel like smiling. Maybe you feel the same way.

I had to get to a place where I was so convinced of God’s unconditional love for me that I couldn’t worry about what other people thought about me. Trusting that God’s love would overflow to others—and more than happiness or a big smile, others would know that they are loved by God, regardless of what they think or feel. Jesus knew he was loved by his Father. As we that soak in, hope will come alive in ways we’ve never imagined.

"If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my

love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and

abide in his love."

JOHN 15:10

Why is there value in putting on a happy face even when you don’t feel like it?

How can you abide in the love of God?

January 19

Are You a Prisoner or Are You Free?

If Christ came to set the captives—you and me—free, why do so many people still live as if they’re in prison? Probably because it’s difficult to know how to live like a free person. This means that I’m free to be loved by God and by others, and, in turn, I’m free to show that same kind of unconditional love to others.

Here I am today, telling you that you are free. You no longer need to be imprisoned by your past or held captive by the unknown future. You are free to live today, completely loved, perfect in God’s eyes because of his Son. Now it’s your chance to live hope by telling someone else this good news.

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."

LUKE 4:18–19

How have you been held back from freedom?

What does true freedom feel like?

January 20

It’s Easy to Point Fingers

Society likes to push people to the margins. We see those who aren’t living like us and look for ways to live without them interfering in our lives. For anyone who has ever been pushed aside, told you weren’t good enough, or made to think that because you might be different, there is something wrong with you—this is for you. Jesus continually went after the outcasts, the ones the religious people were marginalizing and pushing to the side. These are the ones Jesus chose to spend time with.

If this is something you’ve experienced, I’m sorry. You are uniquely qualified to show hope to the world. Because you know what it’s like to be marginalized, look around you to find others who have been pushed aside and demonstrate the love of Christ by showing the compassion you’ve been uniquely trained to offer. That is