Well, welcome back to Rising 365.
If this is your first time, I'm Mike Penney and this podcast is committed to inspiring
and supporting others to embrace the opportunity to rise with each new day.
It took me some time to realize that Rising Daily can be a challenge for many.
It was a challenge for myself, even to this day.
So that's why I hope these episodes will assist you in rising every day of the year.
Well, welcome to episode 20 entitled, Even If.
So we're doing some backtracking.
If you want to keep up with us back in episode 17, I've been talking about an avenue of a
ministry that my family and I are a part of.
We are full-time missionaries with a ministry called Child Evangelism Fellowship.
And we are the directors here in central Nebraska, covering everything basically west of York,
Nebraska.
One of the avenues of our ministry is a teen leadership training called Christian Youth
in Action.
And back in episode 17, I was sharing about how what we teach these teens can inspire
us and people of all ages to rise every day of the year.
In episode 17 is called, What is Your Life Tied To?
And it's a recap of the story of Rahab found in the Old Testament.
You see, Rahab was part of a city, a town called Jericho, and she was known for, of
course, if you're not familiar with this Bible lesson, doing things in the community that
you shouldn't be known for.
But yet she tied her hope to that of God and through her trusting in God's plan for her
life and what was happening, Jesus came.
So now we're in episode 20.
We are looking at a story that these teens are out teaching, found in Mark 521.
Jarius's daughter.
You see, Jarius, we find in Mark 521, he's a ruler.
He's a rich guy in the synagogues, but his daughter is really sick, because sick to the
point of death and he's tried everything.
The guy has the finances for doctors, for everything his daughter would need, but everything
he's trying earthly is not healing his daughter.
So he hears that Jesus is in town, so he rushes.
He leaves his home.
He leaves his daughter to go and find Jesus.
When doing so, he encountered Jesus and he tells him of his need.
He hopes that Jesus can do what only he thinks Jesus can do, and that is heal his daughter.
We all have that desire and our need for something in our life that only one person can do, and
that is Jesus.
But in our world of 2024, we find everything else that can meet only what Jesus can meet.
The definition of hope in the dictionary is a feeling of expectation or desire for a certain
thing to happen.
This is exactly what Jarius was hoping for.
The certain thing he wanted to happen was his daughter to be healed.
For this community of those who struggle with mental health, emotional stability, the desire
to keep going each and every day, we hope that the new day will bring a desire to keep
going.
Sometimes it isn't like that, but when we read through this lesson and what these teams
are teaching through this summer, is that hope is found in Jesus.
It doesn't look like an earthly hope.
It's not a wish on a birthday candle or you compiling a Christmas gift list of you hope
you get these things.
But the mindset is that Jesus will make our situation into something that we can live
with even though the result may not be the result we want.
In order to understand that, we've got to have a relationship with Jesus.
We see Jesus struggle with the same thing when he goes to the garden of Gethsemane and
he asks his father to allow the cup of crucifixion, which he's about to experience in order to
free the world from our sin and separation to pass through him.
He was like, if there is any other way that these people, my people, your people can be
redeemed, allow there to be that way.
But if there's not another way, Jesus said he is willing to follow the will of God, his
father, in order for us, those of us in 2024, looking for hope in a way forward in this
life to be free of the things that keep us chained to our bed, keep us chained into
our house and allowing each and every day that the Lord gives us to pass by us.
That is the hope we are looking for.
So it takes an understanding of the entire work of God's word, the Bible, to find that
hope.
It's not a hope in this world that passes with each new season.
If you scroll on social media, there is something new every day that will give you hope, a bill,
some kind of materialistic thing, a book to buy so you can implement into your life.
But the only true hope that can be found is in what Jesus is doing.
In understanding that hope, you have to spend time with him in his word by studying his
word.
And a good way to start that is, if you're new to Bible reading, go get a Bible, an ESV,
an NIV, a CSB, or New King James Version.
Open up to the books of Proverbs and start there.
There's 31 Proverbs.
You read one a day and you will see the wisdom that only God can provide.
And you implement that into your day.
Even if you're not a believer and you're listening to this, if you do that, you will see your
life changed.
If you read Proverbs 1, chapter 1, and you read that and you go forward for the rest
of your day and you try to do that same thing, you will see that the results of your life
are vastly different.
You make it a habit and then you'll explore.
Go and open the book of Mark, the book of John, and see what Jesus did for us and his
teachings.
You can see the letters that Paul writes to the church, to the believers, to encourage
us to endeavor, to have hope, especially when Paul and Peter writes to the churches.
He's telling them, I know the situation that you are living in doesn't look like what you
would like it to be, but have hope that Jesus has finished the work and you can have hope
in this life and the hope that you have will inspire others to have hope.
That's why this podcast, Writing 365, was created, was because my hope was found in
Jesus in order to help me rise each and every day.
Is each and every day an easy rise?
No, it's not.
Do I have medications to help me with my mental stability and do I seek natural remedies to
help me with my mood swings?
Yes, I do.
But that's okay because God is working a new thing for you.
We just have to go forward and live a life of open-mindedness, of trust, of faith, and
ultimately of hope.
Even if God doesn't change your situation directly, He is doing a new good thing in
your life that is worthy to rise and meet the day that He has given you.
So I hope you take this episode, you go find a Bible, open your Bible, go to Mark chapter
21, and you will encounter Jesus there, the hope that this Jarius has that only Jesus
can provide.
And even if the situation changes in a drastically dynamic way that you never considered possible,
know that that's what Jesus is doing.
That's what God is doing in your life.
And He's working through that through you so that when you come out on the other side,
you can turn around and bring hope by sharing your story with others.
Allow that to be inspiring to you on this day.
I'm at home recording this episode, episode 20, and it's amazing to do this on the front
porch of my house with the birds and outside.
There's no fancy gimmicks here.
There's no fancy recording studios or fancy mics and stuff like that.
I'm trying to be authentic with these guys that hope only comes from a relationship with
Jesus.
And I hope that you find that even if the outcome isn't what you desire it to be.
Well thank you for tuning in.
I hope each episode brings you inspiration to embrace every new day.
To support this podcast, consider booking me as a speaker for your next conference,
school assembly, youth event, Bible study, or any special occasion where I can share
the message of Rising 365.
To arrange this, simply send me a message or email at rising247365 at gmail.com.
Additionally, you can support by liking, sharing, and rating this podcast on your preferred
listening platform.
Again, the family and I are full-time missionaries, the CEO of Central Nebraska.
You can support this podcast and us as a family by clicking on our ministry website and going
to the support tab.
Until we meet again, I am Mike Painter reminding you to rise and seize the gift of the new
day you are giving.
Have a great day.