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Our Mission Statement: Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." - Mark 16:15-16
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How to Set Your Mind on Things Above: 6 Ways to Let Go of Earthly Things
How to Set Your Mind on Things Above: 6 Ways to Let Go of Earthly Things Debbie McDaniel Set your minds on things above, not on earth...
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True Spiritual Growth.....By Dr. Charles Stanley
True Spiritual Growth
Dr. Charles Stanley
If you want to genuinely grow in spiritual maturity, it is not enough to simply be instructed by the Word of God. You may love going to church or listening to Christian radio programs. You might talk about everything you hear and assume you're growing because your knowledge is increasing. However, if you don't actually grow closer to God by allowing His Word to change you from the inside out, your head will merely continue to fill with information. You might even sound like a godly person who is admired for the ability to quote chapter and verse. But if you don't take the next step and allow God to touch others' lives through you, you're missing the point.
Spiritual growth is the result of practicing the truth you receive from God. He wants you to give away what He gives you--that is, by loving and serving others and sharing the truth of the gospel. Our example is Jesus, who said that He did not come to be served, but to serve even the lowest outcasts in His society (Matt. 20:28). He could have exalted Himself and spent all His time preaching and teaching. Instead, Jesus did only the Father's will, which was to reveal His heart of love to a broken world. The Lord sacrificially involved Himself in people's lives, and He calls us to follow in His footsteps.
God's plan is to reach the world through you. If that weren't the case, He would have taken you to heaven as soon as you were saved. But you are here for a purpose--to live out Christ's life alongside hurting people who desperately need to experience His love.
Renewal of Conscience..... Craig Denison
Renewal of Conscience
Craig Denison
Weekly Overview:
One of the best aspects of spending time alone with God is being renewed daily by his word and presence. When we make space for God in our lives, especially at the beginning of the day, he is faithful to renew and prepare us for all we will face out in the world. Scripture says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Where do you need renewal? How greatly do you need God’s mercies in your life? He has a plan this week to both teach and guide you into an encounter with him that will renew you with his overwhelming goodness and love. Make space for God. Make time to encounter him. And experience the refreshing spring rain he longs to bring to heal the dry and weary places of your heart.
Scripture:“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22
Devotional:
Our conscience is a window revealing how we view ourselves and, most importantly, our relationship with God. One of the worst effects sin has is distorting our view of ourselves in relation to God. The devil’s plan with sin was always to separate us from God, so Jesus came to the earth to destroy the power of sin in our lives. He came so that we might have restored relationship with our heavenly Father.But still sin persists. Even though the power of sin was broken, its effects destroyed, we often still live with an unclean conscience. We feel that God is angry with us, that he doesn’t want to be with us, or that we can’t come before him and sit at his feet. Your conscience affects your relationship with God either negatively or positively. It will either lead you to God’s throne room or away from his presence. Your heavenly Father’s desire today is that you would come to see yourself as he does, that your conscience would be wiped clean, and that sin and lies would separate you from him no longer.
Hebrews 10:19-23 contains an important truth for us today. Scripture says:
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Let the truth of Scripture sink into your heart. Hebrews tells us that our confidence to come before God is found in the blood of Jesus. Through his death, Jesus paved the way for you to come before the throne of God with confidence and full assurance of faith. God’s desire today is that your conscience would be “sprinkled clean” with the powerful blood of your Savior.
So, let’s dive even deeper into how God sees us today. Let the truth of his word further mold your identity until it is perfectly aligned with his perspective. Galatians 3:26-28 says, “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” 1 John 1:9 says,“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Romans 8:1 says,“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:20 says, “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:5 says,“For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.” 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” And Colossians 1:21-22 says, “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.”
Your heavenly Father sees you as he sees Jesus. Many Christians believe that while they are clothed with Christ, they’re still dirty and sinful on the inside. But don’t be deceived today. At salvation you were made completely new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” God didn’t trick himself with the death of Jesus. He sees you completely. And when he looks at you, he sees the blood of Jesus running through your veins. He sees you as his clean and holy child. Through the death of Jesus, you can see God with unveiled face. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 says, “But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” You can see and know God freely and fully. In fact, that’s God’s greatest desire. He longs for us to know him. He longs for us to encounter the depth of his love and affections for us every day.
Sit at the feet of your loving heavenly Father with the knowledge that there is nothing in the way of you and him. Spend time with him allowing the truth of how he sees you to renew your conscience. May your conscience, renewed in him, lead you freely and consistently to the throne of God.
Guided Prayer:
1. Meditate on your new identity in Christ.
“For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.” 1 Thessalonians 5:5
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:20
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
2. Reflect on your own conscience. How do you view yourself? Through what lens do you see your relationship with God? Is it one renewed by the blood of Jesus or one inconsistent with his word?
3. Allow God’s truth to clean your conscience today. Come before God boldly, and let him do a work in how you view your identity.
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:19-23
Whenever you feel like something is in the way of you and God, take a minute to reflect on your conscience. Ask yourself, “Do I feel worthy to be with God? Is something leading me away from him instead of to him?” Ask the Spirit to renew your conscience in that moment. Spend a minute gaining God’s perspective. Confess whatever sin you committed to God, and allow his forgiveness to draw you near. Nothing could be more important than spending time with your heavenly Father with a clean conscience that you might experience the fullness of his affection for you.
Extended Reading: 1 Peter 2:1-12
Divine Disconnection..... SHERI ROSE SHEPHERD
Divine Disconnection
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” John 15:4 (NLT)
I’ve always struggled with a sense of inner loneliness. No matter how many people I know or who I am with, whether in a crowd or at home, I fight that deep, dark feeling of loneliness.
It was the same on the night I became a Christian. I was 24, by myself in a hotel room, feeling alone, like I didn’t have a real friend in the world, and fighting with guilt and shame from my past. To be honest, I was contemplating taking my life.
Feeling so desperate, I finally cried out for the first time to what seemed like an invisible God and asked Jesus to come into my heart and my life. In that moment, something happened that made me know God’s presence and love are very real because, for the first time, I did not feel alone.
As I began to get to know the Lord and walk with Him, I thought I would never have to fight that feeling of loneliness again. But I was wrong!
Truthfully, this current season has been the hardest of my life. Five years ago, I was given an eight-week death sentence due to Stage 4 cancer. Soon after that, my marriage fell apart, my adult kids moved across the country, and my mother — whom I did not know very well growing up — was also diagnosed with cancer and came to live with me so I could care for her.
In my darkest hour, God gave me what I needed most: divine healing in my heart, in my mind and in my spirit. I supplemented the work the Holy Spirit was doing with the help of a professional Christian counselor and received relief from my loneliness because I was connected to Christ in the right way.
One of the most beautiful things I’ve discovered during this healing season is that God draws close to the brokenhearted because He knows how hard it is for us to draw close to Him when we’re brokenhearted.
In the midst of my deepest heartache, God has somehow given me what I’ve longed for the most: relief from loneliness, a relief that brings joy and contentment in Him. Honestly, it was hard to see the Holy Spirit at work until I was forced to be totally alone and had no one else to run to but my Savior!
I never want to downplay the heartache that comes with this life because I know it well. I don’t want to simplify a connection with the Creator of the universe. Yet the vine Jesus refers to in John 15:4 is sort of like a Wi-Fi connection — it's always there, but it’s of no benefit to us until we connect to it.
“Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4)
It took a while for me to fully surrender to the only one who will never leave me or forsake me. The Lord revealed to me through my many tears that the reason I felt alone was because I was relying more on God’s people than on God. To find relief from my loneliness, I needed to spend time with God alone!
The fact of the matter is, He was there for me all along, like a Wi-Fi connection, lovingly and patiently waiting for me to connect my heart, mind and spirit to His heavenly vine: Christ alone!
Though my entire life as I knew it was completely dismantled, today I have joy and am healing, and I am not dependent on other people or circumstances to feel connected. I know that there is a Savior who gave His life to connect with me now and forever, so I walk out my faith on an even stronger foundation — one that can’t be shaken.
Dear God, sometimes I feel far from You, or I fight to find a way to connect with You. I pray that I will feel Your touch today. Reveal Yourself to me in a whole new way, and open my eyes to be able to see Your work in my life. Open my heart to receive all the love You want to pour into me, and open my spirit that I would feel that beautiful connection to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Revelation 3:20, “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.” (NLT)
Seek to Speak the Truth to Each Other..... by Lynette Kittle
Seek to Speak the Truth to Each Other
by Lynette Kittle
"Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”—Acts 5:4
Do you ever find yourself “fudging” the truth in everyday life situations?
Perhaps you justify doing so because you believe you’re keeping the peace or sparing hurting someone’s feelings. Maybe in your opinion, you’re not really being dishonest or deceptive but rather managing conversations and situations for the best.
Possibly you leave out details because you don’t want people to know what’s really motivating your actions. Or maybe you only tell partial truth because you want someone to have a certain impression about you.
Yet Scripture is pretty straightforward in instructing Christians to “Speak the truth to each other” (Zechariah 8:16).
As well as Proverbs 22:21 urges you to be honest and speak the truth.
In Leviticus 19, God gave Moses’ guidelines for Israel to live by, including “Do not defraud or rob your neighbor (vs. 13).
Although many may not consider “fudging the truth” a form of defrauding, it’s robbing another of truth with an intention to be misleading.
A really severe example of the seriousness of defrauding is in Acts 5, where a couple named Ananias and Sapphira sold land and brought the money to give to the Apostles. Instead of saying they were keeping some of it for themselves, they mislead the group to believe they were giving the total amount received.
Act 5:2 describes how “With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.”
In today’s standards, it wouldn’t seem like a big deal but both were immediately struck dead and carried away from the scene (Acts 5:5-10).
Although today’s culture may not understand why this deadly incident occurred, Acts 5:4 explains why it was such a serious situation. “You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
Still, with “fudging” so widespread in present-day culture, most believe there isn’t anything wrong in practicing it. Instead of seeing it as defrauding others and a sin against God, people rationalize its use.
As you go about your daily life, ask God to help you not to defraud those around you.
Ask Him to show you any areas where you may have failed and confess your sin to Him. Psalm 32:5 states how when you acknowledge your sin and you do not cover up your iniquity, God forgives and frees you from the guilt of it.
Choose today to speak the truth in all your dealings with others.
Dancing Backwards..... by Katherine Britton
Dancing Backwards
by Katherine Britton
Since you are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of your name lead and guide me. - Psalms 31:3
Ballroom dancing is decidedly anti-feminist.
Now, when I say “ballroom dancing,” forget those incredibly stylized, choreographed performances you’ve seen on “Dancing with the Stars.” I’ll admit to a few transfixed stares when that show begins, because those professional dancers really can execute some amazing steps with unbelievable energy – meanwhile, I can be about as graceful as an elephant taught to balance on a giant ball. Still, the celebrities and professional dancers on the show don’t quite match my idea of ballroom dancing. Their performances are just that – canned routines so highly polished that they hardly resemble an actual dance anymore. When the judges’ critique starts, the performances become all about intangibles like “energy” and “heart,” or technicalities like “precision” and “form.”
That’s fine. That’s what makes the show. But who really dances like that, much less choreographs every song?
Real ballroom dancing, in my mind, happens when a couple walks out on the dance floor, the music begins to play, and a graceful, spontaneous game of follow-the-leader begins.
Yes, I did just compare ballroom dance to a game I played when I was five.
Here’s the catch in ballroom dance: the woman is walking backward most of the time, following her partner’s lead as he dictates the steps. She’s moving in a direction she can’t see, and even if she knows every step in the books, she doesn’t know what’s coming next until her partner leads her. And her hand on his shoulder and his hand on her waist is the only communication between the two. Following isn’t as easy as it looks!
No matter how great the trust between dance partners, the temptation is always there – especially in beginning dancers – for the lovely lady to resist her role as follower. She’ll look over her shoulder to see where she’s going, or to pull her partner in the “right” direction when she doesn’t think he’s leading well.
I had a ringside seat to watch this unfold recently, when I helped teach basic waltz and foxtrot steps at a Valentine’s Day dance. Most of the couples there had been married a minimum of 20 years, but a good number of the ladies still had trouble following their husband’s lead. These ladies would stop in the middle of a song to tell him what he was doing wrong, grow impatient as he figured out the double challenge of doing the steps while leading, or warn him that he was about to run into another couple.
As I’ve slowly learned with my husband, David, the best dancing happens not when he executes the steps like Derek Hough, but when I focus on following whatever he does next. We’ve improvised some pretty, shall we say, unique steps on the dance floor because of that, and incredibly, they’ve worked. We’ve gotten a couple of funny looks after that kind of improvisation, but they’re actually some of my favorite moments on the dance floor. The reason is pretty simple – it’s times like that, when he pulls a spontaneous new move and I manage to follow, that I know we’re connected.
And so I say that ballroom dance is decidedly anti-feminist. It’s no solo activity, and the woman must always follow the man’s lead. Yes, even when she thinks he’s going the wrong direction and can’t see where she’s going. Otherwise, it’s not really dancing.
Just as my husband leads me through the dance, so Ephesians 5:22-33 says Christ leads his church. The steps are far more elaborate, so that we can never know them all, but the technique of closely following is the same. For “Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior,” and as we trust his leading, he will lead us on.
Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he.
– "Lord of the Dance"
Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you more focused on the exact steps you think your life should follow, or are you sensitive to the Lord’s leading? Are you so distracted by what’s outside of your relationship with Christ that you’ve lost your connection with him? In this Lenten season, let’s relearn to follow the leader.
A Prayer for Thankfulness When You’re Struggling..... By Wendy van Eyck
A Prayer for Thankfulness When You’re Struggling
By Wendy van Eyck
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:18
If you’re struggling with being thankful for an imperfect life at the moment here are 5 different ways to practice thankfulness:
1. Toe to head thank you
As a teenager, I heard Mike Pilavachi speak at a Soul Survivor event. I can’t remember most of what he said but one thing stuck with me: a prayer of gratitude when you wake up in the morning. I still do this from time-to-time. Basically, the idea is that as you wake up in the morning you start at your toes and you thank God for the ability to wiggle them and then you move up naming various body parts and why you are thankful for them until you reach your head. I generally find at the end of this prayer I’m pretty cheerful about the day ahead.
2. Grace
Another way to build gratitude into your life even when you aren’t feeling it is to say grace before your meal. Don’t make this a rote prayer that you learned at kindergarten. Use each meal as an opportunity to thank God for one good thing in your life. If you’re really drawing a blank, you can always simply thank him that you have food for one meal.
3. The Ann Voskamp method
A few years ago now, Ann Voskamp wrote a beautiful book about how she learned to embrace gratitude through hard things. It is called One Thousand Gifts and if by some chance you haven’t read it yet, you should. Without giving too much away the basic premise is to find 3 things to be grateful for each day. Ann Voskamp’s lists always read like poetry. I tried my own list for a couple of months while Xylon had chemo and I definitely found myself noticing the small things to be thankful for that I might have otherwise missed.
4. Sunset thank you
One of my cousins, Pam, was telling me recently how from the time her children are small she tells them every time they see a sunset that God loves them and just like the sunsets every evening God’s love for them will never change. I thought this was a beautiful idea. It also made me think of the sunset as an opportunity to thank God for being part of the day we just lived. Even if I didn’t feel him there the sunset reminds me that was.
5. Last thought at night
Something I try and do each night as I fall asleep is to thank God for at least one thing that happened that day. This prayer is usually really sleepy but it helps me to fall asleep in a good frame of mind and forget all the difficult things that might have happened in the day.
Do any of these ideas sound doable to you? Do you think they’d help get you into a cycle of cheerfulness-prayer-gratitude?
Prayer: God, sometimes life gets me down and I find it hard to see things to be thankful for. Open my eyes to see the gifts you’ve given me in my life. I’m going to start by thanking you for loving me enough to come to earth and die so we can live together forever. Amen.
THE RESURRECTION..... Rebecca Barlow Jordan
THE RESURRECTION
Rebecca Barlow Jordan
Jesus said to her,
"I am the resurrection and the life."
JOHN 11:25
FROM THE FATHER'S HEART
My child, you've walked away from the funerals of your loved ones with fresh memories still clinging to you like grave clothes. Tears have filled your eyes as you've said good-bye to the last dreams of your heart. Remember, for those who love Me and are My children, death is but a step into eternity with Me. It is never the end but the start of forever - what you were created for! Take heart. I am the resurrection and the life. Where I am, you will be also. Find peace in Me.
A GRATEFUL RESPONSE
Lord, death could not hold You. And because of You, the resurrection, we, too, can live. Thank You that the grave is only a journey into the presence of God. You have removed the sting of death and empowered this thing called life. Now I will live in Your presence forever.
SIMPLE TRUTH
On the other side of death is the real side of life.
Enslaved by Debt ..... Dr. Charles Stanley
Enslaved by Debt
Dr. Charles Stanley
Personal debt has skyrocketed in our Western culture. Easy credit, a desire for material goods, and an unwillingness to save and wait have led many people down the path of financial bondage. The Bible doesn’t forbid borrowing, but it clearly warns us of its negative consequences. Our verse today describes the borrower as the lender’s slave.
Every dollar you borrow costs you a measure of freedom. Your paycheck is no longer entirely yours; a part of it must be set aside to repay your creditor. As the interest adds up, the financial burden may necessitate longer working hours. For Christians, the obligation to repay debt oftentimes hinders the ability to give to
the Lord’s work or help people in need. Instead of getting the first part, God gets leftovers or nothing at all.
The consequences of accumulating debtreach beyond monetary issues. The burden of mounting bills creates emotional and relational stress. In fact, financial problems are one of the leading causes of divorce. Even our relationship with the Lord is affected when we let our appetite for the world’s goods override our obedience to biblical principles. Although God promises to supply our needs, how often do we jump ahead of Him and provide for ourselves with “easy payment plans.”
The next time you are tempted to charge a purchase that you really can’t afford, stop! Go home and ask the Lord if He wants you to have it. If He does, ask Him to provide it. Then wait. True freedom comes to those who rely on the Lord’s promises instead of their credit cards.
Renewal of Purpose..... Craig Denison
Renewal of Purpose
Craig Denison
Weekly Overview:
One of the best aspects of spending time alone with God is being renewed daily by his word and presence. When we make space for God in our lives, especially at the beginning of the day, he is faithful to renew and prepare us for all we will face out in the world. Scripture says, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). Where do you need renewal? How greatly do you need God’s mercies in your life? He has a plan this week to both teach and guide you into an encounter with him that will renew you with his overwhelming goodness and love. Make space for God. Make time to encounter him. And experience the refreshing spring rain he longs to bring to heal the dry and weary places of your heart.
Scripture:“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” John 15:16
Devotional:
You and I were born with a deep desire to live with purpose. As children, we dream of doing something significant with our lives. We dream of being a person who makes a difference in the world. Inherent in all of us is a longing to make a deep and lasting impact. Our longing for purpose only becomes a problem as we begin seeking out its source. Most of us live our lives in constant pursuit of finding out why we’re here, seeking the answer to the question: “What am I uniquely made for?” And we look for the answers in all the wrong places. We look for our purpose in each other, in the ever-changing whims of society, or internally, in what seems to make us feel good in the moment. But God has a better purpose for our lives than we could ever find in the world. He has a purpose so great, so powerful, and so lasting that when we get a glimpse of it, we will forever be changed. God has a page in his grand narrative written just for you, to use you to make a unique and eternal impact on the earth.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “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.” Let us not miss the importance of what God would reveal to us today because we’ve heard something before. Instead, let’s dive in deeper and see what God’s word would reveal to us about that purpose. In John 15:16 Jesus says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” You are chosen by God. You aren’t secondary to someone else in God’s kingdom. He has formed you and chosen you to “go and bear fruit.” And Jesus desires that our fruit would “abide.” He has chosen you to make a lasting impact on the earth.
So, what lasting fruit does God intend for you here? Answering this question should start with the words of Jesus. Allow God’s commandments to lay the defining foundation of your purpose. In response to the question of what the greatest commandment is, Jesus replies, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30-31). Your purpose here on earth is to love God and love others. God has chosen to use love to bring about salvation. He’s chosen to use love as the catalyst for spiritual awakening. It’s love that is God’s driving force, and it’s love that he longs to instill in us as our highest goal. Understand today that you are formed and called to love above all else.
Scripture also tells us that we have been chosen to be carriers and ministers of the kingdom of God. Jesus said in Mark 1:15, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” God’s kingdom is here on earth. And Revelation 5:10 says, “You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” We are not purposed to merely suffer and wait for heaven. God’s kingdom is here on earth, and we are his workmanship. We are his priests. Acts 26:16 says, “Rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you.” Matthew 28:19 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Your life here is of eternal value. A life spent simply waiting for heaven is a life wasted. God has placed an eternal purpose on your life, a purpose meant to be pursued and lived out every minute of every day. You don’t have time to waste. And the compelling truth is, you will never be satisfied until you devote your life to ministering this incredible gospel of restoration and love. Until you pursue seeing God’s kingdom come through your job, relationships, and time, you will never experience the joy and passion only God’s purpose can bring you. God doesn’t have a cookie-cutter mold he tries to fit all believers into. He’s formed you for a specific and unique purpose no other believer will be able to accomplish. His plans for you are your own and no other’s. So choose today to live your life for your heavenly Father. Work with him in all that you do. Love him and others with every fiber of your being. And experience the joy of making a deep, eternal impact with all that you do. May God renew your sense of purpose today as you enter into a time of guided prayer.
Guided Prayer:
1. Meditate on God’s desire to use you for an incredible purpose.
“And you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:10
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” John 15:16
2. Reflect on your own life for a moment. In what ways have you been living out of a purpose other than God’s? Confess those sins to your loving heavenly Father. Let his forgiveness transform your heart.
3. Now commit your life to God’s plan and purpose. Choose to love with all you have today. Line up your heart with God’s word, and pursue the life he has in store for you. Give him your job, your family, and finances. Ask him how he would have you use them.
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you.” Acts 26:16
What will God say about your life when you get finished here? Will your life have been spent in pursuit of him and his kingdom or in building up a small kingdom here that will pass away like the changing of seasons? Will your life be of fleeting or eternal impact? Only you can choose how you will live your life. May you make the choice today and every day to live the only life that truly matters. God has incredible plans and purposes in store for you if you will simply open your heart and your hands to him and say, “Use me.”
Extended Reading: John 10:1-19
Famous and Adored..... KELLY BARBREY
Famous and Adored
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters … It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23, 24b (NIV)
From a very young age, I loved an approving audience.
There was a children’s story called Tina the Ballerina I would listen to on repeat. In the story, Tina was a little girl who loved to dance. She was finally allowed to attend a professional ballet performance, but at the last moment, the prima ballerina was unable to perform. Tina the Ballerina leaped onto the stage, leaving the adoring audience mesmerized by her abilities. Her bravery! Her skill! She became famous and, no doubt, lived happily ever after.
I longed to be like Tina. I would leap from my couch, head held high, and twirl in my too-big tutu for my imaginary audience. Famous and adored sounded just about as good as it could get to 3-year-old me.
But in the blink of an eye, I found myself staring down adulthood, still neither famous nor adored, at least not according to the world’s standards. I had family and friends who loved me along with a job that paid the bills. Still, I felt a constant and nagging desire for praise, appreciation and acknowledgement from others. To win awards! To be recognized by my peers! To outshine expectations! I wanted to feel uniquely useful, like something I had to offer was superior in some way. And, this desire had reached a fever-pitch in the era of social media, as more people than ever seemed to be famous and adored with no exact algorithm to the madness.
I believe we all have hearts that, in some way, long for the applause of others. Over the years, I have done a great deal of digging in the Bible to get to the bottom of my yearning for praise and recognition. In the book of Colossians, I found an unexpected answer.
The Apostle Paul’s words in Colossians 3:23 and 24b change my perspective on striving for human applause, refocusing my attention from the “what” to the “who”: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters … It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Notice that these two short verses point out the “who” when it comes to all of our efforts … not once, but twice! Who do we work for? Verse 23 says we work “…for the Lord, not for human masters.” And verse 24b echoes, “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Shifting my perspective to working for the Lord and fulfilling my earthly duties for Him rather than garnering human praise and acknowledgement has led to a healthier grasp on my need for positive reinforcement. After all, the Lord created each of us to be sublimely special. What each of us has is uniquely useful in the eyes of the Lord, as we are created as part of God’s grand design “…fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14, NIV).
What kind of work we do, whether that means working in an office or in the home — and the amount of human recognition we receive for it — does not matter as much as who we are working for in our hearts and the manner in which we do that work. This feels so freeing and exhilarating to me! When Jesus was speaking and teaching, some people praised him, but others shunned him. Their approval of him was insignificant. It’s truly a gift to be able to work and enjoy that work regardless of the response from others because we have already received love and acceptance from our Father God.
The task might be investing in a teachable moment with a child or working on a project that will impact people outside your immediate family. But no matter what it is, remember that all of the acknowledgment and acceptance you need has already been graciously bestowed on you by God, who knows you, loves you and created you for the exact assignments He has placed on your plate today.
Dear Heavenly Father, You see me. You love me. Allow me to work for You today. Allow me to humbly use my gifts and talents to please You. Help me remember that human “likes,” praise and acknowledgement are irrelevant to the work I do because, seen or unseen, it matters to You. In Your eyes, I am uniquely useful. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 119:36-37, “Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.” (NIV)
Jeremiah 2:13, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” (NIV)
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