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Sharing His Heart

September 20, 2013

 “‘I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s [personal] business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you’ ( John 15:15). Jesus is saying, ‘I value you not just because of how you serve me, but because you share my heart.’ A friend’s value lies not so much in what she does, but in who she is as a personal confidant.

God wants to be our friend, and He wants us to be His friends. We can experience this friendship level of intimacy. As James 2:23 tells us, ‘And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend.’”

Excerpted from Every Young Woman’s Battle by Shannon Ethridge and Stephen [ … ]

Adding Your Stories to His

September 19, 2013

“Abandoning the tiny story of me and embracing the forever Story of Jesus will allow our little lives to be filled with the wonder of God as we live for the unending applause of His name. And joining our small stories to His will give us what we all want most in life, anyway: the assurance that our brief moments on earth will count for something in a Story that never ends.”

Excerpted from I Am Not But I Know I AM by Louie Giglio

Daily Reflection: What will you do to make your story of today count for something in God’s Story?

Giving In to God

September 18, 2013

“‘Almost everyone I’ve led to Christ—whether they were upstanding, good, moral people or out-and-out scoundrels without a hope in the world—they’ve all thought, at least at first, that the point of Christianity was ‘being good.’’

‘That is part of being a Christian, isn’t it?’

‘Sure. Doctrine of sanctification. God remakes us in the image of Christ. So, yes, we’ll grow and become better than we were. But if you think the whole point of Christianity is moral reformation, you’ll find out quickly how powerless you are to make that reformation happen.’

‘So Christianity is about giving up?’

‘No, it’s about giving in…Giving in to God. Handing your heart and life over to Him and casting yourself on His mercy alone.’”

Excerpted from Clear Winter Nights by Trevin Wax (coming September 2013)

Daily Reflection: Are you casting yourself on [ … ]

Different by Design

September 17, 2013

“Although both boys and girls reflect the image of God and share many characteristics, the inherent differences between male and female are vitally important…I (Gregg) believe that Christians and readers of the Bible already intuit what science is showing. In Genesis 1:27 we read, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Girls and boys, like women and men, are equal in God’s eyes, but they are different. Those differences are inherent within the construct of creation, designed into us by the will of God.”

Excerpted from Raising Boys by Design by Dr. Gregory L. Jantz and Michael Gurian

Daily Reflection: How do you see the boys and girls, men and women around you reflecting the image of God?

God Shares Your Heartbreak

September 16, 2013

“It’s hard for some people to imagine that the God of the universe, the God who is all knowing and all powerful, has emotions and feels sad, hurt, and rejected—but he does.

When we look at the Old Testament story, we see a God who created human beings in his likeness, including having emotions. He created Adam and Eve and blessed them with everything they needed or wanted. He gave them a beautiful environment to live in, a companion to enjoy life with, and a purpose to take care of his creation. Yet Adam’s and Eve’s hearts weren’t completely content…

God loved Adam and Eve and felt hurt and disappointed when they chose to believe the serpent, and not trust him. That was the start of God’s heartbreak over the human race…Don’t feel afraid of being honest with God [ … ]

Why Are You Here?

September 13, 2013

“Why are you here? You were created for God and to glorify God (Isaiah 43:7), because it pleased Him to do so (Ephesians 1:5). The concept of glory can be difficult to wrap our human minds around. Simply put, God’s glory is how He makes His presence known. You, my friend, are a platform from which God displays His magnificence and makes His presence easy to see.

Knowing you were created by God and for God confirms that you have great value and great purpose, regardless of how you feel about yourself, regardless of how you came into this world, regardless of what others have said about you in the past. Every human life is sacred, no matter how it began.”

Excerpted from Knowing God by Name by Sharon Jaynes, Gwen Smith, and Mary Southerland

Daily Reflection: How can [ … ]

The Parenting of Our Father

September 12, 2013

“Jesus said there is great rejoicing in heaven when a person chooses to repent and turn to God (Luke 15:7). He compared God to a person who throws a party when a lost sheep is rescued (Luke 15:3–6), a lost coin is found (Luke 15:8–10), and a lost son is restored (Luke 15:11–32). God knows how to celebrate success, and our heavenly Father also knows the value of critiquing bad behavior. Both ways of relating are necessary.”

Excerpted from Raising Boys by Design by Dr. Gregory L. Jantz and Michael Gurian

Daily Reflection: How can you rejoice with and also gently critique your loved ones?

God’s Favorites

September 11, 2013

“Do you think God has favorites? Certainly God makes His love available to all, and Jesus came to earth so that “whosoever” might call on His name and be saved.

But Jabez, whose prayer earned him a “more honorable” award from God, might have made the case that God does have favorites. His experience taught him that equal access to God’s favor does not add up to equal reward. What happened to some of the others named along with him in Chronicles? Idbash, Hazelelponi, and Anub, for example. What honors and awards did they get from God?
Simply put, God favors those who ask. He holds back nothing from those who want and earnestly long for what He wants.”

Excerpted from The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson

Daily Reflection: What earnest prayer are you holding in because [ … ]

God Has a Reason

September 10, 2013

“The last biblical famine had occurred during Joseph’s time, and God had put that one in motion too: “He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food.”

That sovereignty thing in action? Right. God really is in charge, and he really does know what he’s doing. The famine in Egypt made a way forward for Joseph “till the word of the Lord proved him true.”17 And that same famine, terrible as it was, brought Joseph’s brothers to his door for a God-ordained reunion.

Whenever heartache, loss, disappointment, stress, or any of the other stuff we hate comes our way, it helps to remember that hard times are purposeful, meant to refine and redirect us. They’re not arbitrary or random, and they’re definitely not cruel. If I’m going to suffer, at least let it be for [ … ]

Our Breathtaking God

September 9, 2013

“If you are a guide on a sightseeing trip and you know the people are longing to enjoy beauty and you come upon some breathtaking ravine, then you should show it to them and urge them to enjoy it. Well, the human race does in fact crave the experience of awe and wonder. And there is no reality more breathtaking than God.”

Excerpted from Desiring God by John Piper

Daily Reflection: How can you show someone the breathtaking wonder of God today?