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Allowing God to Shape Us

September 6, 2013

“When we first come to Christ, our spiritual life has little shape or form. We submit ourselves to Jesus Christ as our Savior and ask God to begin shaping us into what He wants us to be. “We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand”
(Isaiah 64:8; see also Jeremiah 18:4-6).

As a piece of clay, we can allow ourselves to be molded and become a product of the Potter who cares for us, but we cannot express our love back to Him. We can’t experience any deep sense of intimacy if we remain in this level of relationship. Why? Because a lump of clay’s value is based on how it can be used. When we comply and feel God using us, we feel good about ourselves. When we mess [ … ]

Where is the Proof?

September 4, 2013

“Will I always get what I want? No! But I will always get what God wants. The same is true for you. Whether you are a Christian or not, you must never think that simply believing in something is enough. You canbelieve in your dreams, but you have to take action to make them happen.You can believe in your talents and have faith in your abilities, but if youdon’t develop them and put them to use, what good are they? You can believethat you are a good and caring person, but if you don’t treat otherswith goodness and care, where is the proof ?”

Excerpted from Unstoppable by Nick Vujicic

Daily Reflection: What are you believing in but not living out?

Jesus Comes for Sinners

September 3, 2013

“Here is revelation bright as the evening star: Jesus comes for sinners, for those as outcast as tax collectors and for those caught up in squalid choices and failed dreams. He comes for corporate executives, street people, superstars, farmers, hookers, addicts, IRS agents, AIDS victims, and even used-car salesmen. Jesus not only talks with these people but dines with them—fully aware that His table fellowship with sinners will raise the eyebrows of religious bureaucrats who hold up the robes and insignia of their authority to justify their condemnation of the truth and their rejection of the gospel of grace.”

Excerpted from The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning

Daily Reflection: We are all sinners…today, how can you love the sinners around you that God loves so much?

Introducing a Helper

September 2, 2013

“Just who is the Holy Spirit? That’s a big question—one as big as God Himself.

When you want to get to know someone new, often the first step is to be introduced by someone who already knows that person well. During His years of ministry on earth, Jesus knew the Holy Spirit better than any human ever had or has since. So perhaps the best place to learn about the Holy Spirit begins with Jesus and the words He used to introduce the Spirit to the disciples, as recorded in John 14.”

Excerpted from The God I Never Knew by Robert Morris

Daily Reflection: What are some evidences in your life of the Holy Spirit abiding within you?

Finding Freedom in Your Relationships

August 30, 2013

“Freedom is an essential component in all healthy adult relationships. We’ve all witnessed the results in world history, in fundamentalist religious groups, and in families where freedom is squashed. Members are not free to question, to challenge, to think differently than the group. They are not free to grow or be themselves without fear of retaliation. Instead, they have to do and say and be what the group or person in charge tells them. That is not healthy, nor is it God’s plan. Although God wants unity in a family and in the family of God, he created great diversity. We are to be ourselves and be of one mind all at the same time. This one-mind idea doesn’t mean melding ourselves into the desires or demands of another individual, but together living for a common purpose and goal—the kingdom [ … ]

A Four Dot Name

August 29, 2013

“As I stared in awe at one particular scroll fragment from the book of Deuteronomy, I noticed four dots where the Hebrew letters for Yahweh should have appeared. Four dots. Then I saw it again in the book of Isaiah: “In the wilderness prepare the way of • • • •” (Isaiah 40:3, esv).
And then it hit me just how deeply the scribes reverenced and revered the name YHWH. They wouldn’t say the Name. They wouldn’t even write the Name. And yet YHWH is the name that God said would be remembered from generation to generation (Exodus 3:15). And while God is exceedingly holy, He is also intimately personal. He reminded Moses, “I am…the God of Abraham,…Isaac and…Jacob” (verse 6).”

Excerpted from Knowing God by Name by Sharon Jaynes, Gwen Smith, and Mary Southerland (coming Aug. 6th)

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Real World Hero Training

August 28, 2013

“In Deuteronomy 11:18–19 we find instructions specifying how the Israelites were to impart God’s commands to successive generations. These directives also illustrate the way parents can convey important life concepts of honor day by day, moment by moment: ‘Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.’ Scripture teaches us that unlike in tales or movies where time is condensed, heroic honor training in the real world occurs in the dailiness of life, in the midst of loss, pain, immorality—indeed, anything can provide an opportunity for teaching to occur.”

Excerpted from Raising Boys by Design by Dr. [ … ]

Inward and Outward Fruit

August 27, 2013

“The fruit from your life is how God receives His due honor on earth. That’s why Jesus declares, “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit” (John 15:8).

You bear inner fruit when you allow God to nurture in you a new, Christlike quality: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22).

You bear outward fruit when you allow God to work through you to bring Him glory. That would certainly include sharing your faith. The apostles saw every arena of life as an opportunity to bear fruit. Paul wrote, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8, NIV). Whether you’re chopping wood [ … ]

Long-shot Prayers

August 26, 2013

“My favorite exploit in Joshua’s life doesn’t get nearly enough airtime, if you ask me. From every angle, the story—tucked away in Joshua 10—showcases the kind of audacity we’re after. And it all hinges on a preposterous prayer. In fact, when you first hear it, you might even feel like it’s insulting or irreverent. But as it turns out, our God isn’t intimidated by long-shot prayers.

As the chapter opens, we read that five opposing Amorite armies were planning to attack…
Joshua sized up the situation, summoned all his available courage, and delivered one of the most gloriously unorthodox prayers in the entire Bible:

O sun, stand still over Gibeon,
O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon. (verse 12)

Now can you see why I love this story? Joshua had the audacity to ask God to make the [ … ]

The Right Place at the Right Time

August 22, 2013

“Let me share one of my core convictions: God is in the business of strategically positioning us in the right place at the right time. A sense of destiny is our birthright as followers of Christ. God is awfully good at getting us where He wants us to go. But here’s the catch: The right place often seems like the wrong place, and the right time often seems like the wrong time…

Here’s the point: God is in the résumé-building business. He is always using past experiences to prepare us for future opportunities. But those God-given opportunities often come disguised as man-eating lions. And how we react when we encounter those lions will determine our destiny. We can cower in fear and run away from our greatest challenges. Or we can chase our God-ordained destiny by seizing the God-ordained opportunity.

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