Doing Small Hard Things

“Doing hard things is how we exercise our bodies, our minds, and our faith. Small hard things are the individual repetitions— like a single push-up. They are seemingly insignificant by themselves but guaranteed to get results over time…

That’s where the ‘do hard things’ mentality comes in. It reminds us that sometimes the smallest things can be the hardest things and that the purpose of effort is to gain strength. Being faithful in the smallest things is the way to gain, maintain, and demonstrate the strength needed to accomplish something great.”

Excerpted from Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris

---

Daily Reflection: What small things can you work at this week?

Less Worry, More Time

“Here’s the problem with fear. It likes to hang around with a companion known as worry. Fear and worry work in tandem, like Batman and Robin. And before you know it, you find yourself caught up in a horrible game of ‘What if?’ These are two very powerful emotions. Worry is one of the most destructive forces a person can experience. Modern medical research has shown that worry breaks down our resistance to disease.

More than that, it can actually create diseases of the nervous system, the digestive organs, and the heart. It’s been said that excessive worry can literally shorten human life.

Isn’t that ironic? Because one of the very things we may be worrying about is how long we will live! …A life filled with anxiety and worry can slice years off your life, and life off your [ … ]

Finding Beauty

“Authentic beauty may very well be one of the rarest earthly treasures today. It holds a magnetism far beyond the loveliness of a properly painted face, and it possesses a
charm that towers over the enchanting grace of a sweet personality. It is not ever to be discovered in the pomp and polish of high society, nor in the silk and satin of those conformed to popular culture. Rather, it emerges only rarely in each generation, and that in the life of a young woman—a young woman who is deeply loved by the Prince of her soul.”

Excerpted from Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy

---

Daily Reflection: What kind of beauty are you searching for?

Celebrate Freedom and Discover Your Own

You should know that wherever you feel weakness, God is strong. He took me from disabled to enabled and instilled in me a passion for sharing my stories and my faith to help others cope with their own challenges.

I realized that my purpose was to turn my struggles into lessons that glorify God and inspire others. He blessed me as a blessing to others. Distribute your own blessings with enthusiasm, and know that whatever you do will be multiplied many times. In all things God works for the best for those who love Him.

Excerpted from Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic

---

Daily Reflection: How can you live a life of freedom—one without limits—today?

Future Grace

“The Bible says that Jesus endured the cross “for the joy that was set before him” (Hebrews 12:2). In other words, the greatest act of loving sacrifice that was ever performed was sustained by the confidence that God would bring Jesus through it into everlasting joy with a redeemed and worshiping people. That is the way our love is sustained as well.

But there is a difference. Our willingness to endure the sacrifices of love ‘for the joy that is set before us’ was purchased by Jesus’ willingness to do the same. His suffering covers our sins and sets us free to love. Our suffering in the path of love is based on his. His future joy came to him as his right. Ours comes to us as blood-bought grace. His suffering is not just a model. It is the [ … ]

Life is So Much Better with Jesus in Command

Most of us want a helper, someone to lean on, to turn to; we want a boost from a copilot. That makes most of us insane, really, because sane people don’t want God as their copilot. Insane people do because that makes them the pilot and they can have the advantages of his help without the disadvantage of giving up the controls.

We like the whole idea of God working for us. Maybe that’s why we’re generally impotent in our faith, saltless, fruitless with the lost, and dismissed by the watching world. Maybe that’s why we’re frustrated, grasping, angry, and weary. Maybe that’s why others jump out our doors every chance they get!

Sanity really is better. When we’re sane—when we let God be our pilot—we’re inviting, welcoming to the watching world, relaxed, easy to be around.

What if we [ … ]

A Life-Giving Love

“Michael had once read to her how God had cast a man and woman out of Paradise. Yet, for all their human faults and failures, God had shown them the way back in.

Love the Lord your God, and love one another. Love one another as he loves. Love with strength and purpose and passion and no matter what comes against you. Don’t weaken. Stand against the darkness, and love. That’s the way back into Eden. That’s the way back to life.”

Excerpted from Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

---

Daily Reflection: When was the last time you thanked God for His redeeming love?

A Whisper from the Waves

“‘Mom, did I tell you about this shell yet?’ Her tone made it clear she was sharing a special secret. “I had asked God for a word that would represent my spiritual journey this semester. As I was walking on the beach, I looked out at the ocean and remembered living in Hawaii. Then I heard the calming command I used to hear God giving to the waves. But you know what, Mom? This time it was different.”

I leaned in, eager to hear what Rachel would say.

‘There was a new line at the end of the command. What surprised me was that the new line fit so perfectly.’

‘What was it?’

‘Come
Crinkle
Curl
Splash
…Listen to Me.’”

Excerpted from Take Flight! by Robin Jones Gunn and Cindy Hannan

---

Daily [ … ]

Seeking to Follow, Not be Followed

“Jesus Christ—the youngest minichurch pastor in history…

Whenever the crowd got big, he’d say something such as, ‘Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.’ Not exactly the sharpest church-growth tactic. I can almost picture the looks on the disciples’ faces. ‘No, not the drink-my-blood speech! We’ll never get on the list of the fastest growing movements if you keep asking them to eat you.’

By the end of that speech, all the crowds had left, and only twelve men remained. Jesus apparently wasn’t interested in marketing himself to the masses. His invitations to potential followers were clearly more costly than the crowds were ready to accept, and he seemed to be okay with that. He focused instead on the few who believed him when he said radical [ … ]

Like a Treasure Buried

“Jesus’ kingdom invites us to immerse ourselves in the whole gospel He came to preach. We get to listen and consider and think through the staggering possibilities of kingdom living as Jesus taught it. The practical promise of our faith journey together is this: as we live in fidelity to Christ the King, His in-breaking reign will have a transformational effect on us, our communities, and our world. Anything less is not what Jesus came to earth to tell.

In a mysterious yet absolutely real way, the kingdom of Jesus is here now and in power. Like gravity or high-frequency radio waves, this kingdom doesn’t require our attention or consent in order to exist. It just is. Still, I think you’ll find that we have to learn—and deeply want—to see and imagine in new ways. Otherwise we’ll miss it. So [ … ]