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You Never Know Who is Watching

October 30, 2012

“He shrugged. ‘I watched you a lot. I was attracted to you the first time I saw you. But one of the first things I noticed about you was how you treated people. You were kind to old people. You took the time to talk to those who seemed lonely. You were patient with those who were needy. More than once I saw you put your tip in that bottle for the orphanage at the front counter.’

Ainsley frowned. ‘But I never talked to you.’

“I know. But when I saw you doing all those things, in a way, you did. You weren’t doing it for attention, but that’s where I saw your heart. In what you did, not what you said. You lived out your faith instead of talking about it. And I knew, deep in my heart, [ … ]

Don’t Let Your Face Plant Grow Roots

October 29, 2012

Is it possible that messing up can build you up and make you more fit for success? Yes! What does not destroy you can make you stronger, more focused, more creative, and more determined to pursue your dreams. You may be in a rush to succeed, and there is nothing wrong with that, but patience is a virtue too, and failure certainly will develop that trait in you. Believe me, I’ve learned that my schedule isn’t necessarily in God’s day planner. He has His own time line and the rest of us have to wait for it to unfold.

Excerpted from Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic

Daily Reflection: We all fall down, but what matters is getting back up. What have you learned from any of your failures, recent or past?

Connection is a Command

October 26, 2012

“The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian men, “Stop acting like you don’t need each other!” The author of Hebrews wrote that when we walk alongside people headed in the same direction, we can sustain our commitments. According to Proverbs, a good friend tells us what we needto hear, not what we wantto hear. We are better men when we are connected.”

Excerpted from Every Man, God’s Man by Stephen Arterburn and Kenny Luck with Mike Yorkey

Daily Reflection: Are you walking alongside men/women who are true, good friends? Do these men and women strengthen you?

Let Go and Let God

October 25, 2012

“In each seemingly hopeless case, however, Love’s restraint accomplished God’s purposes. Saving Egypt and the known world from starvation. Exalting God among a pagan nation as the one true God able to shut lions’ mouths. And providing a glimpse of eternity (the book of Revelation) through the pen of a lonely old man.

The same tender-yet-tough-to-understand divine restraint may be required in your life and mine. But it will also accomplish God’s purposes if we’ll trust Him. Though we may never know the full story here on earth, nothing will be wasted by God. Especially if we’ll entrust all our confusion to His heart and our lives to His hands.”

Excerpted from At the Feet of Jesus by Joanna Weaver

Daily Reflection: How can you let God help carry your burdens and worries today?

One Step at a Time

October 24, 2012

“It’s all about reaching people, I think, with a rake, with a hammer and nails. We have to touch people, treat them nice, tell them about God, givethem a bridge to cross over the muddy valley. I pull free from the suckingmud to go get more nails. I feel good about this simple action: each nail Idrive brings me one step closer to building that bridge.”

Excerpted from Don’t Let Me Go: What My Daughter Taught Me About the Journey Every Parent Must Make by David. W. Pierce

Daily Reflection: What can you learn by helping someone in your life who is struggling to come closer to God?

For Everything There Is a Season

October 23, 2012

We are all connected. We all have the same basic human needs to love and be loved. We all want to serve a purpose and to know that our lives have value. Living in balance also means living in harmony with others, which may require giving up yourself to share in something greater—a fuller life.

I was a single man for so long that when I finally found a loving relationship, I had to make some quick adjustments. I had wanted to share my life with someone, but in some ways I wasn’t prepared for what that actually meant. My balance was thrown off because my life was no longer just mine. It was like having someone else jump into your canoe. Suddenly, everything shifts. You have to adjust your position. The load is greater but so is your paddle [ … ]

Life Interrupted

October 22, 2012

“Job’s friends saw God as a curmudgeon, a miser, a traffic cop with a radar gun and a ticket quota. They misrepresented God, who is actually rich in mercy, grace, joy and every other good and perfect gift. He is a big, big spender.

God restored Job ‘twice as much as before.’ Twice as much! Before, he was the wealthiest guy in the area. Then he went from just bling to bling-bling. […] These blessings could never make up for the loss. One child can’t simply be replaced by another. But they testify to God’s grace and generosity in the midst of a horrible trial.”

Excerpted from Torn by Jud Wilhite

Daily Reflection: Through trials and tribulations, how can you remember God’s joy and mercy today?

In His Image

October 19, 2012

Just think: of all His magnificent creations—the brilliant sun, moon, and stars; the vast oceans; the fascinating planets; the exotic animals; and more—the one that most resembles God Himself is humankind—you and me. God made us in His image; we are as true a reflection of His character and nature as possible. Search the universe, and nothing will say “God” more than the creation known as man and woman…

We find passion and joy in walking with the One who designed every part of us. He designed our minds, so He knows how to put us at ease. He created our bodies, so He knows how to strengthen us. He formed our hearts, so He knows how to thrill and delight us. He molded our spirits, so He knows our innermost desires; and only He can satisfy those desires.

Excerpted [ … ]

Stand Aside

October 18, 2012

Give Me permission, Christ promises, and it is yours. My mind for yours (1 Corinthians 2:16)—a holy exchange. Perhaps it’s silly, but I’m visual, so I’ve started taking this promise from God’s Word and claiming it through a simple exercise. Sometimes in my mind, but sometimes (on especially difficult days) with an actual poke to my chest, I push an imaginary button. Then, by faith, I envision my mind dropping out of sight while the mind of Christ rises to take its place. After all, there are situations and circumstances in my life when a sparkling, washed-by-the-Word mind is simply not enough. Times when I need my thoughts and feelings and will to be Christ’s very own. According to the Bible, I can have both. The natural made new, the supernatural made mine. My mind bound to His.

Excerpted from At [ … ]

A Seasonal Perspective

October 17, 2012

The author of Ecclesiastes looked around him at situations where justice and righteousness should be evident, only to observe that “wickedness was there” and “iniquity was there” (verse 16). Maybe he was thinking about courtrooms, government halls, and the marketplace, or maybe he thought primarily of the human heart. Or all the above. Evil was everywhere.

But he did not despair over this; he went on: “I said in my heart, ‘God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time…for every purpose and for every work’ ” (verse 17). Even when injustice and corruption appear unhindered in their pollution, a seasonal perspective enables us to hold on to God’s hope. He will, in His perfect timing, make things right—preparing the way for the triumph of every good purpose and every good work.

The believer in Christ [ … ]