Fear & Hope
From the pages of Embrace Grace…
From the moment we’re born, we’re afraid: of loud noises, of cold air, of falling. While trust begins to build as the months go by, new fears surface: of dark rooms, of meeting strangers, of being alone.
We conquer those fears as we mature, but at the deepest level we never forget them. Old fears continue to color our emotional responses and produce feelings of doubt and uncertainty.
For all those dark times, here’s a word of hope: God meets us where we are. Even if we aren’t looking in his direction, he is always looking in ours.
“From his dwelling place he watches all who live on earthhe who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.” Psalm 33:14-15
Daily Reflection: How might it comfort and encourage you today [ … ]
It Belongs to You
How can any of us hate and devalue ourselves when God “did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all”? (Romans 8:32). I hope and pray that you can come to accept this divine mystery of how much God loves you just as you are, unworthy, yet deeply valued.
Unable to earn the love but knowing there is no need to earn it.
All you have to do is accept it. Don’t be like those who know of God’s love but have never experienced it. Experience it!
For it belongs to you.
Excerpted fromMore Jesus, Less Religion by Stephen Arterburn and Jack Felton
Daily Reflection: Have you truly accepted God’s love and grace?
Let Your Life Count
God created you to be you and placed youwith your skills, interests, and life experiencesat this precise moment in time for a reason; don’t thwart His plan. Be yourself.
Excerpted from Let Your Life Count by Donna Partow
Daily Reflection: How have you embraced being yourself for God?