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Always Beside Us

January 9, 2013

“I turned the question over in my mind while looking at the clouds drifting by that day. If God is for us, who can be against us? In the first part of the question, the ‘if’ isn’t really casting any doubt. It is in fact assuming the truth of what it states. God is for us! He’s for us. Looking at it another way, He’s for us!

The God who created the sky, the trees, the landscape, the clouds—that God. The God who created the universe—that God. The God who is spinning our planet on its axis right now at a thousand miles an hour, ensuring that we travel 1.3 million miles today in our orbit around the sun—that God. The God who has the expanse of the universe in the palm of His hand. The God who created [ … ]

Empower Yourself to Forgive

January 8, 2013

“I’ve […] learned that though we can’t manipulate forgiveness, we can work toward it. How? By admitting and feeling our pain while asking God to help us forgive. God offers us the gift of forgiveness. We need to open our hearts and receive it. But because we have been hurt so severely, we often don’t activate forgiveness in our relationships. Instead, we close up to protect ourselves, and we can’t receive the gift even when it’s in front of our faces. This is true whether the gift is receiving forgiveness or offering forgiveness.

The key to a lifestyle of forgiveness, I’ve found, is first making the commitment to love our world. We can walk in forgiveness toward others and ourselves only if we’ve first committed to love. Unforgiveness blocks our ability to love; we will be motivated to be a [ … ]

He Rested on the Seventh Day

January 7, 2013

“Let’s face it, stillness is not exactly easy to come by in today’s culture. We are far more likely to be restless, anxious, fearful, worrisome, and busy. But God’s invitation is to be still—and to find again, in the calm pause, the assurance that He is, in fact, God. His plans are undeterred, and with or without us, He is going to receive glory from all peoples on the face of the earth.

But how do we find stillness when finances are tight, tragedy overwhelms, the kids seem out of control, nations are at war, relationships are strained, and there’s just too much left to do at the end of the day?
It’s simple. Still is found right next to Be.

See it?

‘BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.’”

Excerpted from I Am Not [ … ]

Joy in Growing Older

January 7, 2013

“Life is passing by…for all of us. Billy Graham was once asked what the greatest surprise of his life had been. His answer was, ‘The brevity of it…’

Here’s what it comes down to. If you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior, if you belong to Him, then you don’t have to dread the passing of years. As Christians, we know the best is yet to come. As you walk day by day with the Lord, living the way He wants you to live, you will acquire experiences and memories, distilled truth that will be a blessing to you and others later in life, because you made the right choices and invested in the right things.

If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, you need to know that He is with you [ … ]

Giving Like a Child

January 6, 2013

“She handed me a Plastic Donut from her kitchen play set.

I looked at the Donut and back at my daughter. She stood waiting for a response. So I put the Donut up to my mouth and said with great animation, “Yummm, yummm… Thank you, Autumn! This is soooo goood.”

Then something beautiful happened. Her big brown eyes widened, and her lips pushed a giant smile against her puffy cheeks. She stood up on her toes, shrugged her shoulders up to her ears, and let out a high-pitched squeal…

For Autumn, this exercise in giving gifts kept bringing her back to Daddy. For me, it kept me looking for my child to return to my side. I was moved by the exchange. I loved the interaction and connection. I was so pleased…

I didn’t see it coming, but at that [ … ]

Release and Follow Him

January 4, 2013

“Do you ever find yourself clinging to the pencil, refusing to let God write on the pages of your life? I’ve discovered that the Lord is infinitely kind and patient in His dealings with us. He will show us how to relinquish our rights for His best. If you’re struggling in this area, maybe these steps will help you:

  1. Ask God to make you willing. Sometimes this is the necessary first step. If you just can’t muster up the willingness to surrender control to God, then pray first for a change of attitude, asking for a willingness to be willing.
  2. Recognize you have an adversary. The last thing Satan wants is for you to totally surrender your life to God. Pray for the wisdom and strength not to listen to his lies. Then pick up “the sword of the [ … ]

Life

January 3, 2013

“Love. Integrity. Forgiveness. Enthusiasm. Life. The passionate life, the one life we’ve been given to live. It’s about living with this passion, living life to the fullest and not settling. It’s about living passionately, loving completely, learning humbly, and leaving a legacy that will have eternal impact. If you only had one month to live, isn’t this how you’d want to live—knowing you squeezed every second of life for all it was worth, enjoying the abundant (not the safe, easy, or comfortable) life that God promised us?”

Excerpted from One Month to Live by Kerry and Chris Shook

Daily Reflection:
What is one way you can improve the quality of your life this year?

Preflight Prep

January 2, 2013

“Ah, grace. Grace that would bid us fly and give us wings! What a welcoming image—being set free to become all God intended and to soar through life.

Why is it, then, that such freedom often feels like an elusive dream? We hold back. We hesitate. He lifts the cage’s latch and invites us to take flight. We step to the edge and…

Sometimes we soar. Sometimes we tumble. Yet here’s a secret: Every soar, every tumble, every frantic flapping about, is covered by God’s grace, His grace upon grace. Every escapade with Him becomes a story.”

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

Daily Reflection:
Each year, we are blessed with a fresh start. How can you take advantage of the open door this year to fly on the wings of God’s [ … ]

A Love Stronger than We Know

January 1, 2013

“I believe nothing can separate me from God’s love: God’s love was present with me when I was spinning out of control, when the truck was stuck in the mud in the middle of the Mexican mountains, as well as during the various times when I was anxious about my personal life or work situations. He held me and loved me when I was pinned in a waterfall and dying. He kept me from feeling pain or worry. The experience of His presence, love, and compassion reassures me that Willie suffered no pain at the end of his life. His spirit probably left his body long before it was broken, and I feel confident that he was greeted by a host of overjoyed and excited witnesses.”

Excerpted from To Heaven and Back by Mary C. Neal, MD

[ … ]

Bingo

December 31, 2012

My wife taught kindergarten for several years. One of the learning activities she employed was the time-tested game of Bingo. Letters and numbers—and prizes! It’s a game of chance, as far as her kids knew. The teacher pulls numbers from a hat and the lucky one wins, right? Not exactly. Wanting every child to experience the thrill of  winning, Anne would roam about the room looking for needed numbers on the cards
of her winless kindergartners. Feigning a real draw, she would call out the necessary numbers so each child would get a chance to win. The unsuspecting child would holler, “Bingo! I did it! I won! Where’s my prize?”

But a loving, sovereign teacher had orchestrated it all.

Your life hasn’t been a series of accomplishments in which to boast. Your life hasn’t been a random draw of [ … ]