Day 145 Fierce Love

Trusting God begins and ends with the fierce love of God. Trusting God really is all about wrapping your heart and mind and life around the reality of God’s love. You may find yourself in a frightening place filled with darkness and doubt. Your fragile heart may be wondering if God knows where you are or if He even cares. He does.

You might think that because you might not see the hand of God or sense His presence it means He is not working. Nothing could be further from the truth. We may not understand or even like His process, but be assured you that God is always at work in your life.

He will always love you. He will come through for you, and you really can trust Him.

God, I praise You for being faithful even when my faith is small. Teach me how to walk by faith and not by sight.

Day 144 Push on...Push back

One of the founders of the modern state of Israel, David Ben-Gurion, once said, “Courage is a special kind of knowledge, the knowledge of how to fear what ought to be feared and how not to fear what ought not to be feared. From this knowledge comes an inner strength that inspires us to push on in the face of great difficulty. What can seem impossible is often possible with courage.”

While Ben Gurion's words carry a certain worldly wisdom to inspire courage, we also can have courage which comes from a special kind of knowledge…the knowledge that we have a God who loves and supports and protects us and carries us through, even the most trying times and circumstances.

So let’s not become fearful in these days – but instead become bold as a lion, to accomplish the good works He prepared for us from the foundation of the world. Let’s walk with courage in these days in the knowledge that our God is with us, and with Him we will accomplish great things that seem impossible, because we know that He turns impossibilities into realities!

Day 143 (un)Chain Mail!

In Ephesians 6:19-20, Paul says he is "an ambassador in chains." Locked away in a prison, Paul adamantly refuses to allow his circumstances to dictate or change his identity. He may be in chains, but he remains God's ambassador.

Can you imagine Paul chained up in that dungeon, throwing up his hands saying, "That's it; it's over; I'm finished!? Not on your life!

Instead the apostle grows bolder as an ambassador; not intimidated or ashamed, because Paul isn't chained in his Spirit. Remember how he ends his letter to the Philippians? "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Don't allow yourself to be defined by your past or "chained" by your current circumstances. God has called you to be an ambassador for Him. With so much work to be done, grow even bolder right in the midst of your trials and tribulations!

Day 142 - Crowns of Righteousness

Praise the Lord, O my soul;
All my inmost being,
praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits--
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

Psalm 103:1-5

Day 139 Steadfast Love (Chesed)

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;

Day 138 The Mystery of Joy

Joy is a mystery because it can happen anywhere, anytime, even under the  most unpromising circumstances, even in the midst of suffering, with  tears in its eyes.

Frederick Buechner, "The Hungering Dark"

Day 137 Expect the Unexpected

Is anything too hard for the Lord? No!
Genesis 18:14

Just when you least suspect it—the God of surprises strikes again. God does that for the faithful....

....Just when the womb gets too old for babies, Sarai gets pregnant.
....Just when the failure is too great for grace, David is pardoned.

God is watching. For all you know right at this moment….Don’t quit. You may miss the answer to your prayers.

God is faithful—and He’s always on time.

Day 136 Ding. Ding. Ding. (that's a truck backing up)

He … loads me with love and mercy Psalm 103:4

It’s time to let God’s love cover all things in your life. All the secrets. The hurts.

Every promise broken. He covers that. Every cross word, cuss word, and harsh word. His love covers all things.
Let it.

Discover along with the psalmist: “He … loads me with love and mercy” (Ps. 103:4).

Picture a giant dump truck full of love. There you are behind it. God lifts the truck bed until the love starts to slide. Slowly at first, then down, down, down until you are hidden, buried, covered in His love.

“Hey, where are you?” someone asks.
“In here, covered in love.”

Day 135 Gotcha!

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (I Peter 2:9)

Day 134 A terrible, beautiful world

We have a calling as a generation, a people, a tribe to this world for the sake of Christ, to purify and make it better. If we stand together as the Church, yes the same church that has betrayed and wounded us, the same church that has started wars, and still the same church that works to fight disease, hunger and slavery, then we can truly begin to make a difference in this terrible and beautiful world. Perhaps this calling is our generational identity, maybe through its light and strength, darkness and fragility, we can begin to work out our own individual identities.

For the whole post, see http://globalyoungpeople.org/ministries/youngadult/by-youngadults-for-youngadults/identity/.

Day 132 Big topics, big thoughts

Well, here's an interesting series of thoughts to consider....This is kind of what I told my first grade sunday school class before you were born, only my non-theological, 6-year-old-level statement was, "Heaven is right here, we just can't see it!"

Donald Sinnema, professor of theology at Trinity Christian College, Palos Heights, IL, recently gave a lecture in which he challenged the popular Christian conception that heaven is an eternal spiritual or celestial realm that is outside of creation, a realm that includes God, angels, and the souls of deceased believers.

"My main point was that heaven is indeed part of God’s creation and that it has a history—in the beginning it was created, it is part of the fallen creation, and in the end it will also be renewed as the new heaven envisioned by John in the book of Revelation," said Sinnema.

His lecture to students and faculty at Trinity was titled "Heaven: Is it Part of Creation? It was given as part of a series of lectures sponsored by the Association of Reformed Institutions of Higher Education.
Sinnema also gave a lecture titled, "Time and Eternity: Will Believers Enter Eternity?"

In this one, he challenged the popular Christian view of time and eternity, which contends that time extends from creation to the last judgment (the "end of time") and that eternity in some way surrounds time since it was there "before" time, extends "over" time, and will continue "after" the end of time.

"In my lecture, I wanted to challenge the common notion that heaven is an eternal spiritual realm outside of creation," said Sinnema. “There are no grammatical or other good grounds in scripture to distinguish between the singular heaven and the plural heavens, as if only the heavens or skies were created.”

I like that...I think that God is the God of "both/and," not just either or, so these thoughts make sense to me...Do they to you?

PS: the image above is a whole lot of "Time" magazine covers--ahahahahaha! :)

Day 131 What are you walking in?

A righteous person who walks in her integrity — How blessed are her children after her.
Proverbs 20:7

Your character goes before you, blessing those who follow you. Integrity is a lovely garment, woven of who you are when no one is watching, what you stand for, and the name you carry.

Integrity is among the greatest riches we have.

Day 130 Walking together

I've been parked on Psalm 86 this week and thought you might like these verses too!

"Teach me your way, O Lord,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.

I will praise you, O Lord my God,
with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever!"

Day 129 Poorest of the Poor

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat. 

Mother Teresa

Day 128 Praise as a Weapon?

I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies."
2 Samuel 22:4

Did you know that praise is a weapon--and a powerful one?  When we are in times of trouble, facing battles or difficulties, that's the time to praise the Lord. When God hears your praises, it brings Him near to your situation. In this way praise is an SOS! 

In the Old Testament, God had Israel send out the praisers first. When Paul and Silas were in prison, they praised the Lord and the prison doors were opened. When we praise God, we're magnifying Who He is, and when you magnify Him, He begins to look bigger than your situation....He IS bigger than your situation, praise just reminds us of that and brings everything back into perspective. What once seemed like mountain has been reduced down to size compared to the magnitude and majesty of the Lord.

When you look at the problem, your enemy, the battle, the size of the mountain, the darkness, start praising the Lord. Praise will cause Him to show up every time. When He does show up... He can fight the battles for you.

Day 125 Who are you?

It’s important to accept what God says about who we are. All too often we live with feelings of deep inadequacy. We may regret the past or fear the future. In life's crazy pace it’s easy to forget to schedule in time with our Lord and to ask ourselves, “Am I growing or eroding in who I am becoming?”

A wise woman grows in understanding who she is: a woman who knows how God sees her is confident in her identity --she knows God made her just the way she is and for specific tasks. She does not compare the inside of herself with the outside of another woman.

She makes the effort to grow in her knowledge of the truth of what God says about her. A woman who understands who she is in God’s sight knows she is:

* Accepted (Ephesians 1:5)
* Secure (Philippians 1:6)
* Significant (John 15:16)

Her identity is not bound up in what she has or how she looks. Her identity is secured in who she is as a beloved child of God....“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

Father God, sometimes it’s hard for me to think of myself as a piece of Your artwork, created to be just who I am. Help me to embrace the knowledge of who You say I am! I know all too well the weaknesses in me. I invite You to use these very things that I dislike about myself to be an entry point of Your strength and power in my Iife. I know You have things for me to do that go beyond this “to do” list of mine. Help me to be ready to give a kind word or a hug to someone today. Show me who You want to touch through me. Help me to live as an accepted, secure, and significant child of the Almighty God today by the power of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Day 124 You got it, so use it!

Gift of Leadership
Moses was pretty much thrust into leadership without a choice. God had been working with him all along to bring him the point in his life when he would lead Israel out of Egypt. Moses had the benefit of the best education in all of Egypt. Then he undoubtedly learned humility as he spent forty years as a shepherd. At the young age of 80, God was telling Moses to use his gift.
Most leaders are not called in such dramatic fashion. In fact, many leaders aren't called at all.   
 
It has been said that a leader must have followers otherwise they're not leading, they're just taking a walk. There are a number of people in positions of leadership who aren't leaders however. This certainly doesn't make them bad people, their gifts are just in other areas. 
 
We need to avoid the mistake of assuming just because someone has been around longer than you have that they are a leader. A strong leader casts vision for what God wants in the future.  Moses had a vision of leading the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. 
If you're a leader, determine your vision and get to it. YOU, Sarah DeGraff, are a leader!

Day 123 Hmmm...

You don't drown by falling into the water, you drown by staying in the water.

Day 122 Choose Joy!

Today I want to encourage you that there is a way to look at life so that your choices and circumstances don’t burden you down. It takes work, and it takes discipline in your mind. You have to choose to realize the good in your life. You were meant for a purpose, and that purpose is not to be defeated in all you do but to live with a joy and a passion that spills over onto those around you.

What do you have in life that is good? Even if all you can think of is one thing, find that one thing. Change your focus from all that hasn’t worked for you and hasn’t made you feel loved and special, and realize that the more you focus on the blessings that God has given you, then the good will be amplified and the bad will diminish.

I encourage you to set your sights on the things that bring you joy. Replace those bad thoughts and know that you are special and made for a unique purpose.

God in all His divine power made you to love and be joyful. Don’t let the world tell you any different. Straighten up and hold your precious head high for you are worth every bit of it!

Day 121 Stouthearted

I bow down toward your holy temple
and praise your name
for your love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.

Whe I call, you answer me;
you make me bold and stouthearted.

Psalm 138:2-3

Day 120 Sarah is bringing on the heat and light!

In the book of Acts, the Apostles are distinguished by their force of character....In the early days they were timid, pliable, unfaithful. In supreme crises they deserted their Master and fled. They were as reeds shaken by the wind. The wind that blew upon them, the keen, perilous winds of persecution, made these disciples bend before the blast. They were negative, hesitant, uncertain, altogether lacking in persistent force.

But after the events of Acts 2, the timid and fearful Apostles have become positive and affirmative. There is nothing lax about them, nothing wavering, nothing yielding. Their characters have become strong, and steady, and effective: they have force of character--light and heat.

They have light in the sense of clarity of purpose, and  heat--the fire of a quenchless enthusiasm. And they certainly had this fire in glorious strength and abundance. There is no cold or lukewarm patch.

“We must obey God rather than man.” This strong imperative rings throughout all their doings and all their speech. They have heat, and they have light--and so do you!

Day 118 You are more than what you think you are!

When we hear the stories of people like Abraham and Moses, we think, wow, that's exciting--why doesn't that happen to me? We forget that Abraham and Moses were as frail and as nervous as we are.

We stand in awe of Moses at the burning bush: Now there is a bush that burns, we say. I would like to be a bush like that, but I'm just a heap of ashes. And that's as far as we get.

We discuss the phenomenon of what God can do in a life, tell amazing stories about it, praise it - but then resign ourselves to being nothing more than what we think we are, a mere bystander, resigned to sitting in the balcony among the spectators.

Guess what. It isn't the bush that sustains the flame. It is God in the bush--so any old bush will do!

Day 117 Enlightening

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for the gift of your Son. I pray that your light will shine through Sarah. Please bring opportunities her way to share your hope and freedom with those who haven’t yet found you, and give her the right words to say!