God is fond of you. If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it. If He had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Face it, friend, He’s crazy about you.
God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.
God is always near us. Always for us. Always in us. We may forget him, but God will never forget us.
Why is the cross the symbol of our faith? To find the answer, look no further than the cross itself. Its design couldn’t be simpler. One beam horizontal – the other vertical. One reaches out – like God’s love. The other reaches up – as does God’s holiness. One represents the width of his love; the other reflects the height of his holiness. The cross is the intersection. The cross is where God forgave his children without lowering his standards.
No wonder Chelsea’s memory had become her greatest weapon, a sword she wielded, wounding others to protect herself. For decades she had waged this war, but at what cost? Now she stood alone on the battlefield, bleeding and bruised. There were no victors in this war, and Chelsea counted herself among the casualties.
First thought of the morning, last worry of the night – your Goliath dominates your day and infiltrates your joy.
The sinful nature is all about self: pleasing self, promoting self, preserving self. Sin is selfish.
Mark it down. God does not save us because of what we’ve done. Only a puny god could be bought with tithes. Only an egotistical god would be impressed with our pain. Only a temperamental god could be satisfied by sacrifices. Only a heartless god would sell salvation to the highest bidders.
When are you most afraid? When the teacher hands out the test? When the popular people walk your way? When you think about the future? Even in your most fearful moments, Jesus is with you, offering a peace you can’t find anywhere else.
Feeling fearful about tomorrow? Do like the disciples – spend time with Jesus. Talk to him. Read his words. Reflect on his life and love for you. He has power and strength like none other, and he’s more than willing to share some with you.
Wide awake is Mary. My, how young she looks! Her head rests on the soft leather of Joseph’s saddle. The pain has been eclipsed by wonder. She looks into the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His Majesty. At this point in history, the human being who best understands who God is and what he is doing is a teenage girl in a smelly stable. She can’t take her eyes off him. Somehow Mary knows she is holding God. So this is he. She remembers the words of the angel. “His kingdom will never end.”1.
She touches the face of the infant-God. How long was your journey! This baby had overlooked the universe. These rags keeping him warm were the robes of eternity. His golden throne room had been abandoned in favor of a dirty sheep pen. And worshiping angels had been replaced with kind but bewildered shepherds. Meanwhile, the city hums. The merchants are unaware that God has visited their planet. The innkeeper would never believe that he had just sent God into the cold.
This is the loneliest point in history. The last moment of true abandonment. From here on, abandonment is nothing more than a myth. And loneliness? A choice.
Beneath the hard, painful surface of her recollection were layers of healing truth. God had never left her side, not even for a moment.
We have been taught that the Christian life is a life of peace, and when we don’t have peace, we assume the problem lies within us.
Find something you like to do, and do it so well that people pay you to do it.
A person can live a day without silver or gold, but coffee? No thanks.
Imagine Jesus today: He is leaning over, bending down close to someone who is hurt. He’s listening. His eyes fill with tears as He hears that person’s troubles. Then His hand gently brushes away a tear. He was hurt once too. He understands.
Grace is the voice that calls us to change and then enables us to yield to its transforming power. Grace matters because Jesus matters, and it works because he does.
Shame is a child of self-centeredness. Heaven’s occupants are not self-centered, they are Christ-centered. You will be in your sinless state. The sinless don’t protect a reputation or project an image. You won’t be ashamed. You’ll be happy to let God do in heaven what he did on earth – be honored in your weaknesses. Heads bowed in shame? No. Heads bowed in worship? No doubt.