Lord, I’m amazed that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. I’m grateful that you use unknown places and people for your big plans.
When life gets tough, when you’re overwhelmed with doubt, or when you wonder if living for Christ is worth the effort, remember that you are not home yet. At death you won’t leave home – you’ll go home.
Cultural lies conform us, but eternal truths transform us.
Why would God provide heaven on earth when he’s planned the real thing for you in eternity?
God expects unity, not uniformity, and we can walk arm-in-arm without seeing eye-to-eye on every issue.
Jesus said our love for each other – not our doctrinal beliefs – is our greatest witness to the world. He said, “Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”4.
They are your family, even when they don’t act like it, and you can’t just walk out on them. Instead God tells us, “Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.” 7.
Christlikeness is not produced by imitation, but by inhabitation.
Another of Brother Lawrence’s helpful ideas was to pray shorter conversational prayers continually through the day rather than trying to pray long sessions of complex prayers.
God did not need to create you, but he chose to create you for his own enjoyment. You exist for his benefit, his glory, his purpose, and his delight.
Because we’re sinners, we hurt each other, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally. But.
When someone begins to gossip to you, have the courage to say, “Please stop. I don’t need to know this. Have you talked directly to that person?” People who gossip to you will also gossip about you. They cannot be trusted.
A young man in his twenties wrote, “I feel like a failure because I’m struggling to become something, and I don’t even know what it is. All I know how to do is to get by. Someday, if I discover my purpose, I’ll feel I’m beginning to live.
The essence of love is not what we think or do or provide for others, but how much we give of ourselves. Men, in particular, often don’t understand this. Many have said to me, “I don’t understand my wife and kids. I provide everything they need. What more could they want?” They want you! Your eyes, your ears, your time, your attention, your presence, your focus.
Where is the glory of God? Just look around. Everything created by God reflects his glory in some way. We see it everywhere, from the smallest microscopic form of life to the vast Milky Way, from sunsets and stars to storms and seasons. Creation reveals our Creator’s glory. In nature we learn that God is powerful, that he enjoys variety, loves beauty, is organized, and is wise and creative. The Bible says, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” 1.
Most people think of “vision” as the ability to see the future. But in today’s rapidly changing world, vision is also the ability to accurately assess current changes and take advantage of them. Vision is being alert to opportunities.
It’s human nature to get distracted by minor issues. We play Trivial Pursuit with our lives. Henry David Thoreau observed that people live lives of “quiet desperation,” but today a better description is aimless distraction. Many people are like gyroscopes, spinning around at a frantic pace but never going anywhere.
Second, “What did you do with what I gave you?” What did you do with your life – all the gifts, talents, opportunities, energy, relationships, and resources God gave you? Did you spend them on yourself, or did you use them for the purposes God made you for?
C. S. Lewis said, “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God ‘Thy will be done’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right then, have it your way.’ ” Tragically, many people will have to endure eternity without God because they chose to live without him here on earth.
Worry is focused thinking on something negative. Meditation is doing the same thing, only focusing on God’s Word instead of your problem. No other habit can do more to transform your life... than daily reflection on Scripture.
Many people are driven by guilt. They spend their entire lives running from regrets and hiding their shame. Guilt-driven people are manipulated by memories. They allow their past to control their future. They often unconsciously punish themselves by sabotaging their own success.