February 5, 2014

Wednesday: February 5, 2014

READ: Deuteronomy 20-21

BACKGROUND: Please feel free to ask questions. There is a lot in these two chapters and there are important, logical, and loving reasons for all of that though it’s sometimes hard to wrap our minds around while separated by thousands of years, language, and culture.

THINK: Oliver Cromwell was the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1653-1658, ruling during an incredibly difficult and tumultuous period. During some of the most turbulent days of his government, Cromwell sent one of his officials to Sweden to represent his interests. The official and his servant stopped overnight at an inn while on the way, but he couldn’t sleep. He was so overcome with stress and concern that he tossed and turned. Until his servant spoke up.

The servant asked, “Sir, do you not think that God governed the world well before you came into it?” The deeply devout official replied, “Undoubtedly.” The servant continued, “And sir, do you not think that he will govern it quite as well when you are gone out of it?” “Certainly!” growled the official, annoyed at having been asked such an obvious question. Then the servant finished the conversation by saying, “Then sir, excuse me, but do you not think you may trust him to govern it quite as well as long as you live?” At that, the official found himself comforted, turned over, and went to sleep.

The beauty of this passage is how powerfully it illustrates God’s power and sovereignty. For Israel, the secret to success in taking possession of the Promised Land didn’t lie in their military might, their bravery, or their brilliant strategy. It was a matter of faith. God clearly told them that the most important thing they could do was simply trust that he was in control and was fighting for them.

And I think that message is a critical one for us to understand and embrace in our own lives today. We aren’t fighting in a literal war in the way the nation of Israel was. But if this was true for them in the time of physical war, it’s true for us in the midst of the spiritual warfare we engage every day. We fight spiritual battles against brokenness, frustration, and evil in this sinful world. Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms – Ephesians 6:12.

If the obstacles that you are facing seem scary or overwhelming today, do not fear. And do not despair. And do not worry. God is sovereign and he is up to the challenge of overcoming the brokenness in your life and accomplishing his purposes in and through you.

PRAY: Think about every challenge that you are facing right now, and commit all of them to God. Thank him for the peace that comes from knowing that he is in control.

Posted by on February 5, 2014 in Law.

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February 4, 2014

Tuesday: February 4, 2014

READ: Luke 16

THINK: I need to start by being vulnerable. Then I hope to be inspirational. We’ll see how it goes. This passage was not easy for me to read today. I broke down by the time I reached the end, and I write this with a heavy heart. I have been thinking a lot about death in the last few days, particularly about suicide. First because of a theological question posed to me on Sunday by someone who knew a young girl who had attempted to take her life and is currently surviving only on life support. And then, more personally today, as I got the news that a college friend had taken his own life. I am shocked and heartbroken. And convicted.

I’m convicted because I know that I could have done more to tell him about the love, hope, forgiveness, and healing available through Jesus Christ. And now I don’t have any more chances left. I don’t believe that God predestines people for heaven and hell and decided long before any of us were born that he’d take some of us and reject others. Frankly, I think that notion comes very near to being outside orthodoxy and anyone who holds it needs to reread their Bibles carefully while focusing more closely on the character of God than the translation of a few phrases in Paul’s letters. But I do very firmly believe that people get one lifetime to put their faith in God and after that their eternity is sealed. If they reject him and refuse his gracious offer of reconciliation and relationship during their lifetime, God won’t force them into eternity with him. It is a choice set before all of us as God constantly and preveniently calls us to himself. But we only have one lifetime and then death comes to us all.

Here’s my challenge: look around you today. Everybody you see has exactly one lifetime to know Jesus. And that lifetime is short. They probably won’t die tomorrow. But, as I was just painfully reminded, they might. We cannot afford to sit back and let fear or selfishness prevent us from sharing Christ with them. Nothing could possibly be more important then their meeting Jesus. And demographic studies tell us that the 7 billion people alive on the planet today are roughly half the total population of human history. Population has grown exponentially and so they estimate that roughly 14 billion people have ever lived. Half the population of heaven and hell are walking around on earth today. Think about that for a minute.

It’s time for us to act. Let’s start with a pep talk. Please take 3 minutes and watch this video right now.

I love that video. He is just a kid and he doesn’t know everything – he’s right – but he says some stuff in that pep talk that we all need to hear. My favorite line in the whole thing – other than the part about Space Jam being awesome because, let’s face it, Space Jam is awesome – is when he says: “This is life people! You air coming through your nose, you got a heartbeat. That means it’s time to do something!”

I think he’s right, too, that we were made to be awesome. I mean, we read the book of Genesis and it tells us that we were created in the image of God. It doesn’t get any “gooder” or “awesomer” than that! But so many of us settle for less. We get beaten down by the world and by our fears and we settle for small dreams. We think about our own futures and we think and decide that we can’t make much of an impact so we dream tiny dreams. We walk into school every day and our greatest desire – our greatest vision for our lives – is to just survive it! We wanna make it through the day without anything bad happening or without getting made fun of or even without getting noticed. And sometimes we make excuses and keep waiting for the next phase of life to begin before dreaming big about how to impact the world for Jesus. I just wanna survive right now but THEN – College, when I get a job, when I get married, after my kids grow up….THEN…THEN…THEN…

But I wanna challenge you to dream bigger – to get a bigger vision for your life and for who and what God is calling you to be and the impact he is calling you to make. Because I believe this at the core of my being: If the size and scope of your vision for your life is not intimidating to you then it’s probably insulting to God. This is a God who created you in his image! This is a God who is living inside you if you’ve put your faith in him! This is a God who said, “Those who believe in me will do even greater things than I have done!” If your vision for your life isn’t so huge that’s it’s a least a little bit scary then your vision is too small! If your dream is just to survive – or if your dream is self-centered and its just about little, inconsequential things that you want for yourself – or if your dream is about small things that don’t matter and don’t make a difference then your dream is stupid. It’s time to get a new dream and get going!

We only get one shot at this life. One chance to live every single moment that we live and then it’s gone. And we can’t get it back. The total number of times in your lifetime that you will walk into your school or your job or your family gatherings decreases by one every time you walk in. The times are numbered. Our days our numbered. But this is our time! Right here, right now, at this moment in human history in this place it’s our time! It’s our time to make a difference. It’s our time to change the world. And we can do it! Not because we’re strong or we’re able but because our God is and he stands with us and he fights for us and he wants to take the broken things and the broken people around us and make them new. And he invites us to be his hands and feet – his agents of change in this world. The question isn’t whether we can, it’s whether we’re willing. Because we are able! And the message we carry – the gospel message of Jesus Christ – is the singe most life-changing, earth-shattering message the world has ever known.

Will you bring it to your world before it’s too late, for you or for those around you?

PRAY: Pray for the guts and the courage and the big, bold vision to be a world-changer who shares Jesus with those around you today before they’re gone and you don’t have any chances left.

Posted by on February 4, 2014 in Gospels.

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February 3, 2014

Monday: February 3, 2014

BACKGROUND (Start with this today): Revelation was written by the apostle John while he was in exile on the tiny Mediterranean prison-island of Patmos. The authorities had tried to execute John a bunch of times including dipping him into a giant pot of boiling oil – but he just wouldn’t die so they shipped him to Patmos. He was there during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian – who occasionally persecuted the Christian church and killed Christians – and he wrote Revelation around the 90s AD. 

Why did he write it? God gave him a vision and told him to write it down and send it to the 7 churches at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.  So, when it comes to genre, we can say that Revelation is definitely an epistle – or a letter – written to those churches. But it is more than just a letter. It is also prophecy and apocalypse. Prophecy is the writing or speaking of a vision given by God (either about predicting the future or calling people to change their ways and live for him). Revelation clearly fits this genre because the whole thing is a vision that God gave John – which both predicts the future and encourages people to change their ways and live for God. And what’s really cool is that Revelation is absolutely steeped in Old Testament prophecy. It can’t even be rightly understood outside of the OT prophetic context it was written in. John knew the OT by heart, and most of his audience did too, and he constantly reflected the prophecies of the OT in Revelation.

And Revelation is an Apocalypse – which simply means that it is a book about the end of all things. So, it is an apocalyptic-prophetic epistle, and it was written to a church that was experiencing persecution for their faith. It was written, as a gift from God to them, to encourage them to persevere even in the most difficult of circumstances because the battle has already been won and God’s ultimate victory and the creation of a new and perfect world without any pain or suffering is assured. This is the message that is continually delivered throughout Revelation: Despite your present sufferings, God is ultimately in control and he will win…he has already won! And that idea of God already winning is a really interesting one because John doesn’t just write as though the end is coming some day. He writes as though the end is already here. When Jesus died on the cross he defeated death and the Devil and that was the beginning of the end – and we can live in the reality of that victory even now – and when he returns that will be the end of the end. So, we should persevere and hold onto hope and not conform to this world.

There are any number of different ideas about how to interpret Revelation – literally, symbolically, allegorically…the list goes on and on. But the big idea is clear no matter how you read it: Persevere because God has already won! As we walk through the book devotionally please feel free to ask any and all questions that hit you as you read – there will be plenty – and I’ll get back to you in the comments.

READ: Revelation 1-2

THINK: Muynak was once a thriving fishing port on the Aral Sea. But today Muynak sits on the edge of a bitter, salty desert. Sand dunes are strewn with the rusted, hollow hulls of a fishing fleet that once sailed high above on the surface of Central Asia’s fountain of life.

Things began changing around 1960 when Soviet government planners began diverting the Aral’s water source to irrigate the world’s largest cotton belt. No one, however, envisioned the environmental disaster that would result. Weather has become more extreme, the growing season has been shortened by 2 months, and 80 percent of the region’s farmland has been ruined by salt storms that sweep in off the dry seabed.

What happened at Muynak parallels the history of the church of Ephesus. Once a thriving spiritual community, the Ephesian believers diverted their attention from Jesus to all of the works they were doing in His name. They lost sight of what was most important in their relationship with Christ: their love for Him. It is so easy for us to do the same. It is so easy to get caught up in checking the boxes of faith – the “do’s” and “don’ts” of Christianity – that we forget that ultimately it’s about being in love with Jesus. We need to remember to love Jesus. It’s easy when we remember how much he loves us!

PRAY: Ask God to help you recognize and repent of whatever it is in your life that diverts your attention away from loving him. Ask him to flood the desert of your soul with his living water.

Posted by on February 3, 2014 in Prophecy.

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February 2, 2014

Sunday: February 2, 2014

READ: Luke 20

THINK: Luke 20:19 – 26 continues with another incident where certain scribes try to trap Jesus into saying something blasphemous or at least saying something that could lead to a trumped up charge against him.  Even after repeatedly failing to do so, they are undeterred. This is not unlike the political and cultural atmosphere we have in our world today. We witness a continual game of “gotcha” where adversaries seek to discredit or even ruin one another. Words get twisted, taken out of context, and misrepresented. Private conversations become public. Those caught in the middle often apologize profusely, as spin doctors busily explain. Jesus, however, is impossible to trap! No matter what he is asked, his brilliant answers turn the tables leaving his enemies completely defeated.

John Maxwell sums up this passage in his Lessons on Leadership: “One day the scribes sent spies to trap Jesus, asking whether it was right to pay taxes to Caesar. They knew that if he said yes they could label him a traitor. If he said no they could report him to the Roman authorities. They thought they had a perfect plan to silence this radical leader.

In a classic reversal, Jesus turned the tables on them. So Jesus answered their question with another question. Whose image was on the coin they showed him? He meant that any object stamped with a person’s image belongs to the individual pictured. This coin carried Caesar’s image so they were to surrender that coin to Caesar. On the other hand, God had stamped HIS image on them! They had been made in his image and should therefore surrender themselves to God.”

ASK: Have you surrendered your life to Jesus? Is HIS image stamped unmistakably on your life? This is a lifelong process and we need to daily commit our lives to HIM!

PRAY: Ask GOD to give us the wisdom to live in growing obedience and surrender to HIM!

Posted by on February 2, 2014 in Uncategorized.

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February 1, 2014

Saturday: February 1, 2014

READ: Song of Songs 4

THINK: Reread verses 9-15 from The Message. Consider this as God’s love poem to you. Songs of Songs, in describing the love relationship between a man and a woman, gives us a really intimate picture of how deeply God treasures us.

You’ve captured my heart, dear friend.
    You looked at me, and I fell in love.
    One look my way and I was hopelessly in love!
How beautiful your love, dear, dear friend—
    far more pleasing than a fine, rare wine,
    your fragrance more exotic than select spices.
The kisses of your lips are honey, my love,
    every syllable you speak a delicacy to savor.
Your clothes smell like the wild outdoors,
    the ozone scent of high mountains.
Dear lover and friend, you’re a secret garden,
    a private and pure fountain.
Body and soul, you are paradise,
    a whole orchard of succulent fruits—
Ripe apricots and peaches,
    oranges and pears;
Nut trees and cinnamon,
    and all scented woods;
Mint and lavender,
    and all herbs aromatic;
A garden fountain, sparkling and splashing,
    fed by spring waters from the Lebanon mountains.

 

Which image do you prefer to be in God’s sight?

·      a dear friend

·      one who looks God’s way

·      as pleasing as fine, rare wine

·      as fragrant as an exotic spice

·      one with kisses like honey

·      one who speaks each syllable with sensitivity to God

·      one whose clothes smell like the wild outdoors

·      a lover and friend

·      a private and pure fountain

·      a sparkling, splashing fountain

 

PRAY: Pray what’s on your heart after reading this passage. Maybe the thought of this kind of intimacy with God intimidates you. Maybe it excites you. Maybe you’ve never thought about it before. Maybe you need to grasp how deeply loved and treasured you are by God. Maybe you need to define your relationship with God in a new way. Maybe you need to understand what it means to treasure God deeply.

LIVE: Think about the answer or answers that you checked above. Cherish the idea today that this is how God cherishes you.

Posted by on February 1, 2014 in Poetry.

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January 31, 2014

Friday: January 31, 2014

READ: Deuteronomy 18-19

BACKGROUND: This is a section with plenty of things that can easily get lost in translation. Please feel free to ask questions you may have that aren’t covered here:

18:9 – The “detestable practices” are listed. This is the longest list on the Old Testament of evil pagan spiritual practices.

18:14-22 – This is a prophetic section talking about Jesus. As big as the shoes of Moses (the author of Deuteronomy) would be to fill, this section promises that an even greater one would come, and describes his prophetic role and function in detail. It’s a really cool prophetic passage!

19:4 – The key word is “unintentionally.” This is not a protection for murder but for accidental manslaughter.

19:14 – Boundary stones marked the edge of fields/possessions/territory. Moving them meant dishonestly trying to bring gain to yourself while robbing from someone else, and this was a serious offense.

19:21 – This is one of the most misunderstood verses in the Old Testament (along with the verses in Exodus and Leviticus where this principle is brought up). It is one that was misunderstood even in Jesus day, and one that Jesus addressed and helped us understand in Matthew 5:38-42. The big idea: punishment must be limited to fit the crime. There are consequences for actions, but they must not be unduly harsh. This wasn’t so much a demand that equal consequence be doled it as it was a prohibition – much like the one found in the United States Constitution – of cruel and unusual punishment.

THINK: Philo, the Jewish philosopher, once wrote, “Holiness toward God and justice toward men usually go together.” This principle is reflected over and over again in the book of Deuteronomy. God gives laws to govern his people, and those laws establish order in the society. But it is clear when reading them that God wants to do something more, that his law is aiming to accomplish the same things as Hammurabi’s Code or the Magna Carta or the U.S. Constition. God is interested in more than just an orderly society where every man, woman, and child is obedient. He want’s restoration and community. He wants people to move towards something, and that something is the kind of perfect life with him that they were designed for. And so God’s law is careful about protecting life and justice.

The establishment of the cities of refuge is an incredible example of this. Once Israel has settled in the Promised Land, they were instructed to establish places – in central locations with roads providing easy access – where anyone who had accidentally killed another person could go and be safe. Why was this necessary? Because ancient customs – in every culture that surrounded and influenced Israel – dictated that death must be avenged no matter what. An individual from the deceased person’s family would be put in charge of exacting a revenge killing of the one responsible for the death even if it was an accident.

God set up a protection against this injustice. Not for those guilty of murder. For this there were consequences. But for those whom, after trial, were found not to be guilty of murder. There had to be a way to protect and honor the sanctity of their lives. And to value justice and community above retribution and personal feelings. This is what the cities of refuge were all about.

God’s holiness and love are reflected in his passion for justice. And his justice is tempered with mercy. In the person and work of Jesus Christ God’s justice and mercy come together in and incredible way.

PRAY: Ask God how and where you can seek justice in a loving and merciful way. Ask him to line your heart up with his so that you are willing to pursue community and reconciliation above selfishness and revenge.

Posted by on January 31, 2014 in Law.

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January 30, 2014

Thursday: January 30, 2014

READ: Acts 27

THINK: A Sunday school teacher gave every boy in his class a New Testament and encouraged each of them to write his own name inside the front cover. Several weeks later, after repeatedly inviting the boys to receive Christ as their Savior, he asked those who had done so to write these words under his name: “I accept Jesus.” One boy scribbled instead, “I expect Jesus.” When the teacher talked to him, he realized that the boy knew what he had written after all. He had not only trusted the Lord for salvation but expected Him to be with him at all times and to do all He had promised.

That boy’s statement presents a simple yet profound commentary on the true meaning of faith. In Acts 27, we see the apostle Paul’s expectant faith. He was a prisoner being transported by ship to Rome when a violent storm arose and threatened to destroy the vessel. During the night, an angel of the Lord told Paul they would all survive (vv.23-24). He knew the word of the Lord could be trusted. In the midst of the storm, he said, “I believe God that it will be just as it was told me” (v.25). And so it was.

It should be no surprise to us when God keeps His word. It’s to be expected. There are so many times in our lives when we’re tempted to believe that God isn’t present or wont show up the way he has promised us he would. Like Paul, we can be confident that he will! Attempt great things for God, and expect great things from God.

PRAY: Thank God for his presence in your life. Expect him today to be there when and where you need him. He is for you and he is present!

– Adapted from Richard De Haan in Our Daily Bread

Posted by on January 30, 2014 in Gospels.

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January 29, 2014

Wednesday: January 29, 2013

READ: Acts 26

THINK: The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote a book on persuasive speaking called Art of Rhetoric. He described the three different forms of convincing others of the merits of your belief: ethos, pathos, and logos. Each one of these aspects of persuasion were on display in Paul’s passionate speech to Agrippa in Acts 26, and each one of them is valuable to us as we go out into the world and attempt to bring the truth and the hope of the gospel message to those living in darkness.

Ethos means character. It is the ethical example we set by the way that we live our lives. If we lack this critical aspect of Christlikeness then our witness and our gospel presentation will fall apart before it even begins. A big part of the reason Paul had the credibility to talk about Jesus to anyone, especially someone as powerful as Agrippa, was the integrity with which he lived his life. Our lives should point people to Jesus even before our words do.

Pathos means feeling. It is the passion with which we live and speak. If we don’t actually care about people – their hurt and their pain and their brokenness and their lostness – and desperately want them to encounter Jesus then our words will fall flat. Agrippa was moved by Paul because the emotion and enthusiasm with which he spoke. Step one is being passionate about Jesus. Step two is making sure other people know it when we tell them about him. How can we do this? Pretty simply, we can tell them about what Jesus means to us personally. We can tell them about the impact that the love and forgiveness of Jesus has on us as we move through every day.

Logos means reason or logic. When we live a holy life (ethos) we will stand out. People will want to know why and we have a chance to tell them what Jesus means to us (pathos). And then they’ll want to know why. And we can tell them the reasons (logos). The Bible tells in that we should always be ready to give reasons for why we believe what we do (1 Peter 4:15). And there are plenty of them!

Every one of us is called to be lights in the darkness and share Jesus with those around us. And, when we stop to think about all that God has done for us, how can we not? As we do, we should think about the ethos, pathos, and logos of our lives. Our character, our passion for our own story, and our reasons for believing are all important in helping others come to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

PRAY: Pray for an opportunity to share Jesus with someone today! Then…do it. 🙂

Posted by on January 29, 2014 in Gospels.

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January 28, 2014

Tuesday: January 28, 2014

READ: Luke 13

THINK: Author and pastor John Piper wrote: “We were made to know and treasure the glory of God above all things. . . . The sun of God’s glory was made to shine at the center of the solar system of our soul. And when it does, all the planets of our life are held in their proper orbit. But when the sun is displaced, everything flies apart. The healing of the soul begins by restoring the glory of God to its flaming, all–attracting place at the center. We are all starved for the glory of God, not self. . . . Into the darkness of petty self–preoccupation has shone ‘the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.’”

Genuine faith keeps God at the center. When we sin, genuine repentance restores the relationship (vv. 1–9). In the thinking of Jesus’ day (and perhaps in the thinking of some in our own day), people who suffer tragedies must have done something wicked to deserve it. Presented with an example, however, Jesus essentially said that all people are sinners and equally deserving of divine punishment unless they repent. We cannot say that bad things happening show that a person must be especially bad. We are all sinful. Like the fig tree in the parable, we all will be held accountable for our actions.

At present, the kingdom of God (vv. 18–30) is about people’s inner faith. The Lord can take faith as small as a mustard seed and turn it into a huge tree, or faith as small as a bit of yeast and mix it throughout a large batch of dough. Initially small and unimpressive, the mustard seed and bit of yeast will be victorious in the end, just as faith will be. In the future, the kingdom of God will be like a celebratory banquet of the faithful, global in scope but also full of overturned expectations. People who think they should be “in” will turn out to be “out” because they neglected the only banquet invitation that mattered—the “narrow door” of faith in Jesus Christ.

If “God so loved the world” and the kingdom banquet will welcome guests from all over the world, why did Jesus speak of faith as a “narrow door” (v. 24)? Because there is one and only one way to God—belief in His Son, Jesus Christ. No other way will do, no matter how “spiritual” or well intentioned. This truth offends many in our pluralistic age, but it reminds us of the rich necessity of seeing and savoring Jesus Christ.

PRAY: Ask God to help you see, seek, and savor him today. Ask him to help you push out anything that takes his place at the center of your life.

Posted by on January 28, 2014 in Gospels.

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January 27, 2014

Monday: January 27, 2013

READ: Song of Songs 3

BACKGROUND: Song of Songs 3:6-11 describes part of the wedding of the two lovers. The King is smelling good, dressed up and coming for his bride on a beautiful carriage.

THINK: Weddings are a big deal, not just because they take months to plan, and it is one of the greatest celebrations of friends and family – but wedding are a big deal because 2 people become one. Who will be my spouse? That’s a BIG important question.

Perhaps you, like me, spent many of your high school and college years dreaming about the groom you would be walking down the aisle to. Maybe that’s your reality right now. I wasn’t as into thinking through the wedding details as I was into the details of the guy. I made a “MUST” list and included everything he had to be if I were to be his wife.

Looking back at this list now makes me laugh, and makes me grateful. There were really silly things on that list, one being “must like wearing baseball hats.” Really Kels? That’s just dumb. However, other things on the list said, “Must: love God more than me, have a heart that is willing to be convicted and change, make me laugh, accept some of my crazy standards about kissing…etc.”

My husband didn’t match up to everything on my list. He never wore baseball hats and he didn’t play guitar. But when I met him, he was in love with Jesus. I got to be in friendship with him before we had a romantic relationship and I saw him growing and changing to be more like Christ. He made me laugh and as we grew closer together he grew a deep respect for who I was and the convictions Christ had given me.

I prayed a LOT about this relationship (and still do!). I knew that marrying someone who was unlike me in my convictions and desire to follow Christ would pull me farther from my Savior – not closer to him. I knew that saying yes to this man was going to be a forever yes. No matter how difficult it might get, no matter what storms we would face or emotions we might feel – this was going to be my one and only – forever. I sought the counsel of God and of others about our relationship because I didn’t want to choose a spouse who would not point me to Jesus. I also wanted to make sure I was the person that he needed me to be – and that I would be a spouse who encouraged him in his walk with Christ.

There are lots of people in the world. And most of them won’t lead you toward Jesus. That is a harsh statement but it’s true. If you set high standards about purity, about boundaries, about openness …you won’t have a long list of people to choose from. I’m not telling you to make judgments on people who aren’t following Jesus, but I am telling you that you have to realize they aren’t best for you.

You need to know what you are looking for. If all you are looking for is someone who makes you feel good and you think is cute, you are going to find a lot of options – but they might not be the right ones. You need to have high standards, and be willing to wait on God to bring the right person into your life. You also need to be the right person for someone else.

There are lots of really big decisions we make in life – but here are the 2 biggest and most important. #1. Who will be my God? #2. Who will be my spouse? Put God first in your life – fall in love with him before anyone else. Then, when God allows you to pursue a romantic relationship, don’t settle for anyone who is not also in love with Jesus. A marriage of two faithful followers of Jesus is the best kind of marriage there is. You can bank on it!

PRAY: Thank God for who he is and the perfect love he gives us. Ask God to give you patience and clarity as you wait for a spouse who will lead you to a closer walk with Jesus. If you are married, ask God to help you build up and encourage your spouse.

RESOURCES: Some good books on the topic that I highly recommend.

–Passion and Purity by Eilsabeth Elliot. I’ve had both male and female friends benefit greatly from her thoughts on so wanting a marriage relationship but having to wait on it. A huge encouragement for longing hearts.

–The Purity Principle by Randy Alcorn. Challenging read for both married and single people. Alcorn helps us understand that having ridiculous standards is worth it if we want purity in our lives and our marriages. And that that kind of purity is what we all truly want.

– By Kelsey Van Hemert

Posted by on January 27, 2014 in Poetry.

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