“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Matthew 5:6
Satisfied? If you’re not, the solution isn’t to keep trying to get more of whatever you’ve been chasing. The solution is to change the appetite of your heart. Jesus says satisfaction is found in wanting more of God. God’s love and majesty are not short on supply and He’s eternal, so there’s expiration date.
You made a mistake, you’re not a mistake!
**Someone is reading that and saying “yeah but people need to repent!” Yes, we do need to repent. ALL OF US need to repent. And then we need to receive the forgiveness Jesus paid for on the cross, and let our gracious Heavenly Father wrap His divine arms around us and feel His love for us. His grace is sufficient. There’s no sin you can imagine that is stronger than His love in Christ.
Come home prodigal! God loves you. You made mistake, you’re not a mistake!
I hate addiction. It’s horrible and affects so many. It’s not something that just happens to “those people” either. No one is above it or beyond it. Addictions can rob us of our freedom, our joy, and worst of all, our friends and family. Speaking of friends and family—they hurt just as bad as the one who’s addicted, sometimes worse. Addiction can be devastating and deadly. But I believe there’s hope! Mostly because I believe in the goodness and power of God. And I believe there’s strength to be found in a loving, truth-telling community of people who wanna see you beat it. I believe there’s freedom in being honest about the problem and grace found in the right kind of accountability. I believe we should never give up on ourselves or others, because God never gives up on us.
If you’re reading this and hurting as you struggle with addiction, or are hurting as your loved one struggles, please know that even though it may seem like you’re alone, you’re not. God sees you and a lot of people love you. Don’t isolate. Look up and reach out. None of us have all the answers, but we’re here and willing to listen. You’re not reduced to your addiction, you’re valued and loved by God and others! Tomorrow’s a new day and God’s not done with you yet! 🙏🏼 #LookUp
Famous philosopher Garth Brooks 😎 said “tell that someone that you love, just what you’re thinking of, if tomorrow never comes.” More importantly, God tells us “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.” (Ps 144:4)
Bottom line? Let’s not waste time that we don’t have, holding on to words that we need to say! Here’s a few things that if needed, ought to be said to a loved one TODAY:
•I love you
•I forgive you
•I’m proud of you
•Thank you
•I miss you
•I’m sorry
•I’m praying for you
Daniel had a “posture” of prayer—Scripture says he “got down on his knees” (Daniel 6:10). Out of love for you, I’d like humbly encourage you to try following Daniel’s example sometime (if you’re physically able). Not because God can’t hear you when you’re standing up, but because the act of getting on your knees can play a role in conditioning your heart to be sincere in your reverence and approach toward God. I’m hesitant to share suggestions like this bc I don’t wanna sound legalistic or superstitious. I’m not. It’s not about that, at all.
One more posture suggestion and I’ll quit rambling. 1Tim 2:8 says to “pray, lifting holy hands.” My understanding of raising our hands is that it is a sign of surrender. Definitely fitting for prayer. Like getting on our knees, raising our hands could also help our prayer life. So if you’ve had double knee replacements and want to strive for a posture of prayer, raise em up! 🙌🏼 Just not when you’re driving 😅😳😂
What’s cool is these are things to be done, just between you and God! Not to be seen, not because you think it’ll make God love you more, or to make you a better prayer than others, but just bc you love God and want to approach Him with reverence and honor from the inside out. You can’t always do these things, but sometimes you can. Hope that’s helpful.
🙏🏼🙌🏼🙏🏼🙌🏼
Big ol’ moon out tonight, reminding us of our dependence upon God. The moon has no light of its own, neither do we. The moon gets its light from the sun. We get our light from the Son.
Imagine staring at your own naval while standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon. Crazy right??? But that illustrates us much of the time, looking inward instead of upward. None of us are immune to the tendency to become self-focused and joyless. God offers seeking Him and his Kingdom as a glorious alternative to living in the small sad kingdom of self. In Matthew 6:33 He says “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Psalm 16:11 says “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” And Romans 11:33 says “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!”
Imagine living in awe of God, immersed in His character and work, living by faith, with purpose, compelled by His love, and seeking His glory, rather than being self-absorbed and stuck. Many of us are pleasantly surprised to learn that the our deep hunger for meaning, purpose and identity, that sometimes causes us to turn inward toward self, is actually found in turning outward and upward, to God.
#LookUp
“Prayer is asking God to incarnate, to get dirty in your life. Yes, the eternal God scrubs floors. For sure we know he washes feet. So take Jesus at his word. Ask him. Tell him what you want. Get dirty. Write out your prayer requests; don’t mindlessly drift through life on the American narcotic of busyness. If you try to seize the day, the day will eventually break you. Seize the corner of his garment and don’t let go until he blesses you. He will reshape the day.” ― Paul E. Miller, A Praying Life
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted… – Psalm 34:18
Heartbreak is a part of life as we know it. You can’t run from it, avoid it, or ignore it. What you can do is seek the presence of the Lord when you’re in it. He’s near to you there. In the tears, pain and confusion, when even your soul hurts, in a unique and special way, he’s especially near to the brokenhearted. The view is great from the peaks, but life is lived in valleys. He’s near to you there, in the valleys, in the heartbreak.
One day we’re gonna be in his presence for all eternity, free from heartbreak. Until then, we’ll rejoice when we can, stay thankful, keep looking up, and when necessary, we’ll seek his presence in the pain, knowing he’s near to the brokenhearted.
Some of us struggle against an irrational fear of failure and of letting other people down. Though it manifests in various ways, at the heart of it, it’s a theological problem that stems from a lack of trust in God and his providence and plan. I’ve prayed with many people who face this issue and have recently began sharing a very helpful sermon on the subject. The sermon is by Tim Keller and titled ‘Does God Control Everything?’ If you’ve ever lost sleep worrying, been anxious, battled overworking, or just want to know more about the love of God and his plan, please give it a listen. Link below:
