‘Tis The Season To Enter God’s Rest

by Jon Walker
The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional

“…There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest ….” (Hebrews 4:8b-11 NIV)

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

God invites us to enter the rest of his healing grace, trusting in his power and purpose for our lives. We rest in our Father’s arms, knowing he goes before and goes behind, knowing that his plans for us are good and not evil. (Jeremiah 29:11)

We enter this “let go and let God” rest through faith, where we cease to work and live independently of God (“… anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work …”).

Instead, we’re to focus our efforts toward entering this Sabbath-trust in God, a restful certainty that God’s got a handle on it all, and that he’s got our best interests in mind.

One writer illustrates this point by telling the story of a man walking down a dusty rural road on a hot, humid day. The man is loaded down with a heavy backpack and carries a duffle bag in each hand. A pick-up truck comes along, and the driver offers the man a ride, telling him to hop in the back.

The driver heads down the road, but when he looks in the rear-view mirror he sees that his new passenger is standing in the bed of the truck – still holding both duffle bags, still wearing the backpack.

The thing is: We stand in the truck of faith, still carrying our burdens, thinking they are independent of the ride we’re taking. Perhaps we think God can carry us, but not our burdens, that we have to keep bearing them ourselves.

What does this mean?

1. Rest in God – Rest in God’s power and grace, and work toward confidence (faith) that he is looking out for your best interests. “I believe; Lord, help my unbelief.”
2. Rest requires dependence – If you’re working independently of God, then you’re not at rest in God. Possible signs that you’re working independently: worry, a need to control, a crammed-full schedule.
3. Our Father’s heart encourages rest – Next time you feel overwhelmed by life, settle in a chair and “be still and know that he is God.” Give him your burdens – your backpack and duffels.
4. Faith leads to rest – Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:28-29, NIV)
   

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.

Jesus is Better than Santa

Jesus is Better than Santa

Santa lives at the North Pole.
JESUS is everywhere.
Santa rides in a sleigh
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa comes but once a year
JESUS is an ever present help.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies
JESUS supplies all your needs.
Santa comes down your chimney uninvited
JESUS stands at your door and knocks.. and then enters your heart.
You have to stand in line to see Santa
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa lets you sit on his lap
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.
Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, What's your name?"
JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.
Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly
JESUS has a heart full of love.
All Santa can offer is HO HO HO
JESUS offers health, help and hope.
Santa says "You better not cry"
JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you."
Santa's little helpers make toys
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.
Santa may make you chuckle but
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.
While Santa puts gifts under your tree
JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.

It's obvious there is really no comparison.
We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.
We need to put Christ back in Christmas.
Jesus is still the reason for the season.
May The Lord Bless You This Christmas And In The Year Ahead

Love in Christ

Ps: Thanks to my friend Dewi who sent me this. True... Christmas is about Jesus not Santa :)

The Lowly Baby Jesus

by Jon Walker
The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional

Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. (Philippians 2:6-7, NLT)

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Humility is such a slippery slope. The more conscious you are of being humble, the less likely you are to remain humble. It’s like the old joke about the humble man who received an award for his ever-present humility. The problem was, once he stepped forward to receive the award, they had to take it away from him. Ha!

The thing is this: Most of us approach humility in one of two ways.

1. The first approach is consciously acting as if we are humble; we create a false humility by trying to imitate what we think humility looks like.
2. The second approach is to assume we’re not worthy, that we’re some how second class.

Neither of these approaches reflects authentic biblical humility. The biblical approach to humility means you understand exactly who you are – but more importantly – you understand exactly whose you are, and that God has placed you where he wants you, for such a time as this.

In this way, your humility is not attached to your self-esteem.

In other words, rather than trying to think less of yourself, think more of God. You begin to agree with his view of you and that you are totally dependent upon him.
From this emerges a Christ-like humility. You’re no longer burdened by having to know all the answers or be in control of everything.

What does this mean?

1. Dependence requires humility – You will succeed in your purpose because of who God is, not because of who you are. God loves you and wants you to succeed; he will support you in your mission for him, not because you pretend toward perfection, but because he knows you can’t succeed without him.
2. Humility leads to purpose – As you move toward dependence (a biblical humility) on God, he gives you his strength for any task before you – to take the steps of faith required to complete your purpose. For such a time as this, God created you, prepared you, and called you to share the Good News.
3. Christ-like humility – Look at the picture of humility Jesus presents in Philippians 2. Ask God to show you what needs to change in your life in order for you to fit into this picture of humility. Where is there false humility? Or where do you believe you are, in a sense, worthless, that you are not fearfully and wonderfully made by God? “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.”
   

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.

Getting close to God

by John Fischer
The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional

“Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.” (James 4:8 NLT)

It’s been this way since time began. God set it up so we would seek him, and he would respond to us when we did. Is he playing hard to get? Well, he may be, only inasmuch as he wants a relationship with someone who wants one with him, and the way you show that you do is by seeking him. God will not force himself on anyone.

This is an incredible privilege he has given his creation, when you think of it. God joins in the give and take of a relationship with us! That means that if you don’t get close to God, well … you don’t get close to God. In other words, he gives us the integrity of making the first move.

I think this is what was meant in that strange passage in Matthew 6:7-8 when Jesus warns us not to give what is sacred to dogs and not to give pearls to pigs. God doesn’t reveal himself to those who aren’t interested in a relationship with him. And it’s no indictment on them; they simply wouldn’t get it. Dogs don’t know what is sacred. Pigs have no use for pearls. Their only value is what they can eat, so the real value of pearls would be wasted on a pig.

The truth about God is wasted on someone who is not interested in knowing him, so he doesn’t draw near to that person. He draws near to those who come to him. But believe me, once you show any indication of interest, he’s right there.

Actually, we all need God and we all know it. Even those who deny God and run the other way are desperately seeking him from some empty place inside. We just don’t all want to admit it.

But for those who do, God is all over any attempt on our part to get close to him. It makes no difference how you do this. There is no right or wrong way to seek God. You just seek him, and you keep on seeking him. There’s no end to this because there’s no end to God. There’s always more of him to discover and experience. Worship is never static. It keeps opening up more and more of God to us as we worship him and live our lives out according to his purposes.

Getting the right God

by John Fischer
The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional

Jesus said that those who worship God worship him is spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

The truth he’s referring to here would mean getting the right God.

Throughout the Old Testament, idolatry was the most reoccurring sin of God’s people, which is, the worship of the wrong god. The first of the Ten Commandments has to do with this: “I am the Lord your God who rescued you from slavery in Egypt . Do not worship any other gods besides me.” (Exodus 20:2-3)

Does this mean there are a bunch of other gods running around out there competing for our attention, and we have to somehow pick the right one? No. The Bible is very clear about there being only one God. The other supposed gods are substitutes. They are things (they can be people) that we substitute for the one living God.

We usually set up substitute gods because we want a god we can control, or, as in the case of setting up a person as a god, we want a god in complete control of us. The true God makes you think for yourself and come to your own conclusions. The true God doesn’t spell out every detail for you. We set up our authoritarian gods to do these things for us so we don’t have any responsibility. The true God doesn’t want robotic obedience. He wants a relationship.

But how do you know if you have the right God? The passage quoted above gives us a really big clue. “I am the Lord your God who rescued you from slavery in Egypt .” For the children of Israel , this was a dead ringer. No pagan god ever rescued them from anything, much less slavery in Egypt . This is very specific. No other god took them miraculously across the Red Sea, through the wilderness, across the Jordan River , and into the Promised Land. This description of God left no doubt.

What about you and me? What God freed us from slavery to sin and took us out of a place of bondage to it? What God came to earth in space and time and lived and died on a cross in order to do this? What God took us out of one place that was harmful to us and brought us into another place for our good?

The same things that identified God to his followers in the Old Testament identify him to us today. He existed in time and space (we read, study, and learn about him from his Word); and he affected our lives in a real way (he freed us from sin). We worship today a living, historical God who has changed our lives. Only one God can do that. Worship him.

It's Not The How; It's The Wow!

by Jon Walker
The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional

"Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20 NLT)

Long ago and far away, there was a teacher who worked painstakingly to teach me how to play the guitar. Every week, we'd climb up and down musical stairs crafted from the pentatonic, hexatonic, heptatonic, and octatonic scales. This emphasis upon technique frustrated me, and I grew to hate it so much that I abandoned the guitar – until playing it again became a positive part of my mid-life crisis.

OK, OK ... Yes, I would have been better guitar player today if I'd practiced what my teacher told me (and, kids, eat your spinach too). But somehow I became so buried in the technique of making music that I lost the exhilarating pleasure of the music – with its power to make my heart soar toward the grace-filled face of God.

You might say the “How” of guitar-ianity muted the “Wow!” of the music.
And in our well-intentioned focus on the “How” of Christianity, I sometimes wonder if we lose sight of the “Wow!” – that God's Holy Spirit lives within us and that he is with us always, day after day after day, until the very end of time.

Wow!

Can I get an “Amen?” Say this with me, brothers and sisters:

Wow! The God of the universe is present by his Spirit within me!

Wow! The God who spoke the world into existence lives within me!

Wow! The same God who placed the moon and the stars and the sun into the sky also placed his
spirit within me!

Wow! The God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills considers me one of his heirs and is pleased to give me a share in his kingdom!

Wow! The God of Creation spoke me into my mother's womb, SHAPEd me as a masterpiece crafted for the mission of proclaiming his Wow! throughout the world! (Jeremiah 1:5)
It's not the How; it’s the Wow!

Good God Almighty, he lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives in me today! (Galatians 2:20) The Wow! is with me always and forever, yesterday today and tomorrow, forever and again, amen.

The Good News we proclaim without shame is that the Wow! is in our hearts, and the Wow! will come into any heart that confesses Jesus Christ as Lord.

What does this mean?

1. Set your heart on the Wow! – You must be deliberate in staying focused on the Wow! "Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:1b-2 NIV)
2. Relationship over results – God is more interested in you than he is in your methods. Wow! And the Good News we carry is that God is truly interested in the life of each person he placed on the planet. Are there some relationships where you emphasize the How over the Wow?
3. No commandment harmed – No commandment was harmed in the making of this devotional. Ha! Staying intimately focused on the Wow! does not suggest the How is unimportant or that the Wow! can compromise biblical truth or downgrade "the way, the truth, and the life." (John 14:6 HCSB)
4. The greatest How – is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." The second is "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-40 HCSB)

The Wow! guides the How.

© 2007 Jon Walker . All rights reserved.

This bell is who we are... Amazing!!

THE BELL

I KNOW WHO I AM

I am God's child (John 1:12)

I am Christ's friend (John 15:15)

I am united with the Lord(1 Cor. 6:17)

I am bought with a price(1 Cor. 6:19-20)

I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)

I am a p ersonal witness of Christ (Acts 1:8)

I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt.5:13-14)

I am a member of the body of Christ(1 Cor 12:27)

I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)

I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant ( Phil.3:20)

I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31-34)

I am a minister of reconciliation for God(2 Cor.5:17-21)

I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)

I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)

I cannot be separated from the love of God(Rom.8:35- 39)

I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2 Cor.1:21-22)

I am assured all things work together for good (Rom. 8: 28)

I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16)

I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12)

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13)

I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)

I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16). I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)

I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). I have been justified (Romans 5:1)

I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's workmanship( Eph. 2:10)

I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected (Phil 1: 5)

I have been redeemed and forgiven (Col. 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child(Eph 1:5)

I belong to God

Do you know

who you

are!?

"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face toward youand give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26

Faith Reaches Out

by Mark Kelly

Matthew 9:20-22 (TEV)

20 A woman who had suffered from severe bleeding for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, "If only I touch his cloak, I will get well." 22 Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, "Courage, my daughter! Your faith has made you well." At that very moment the woman became well.

Everything about this situation was improper. This woman’s problem was more than physical. According to the Law, her illness made her unclean before God. Anyone she touched would be made unclean and have to endure the hassle of ritual purification. She had lived in isolation all these years, forbidden to touch or be touched. Her condition would have prevented marriage; if she had been married, her husband most likely had divorced her. She should not have been in a crowd where everyone was bumping into everyone else. If people hadn’t been so focused on Jesus, an angry mob would have chased her away.

This woman was desperate, utterly at the end of herself. She had no one to help, no hope for anything better in life ... except this teacher who everyone said could work miracles. Reaching out to touch Jesus was scandalously inappropriate. But Jesus was far more concerned about people than about religious rules. Desperate souls need the healing touch of God’s love and forgiveness – even more when those souls are isolated and alone. When we realize our only hope is Jesus, faith is met with healing. When our faith reaches out, desperate souls find love and forgiveness.

PRAYER: Lord, I’ve never been able to fix what’s wrong with me and neither has anyone else. Only you have the power to heal body and soul. Thank you for the healing you bring into my life. Help me be sensitive to those in the crowd around me, the lonely, hurting souls desperate for healing. Give me the faith to reach out to them – without worrying what others will think – so you can pour your love and forgiveness into their lives through me.

POINT TO PONDER: Faith reaches out, without worrying what others will think.

The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional

Jesus And The Jerks

by Jon Walker
Pupose Driven Life Daily Devotional

“But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NIV)

Jerk: A person regarded as disagreeable, contemptible, especially as the result of foolish or mean behavior.

One of the biggest jerks I ever knew was a 23-year-old college graduate whose anger and arrogance spilled into many of his relationships. His hypocrisy was astounding – one moment he claimed to be a Christian and the next he acted like a son of hell. If it had been my choice, I would have avoided him all together – but since that jerk was me, I was stuck being around him!
Most of us try to avoid jerks. We pat ourselves on the back for not telling them off. We applaud ourselves for putting up with them. We remind ourselves everybody has a cross to bear, and so we grudgingly accept certain jerks as our divinely ordained burden.
But is that what we’re called to do?

Jesus embraced jerks; he graced them with love – while stilling telling them the truth in love. Now he had no qualms about pointing out a whitewashed tomb when he saw one, but the corporate evil of the Pharisees was a far more serious matter than mere human jerkiness.
The point is this: Jesus didn’t shelter himself from the pain and heartache caused by jerks. In fact, he voluntarily stretched out his arms on the cross and allowed several jerks to slam nails into his hands and feet.

Behind all their stomp and snort, jerks are still spiritual beings, created in God's image and destined for heaven or hell. We’re compelled to be ministers of reconciliation, willing to embrace the pain of a fallen world for the sake of our God. (2 Corinthians 5:16-21)

The heart of the gospel is that God loves the unlovely. Could it be that the jerks God places in our lives are there to teach us to be more like Christ, to teach us the God-like quality of loving the unlovely?

Most of us take for granted the incredible change God initiated in our own lives: We were once jerks to God, yet even while we were still jerks, Christ died for us!

Jerks are never easy to embrace. If it were easy to love everyone, then Christ need not have died; we could love them on our own. But in order to embrace the jerks in our life, we need the Life of Christ within us so that, as new creations, we can overwhelm jerks with God’s grace, showing them the only power that will stop them from stumbling in the darkness, teaching them to cling to the only thing able to move them from being jerks to being Jesus-followers.

So what?

· Jesus loves jerks too – Even the most difficult people are spiritual beings in need of Christ.

· Jesus transforms you – Jesus can use the “jerks” in your life to transform you into a more Christ-like believer. Is it possible that the “jerk” who annoys you is God’s instrument to show you areas where you should grow, areas where you have difficulty loving unconditionally, the way that Christ loves you?

· God’s plan for you – If God allows a difficult person in your life, consider that he may want you to (1) pray for them and (2) show them by your own example how much God loves them, regardless of their behavior.

· Your mission – Who in your life seems disagreeable, contemptible, foolish, or mean? How would God have you approach them from now on? What can you do today to show them the love of Christ?

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.

The Truth About Feelings

by Jon Walker
Pupose Driven Life Daily Devotional

“… And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ ….” (Philippians 1:9-10 NIV)

Submitted now for your consideration is Pamela, a loving wife, a nurturing mother, a prayerful Christian. This morning her husband, Richard, left a tender note on the bathroom mirror, inviting Pamela to join him for lunch at their favorite restaurant.

Pamela eyes the clock all morning, anticipating meeting her life-long love at 1 p.m. She’s excited and feeling extraordinarily loved by her husband, so she leaves for the restaurant early so she can buy Richard a small gift. She splurges a little, buying two balloons that float from the ribbon around the present.

As she pays for the gift, she notices her cell phone isn’t in her purse – again. No matter, it’s 12:30 and in a few short minutes she’ll be with Richard, giving him her undivided attention. Who needs a cell phone in moments like that?

Pamela arrives at the restaurant first, and she patiently waits for Richard to arrive. What she doesn’t yet know is that there has been in a horrible, tragic traffic accident, and Richard died at about the time she was tying the balloons to his present, excitedly anticipating their romantic rendezvous.

The point to this painful snapshot is that our feelings don’t always reflect the truth. Pamela was soaring high on feelings of love, completely unaware of the awful truth bearing down on her. Her feelings are not yet in line with the truth.

Imagine Pamela as she waits for her husband. When he doesn’t arrive soon, she becomes annoyed. After 20 minutes, she’s irritated and hurt. Her feelings still do not line up with the truth.

By the time 40 minutes have passed, she is worrying. This just isn’t like Richard. Maybe something has happened. She borrows the restaurant's phone and calls Richard’s office. His boss says, “Pamela, we’ve been trying to reach you. There’s been a terrible accident ….” The truth and Pamela’s feelings collide – and become one.

There’s nothing wrong with our feelings; God gave them to us. As one of my friends often says, “Feelings are just feelings.” Sometimes they reflect the truth; often times they don’t. They can serve as an early warning system, such as when fear alerts us to danger, or they can draw your attention to the one God wants you to marry, when you feel an overwhelming sense of love.

But your feelings do not define the truth. Only God defines the truth. You may feel worthless, but the truth is you are uniquely created by God, who loves you deeply. You may feel like you can walk on water, but the truth is you can only do that if Jesus calls you from the boat. You can’t; God can.

The apostle Paul teaches us to discern the truth, not through our feelings, but through knowledge and insight. He writes, “… and this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ ….” (Philippians 1:9-10 NIV)

Eugene Peterson, in The Message paraphrase, translates that passage like this: “… You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush ….” (Philippians 1:9b-10a MSG) Otherwise, you end up in a life “shaped by things and feelings instead of God.” (Colossians 3:5 MSG)

Your feelings are from God; they are a gift, and there is no need to avoid them or be ashamed of them. However, God never meant for our feelings to measure our life and determine how we live it. Your feelings do not define you; they are not designed to interpret the situations you now face. Only God’s truth can define you, and only God’s truth can pass judgment on the circumstances of your life.

The great and best Good News is this: God’s truth is a person – Jesus Christ, our Lord.

So what?

· You are not your emotions – You are defined by God, not your emotions. You may not feel like it, but God says you are wonderfully and fearfully created in his image, accepted in the Beloved. He loves you no matter what you’ve done.

· God uses your feelings – God may use your feelings to reveal a piece of your heart that you need to turn over to him. He may use your feelings to draw you closer to him. Paul speaks of feeling like a wretched man, and that draws him deeper into the grace of God. Your feelings of hopelessness in a situation may be what God uses to show you that you’re hanging your hopes on the wrong thing – because he is the God of a hope that will not disappoint.

· Your obedience is based on the truth, not feelings – The facts may appear daunting, but it is up to God, not you and your feelings, to interpret the facts. God calls us to be obedient to the truth, not to the way we feel. As C.S. Lewis says in Mere Christianity, if you don’t love someone, behave as if you do, and your feelings will catch up.

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.

Helping Each Other Through Change

by Rick Warren
Daily Devotional Purpose Driven Life

“I hope you will be patient with me ….” (2 Corinthians 11:1a, NLT)

In order to manage change, you must remember five things –

Love each other

The first mistake most people make during change is to focus on what they’ve lost, instead of what has been gained – and that creates fear. The antidote to fear is love: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear ….” (1 John 4:18 NKJ)

It’s impossible for love and fear to exist in the same environment – If we’ll focus on loving each other, then we’ll break out of the self-centeredness that often emerges during change. The love that conquers fear involves thinking about others instead of focusing on your own needs – and the more you love, the less you fear.

Listen to each other

During transition, we must be “quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry ….” (James 1:19 NIV) If we get the first two right (quick listening, slow speaking), then the third (slow anger) will become automatic. It reflects the concept of “seeking to understand” before trying “to be understood.”

“Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.” (James 1:19 MSG)

Level with each other

We must speak the truth in love to each other if we’re going to walk together through change. It is human nature to avoid confronting someone directly, but then we fall into problems – even gossip – by talking to other people about the person we need to confront.

We can’t get close to each other until we deal honestly with our fundamental differences. “Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15 NIV)

Liberate each other

Finally, we need to show each other grace – “cut each other some slack” – during transition. Liberating each other means letting go and treating someone else the same way Jesus treats you.

In other words, we shouldn’t lean into legalism or lording mistakes over others. People will make mistakes, and our response should be to recognize that these things will happen. The goal is not to make those who make mistakes feel bad, but rather to let them get over it and move on.

God Spoke You Into Existence

by Jon Walker
Daily Devotional Purpose Driven Life

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.” (Jeremiah 1:5, NLT)

Dear one, you were started as an idea in the mind of God! Wow! You exist because the God of the universe thought you up.

The God who spoke the world into existence, the God who hung the moon and the stars, the God who set the sun in the sky – this creative Creator thought about you, was pleased by his thoughts and so he spoke you into your mother’s womb in the same way that he spoke the world into existence.

As my friend, Rick Warren, says in “The Purpose Driven Life,” you are not an accident. You were created by God at just the right time, in just the right place, with just the right SHAPE to serve God in this moment (“… For such a time is this …” Esther 4:14, NIV).

You are NOT a product of God’s assembly line; rather you are a unique creation, like a priceless painting from a grand master: “For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)

So what?

1. God’s selection – You were made unique by God. He carefully and lovingly selected your eyes, your hair color, your nose, your intellect, your personality. None of that is an accident. If you have been rejecting God’s design (of you), talk to him about your concerns, disappointments, or confusion. And when you are ready, thank God for his design of you.
2. Not an after-thought – You were not an after-thought of God’s; in fact, you were a fore-thought of his infinite love and grace. God accepts you; he even likes you.
3. Just in time – You have been born at just the right time to fulfill your unique role in human history. There will never be anyone else like you, and no one else is competing with you for God’s will for your life.
4. What will be your life? -- Ask God to give you a clear and present vision of your purpose in life, and then ask him to be your strength and wisdom as you live it out.
   

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.

Sharing Your Life Message

by Rick Warren
Daily Devotional Purpose Driven Life

“Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony of God in them.” (1 John 5:10a GW)

“Your lives are echoing the Master’s Word .... The news of your faith in God is out. We don’t even have to say anything anymore – you’re the message!” (1 Thessalonians 1:8 MSG)

When you became a believer, you also became God’s messenger. God wants to speak to the world through you. Paul said, “We speak the truth before God, as messengers of God.” (2 Corinthians 2:17b NCV)

Your Life Message includes your life lessons. These are insights you’ve learned about God, relationships, problems, temptations, and other aspects of life. David prayed, “God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course.” (Psalm 119:33 MSG)

Sadly, we never learn from a lot that happens to us. Of the Israelites, the Bible says, “Over and over God rescued them, but they never learned – until finally their sins destroyed them.” (P 106:43 MSG) You’ve probably met people like that.

While it is wise to learn from experience, it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others. There isn’t enough time to learn everything in life by trial and error. We must learn from the life lessons of one another. The Bible says, “A warning given by an experienced person to someone willing to listen is more valuable than … jewelry made of the finest gold.” (Proverbs 25:12 TEV)

Write down the major life lessons you’ve learned so you can share them with others. We should be grateful Solomon did this, because it gave us the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, which are filled with practical lessons on living. Imagine how much needless frustration could be avoided if we learned from each other’s life lessons.

Mature people develop the habit of extracting lessons from everyday experiences. I urge you to make a list of your life lessons. You haven’t really thought about them thoroughly unless you’ve written them down. Below are a few questions to jog your memory and get your started:

So what?

1. What has God taught me from failure?
2. What has God taught me from a lack of money?
3. What has God taught me from pain or sorrow or depression?
4. What has God taught me through waiting?
5. What has God taught me through illness?
6. What has God taught me from disappointment?
7. What have I learned from my family, my church, my relationships, my small group, and my critics?

A Pure Heart

by Jon Walker
Daily Devotional Purpose Driven Life

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10 NIV)

Oh God, create in me a pure heart ...
A heart that won’t run with lust after physical pleasure,
A heart that obediently refuses what you’ve rightly and wisely fenced away as sin,
A heart of love that never insists on its own way (1 John 2:16).

Oh God, create in me a pure heart ...
A heart that knows no greed when it looks upon worldly treasures,
A heart that thinks of others, and not itself,
A heart that argues for love instead of fairness.

Oh God, create in me a pure heart ...
A heart that never boasts about what it has or what its done,
A heart that walks humbly, not trying to appear more important than it is,
A heart that takes no pride in the flesh.

Oh God, create in me a pure heart ...
A heart that chases after you,
A heart that looks to you for its provision,
A heart that trusts that you are at work in others,
A heart that does not manipulate people or circumstances,
A heart that looks upon the things above and not the things below.

Heavenly Father, renew a steadfast spirit within me ...
A spirit committed completely to you,
A spirit that is not double-minded,
A spirit that is focused, and single minded on your purposes,
A spirit resolved to know Christ and Christ alone.

So what?

Start from the top of the devotional, and work your way down.

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.

Pass It On

by Jon Walker
Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional

“… The news of your faith in God is out. We don't even have to say anything anymore—you're the message!” 1 Thessalonians 1:8 (MSG)

God expects you to intentionally work at reproducing the life of Christ in others. You have this Jesus-deposit in you, and so God wants you helping others to become more like Christ.

Consider this: The mission is so vast, and your role is so critical, that he really wants you to be in thousands of places at once. Now, you may be thinking that’s humanly impossible and that God isn’t likely to defy his laws of nature to somehow place you in several different places at once. But God’s strategy is so simple, we might call it common sense.

He wants to work through you with his supernatural strength, guiding you to just the right places at just the right time to meet just the right people, so you can train them so thoroughly in God’s great truths that they will become living, breathing examples of Christ.

The Jesus-deposit in you transfers to them, and then they transfer it to others. In a sense, you are now able to teach simultaneously all over the globe because “Christ in you” is now “Christ in others.”

Some scholars call this the ministry of multiplication; it is the New Testament model for spreading God’s Good News rapidly through the intentional discipleship of believers. As the people you disciple, or lead to the Lord, share their faith, the Good News ripples across the global pond.

This is how the early church grew. The first followers of Christ welcomed with joy the message given by the Holy Spirit, and so they became a model to all the believers—their faith in God became known everywhere (1 Thessalonians 1:6-8). These were ordinary people, passing on the message they’d heard and received to the people around them, and then to the people beyond their own provinces.

Jesus compared this to the way yeast works, multiplying exponentially. In this week’s Bible verse (2 Timothy 2:2), Paul says he passed the message on to Timothy, who was to pass it on to other faithful believers, who would, in turn, pass it on others—that’s four generations of multiplication (2 Timothy 2:2)!

From now on –

· You are part of the equation. God expects you to multiply the Jesus-deposit he’s placed in you. You do this by intentionally passing it on to others, helping them to become faithful believers who will pass it on to others.

· Teach others, who can teach others, who can ... “And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2 (NAS)

· Question: How would your life be different if others had not worked to reproduce the life of Christ in you?

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved

Great Commission Eyes

by Rick Warren
Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional

“If you ask me, I will give you the nations; all the people on earth will be yours.” Psalm 2:8, NCV

Rick Warren joins us for the next few days --

As we’ve been discussing, the opportunities for normal, everyday Christians to become involved in short-term international missions are now literally limitless. It’s never been easier in history to fulfill your commission to go to the whole world. The great barriers are no longer distance, cost, or transportation. The only barrier is the way we think. Your perspective and attitudes must shift – so that you develop Great Commission eyes --

Shift from local thinking to global thinking -- God is a global God; he’s always cared about the entire world (“God so loved the world ….” John 3:16, KJV). From the beginning he’s wanted to call forth, from every nation, the people he created.

The Bible says, “From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be. God has done all this, so that we will look for him and reach out and find him.” (Acts 17:26-27, CEV)

Much of the world already thinks globally. The largest media and business conglomerates are all multi-national. Our lives are increasingly intertwined with those in other nations as we share fashions, entertainment, music, sports, and even fast food. Probably most of the clothes you’re wearing and much of what you ate today were produced in another country. We are more connected than we realize.

These are exciting days to be alive. There are more Christians on earth right now than ever before. Paul was right: “This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is changing lives everywhere, just as it changed yours.” (Colossians 1:6, NLT)

One of the best ways to switch to global thinking is to just get up and go on a short-term mission project to another country! There’s simply no substitute for hands-on, real life experience in another culture. Quit studying and discussing your mission and just do it! I dare you to dive into the deep end.

In Acts 1:8 Jesus gave us a pattern for involvement: “You will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem , in all Judea, in Samaria , and everywhere in the world.” (Acts 1:8, CEV)
His followers were to reach out to their community ( Jerusalem ), to their country (Judea), to other cultures ( Samaria ), and to other nations (everywhere in the world). Note that our commission is simultaneous, not sequential. While not everyone has the missionary gift, every Christian is called to be on a mission to all four groups in some way.

So what does this mean?

• Become an Acts 1:8 Christian -- Set a goal to participate in a mission project to each of the four targets: your community, your country, other cultures, and other nations. I urge you to do whatever it takes to participate in a short-term mission trip overseas as soon as possible. It will enlarge your heart, expand your vision, stretch your faith, deepen your compassion, and fill you with a kind of joy you have never experienced. It could be the turning point in your life.
• Watch the news with Great Commission eyes -- Wherever there is change or conflict, you can be sure that God will use it to bring people to him. People are most receptive to God when they are under tension or in transition. Because the rate of change is increasing in our world, more people are open to hearing the Good News now than ever before.
• Prayer is the most important tool for your mission in the world -- People may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers. The Bible tells us to pray for opportunities to witness, for courage to speak up, for those who will believe, for the rapid spread of the message, and for more workers.
• Begin praying for specific countries -- World-class Christians pray for the world. Get a globe or map and pray for nations by name. Also, pray for missionaries and everyone else involved in the global harvest. Paul told his prayer partners, “You are also joining to help us when you pray for us.” (2 Corinthians 1:11, GW).

The Five Priorities of a Godly Husband - Part II

Jay Sklar, Ph.D.
Two Becoming One

In Part One of this series on the priorities of a godly husband, we considered the priorities of loving God and loving our wives. We saw that loving God above all else is the greatest command in the Bible (Mark 12:30) and serves as the foundation for our lives and our marriages. We also saw that we are to love our wives in the same way that Jesus loved the church, namely, through self-sacrifice. We now consider three more priorities of a godly husband.

Third Priority: Manage Your Family (Ephesians 6:4)

Parents are exhorted to bring up their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. In Deuteronomy 6:6-7a the Lord commands: "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children." Fathers in particular are commanded to instruct their children in the ways of the Lord: "Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4).

This last verse contains an important contrast: exasperating children vs. bringing them up in the instruction of the Lord. Yes, children are supposed to obey their parents (vv. 1-3). "But fathers," Paul says, "do not make this difficult for them!" (v. 4). Godly fathers are not dictators who need to prove their authority by constantly giving orders and commands and making new rules. Instead, godly fathers focus on helping their children to understand who the Lord is - they want their children to know that God's ways are good ways and that his commands are for their good.

1. Since God is the perfect Father, one of the most practical things we can do is get to know God better. What is his character like? How does he respond to us as his children? As we grow in our understanding of who God is and how he relates to us, we will grow in our understanding of how we are to relate to our children.
2. A second step to take is to seek out the counsel of those who have gone before us. Søren Kierkegaard once said, "We have to live life forwards, but can only understand life backwards." The trick, then, is to find someone whose "backwards" is your "forwards"! Seeking out a godly father for wisdom and advice is invaluable.

Fourth Priority: Provide for Your Family (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12)

The importance of providing for our families should not be missed: "For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: 'If a man will not work, he shall not eat'" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Paul is not talking here of those who earnestly desire work and have been laid off or are struggling to find a job. He is talking about those who are lazy. Thus he continues: "We hear that some among you are idle ... Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat" (vv. 11-12).

Providing for our families presents at least two different challenges. On the one hand, some of us find that our jobs can be unenjoyable and frustrating. On the other hand, some of us choose to let our jobs take a higher priority than our wives, families or even God himself.

1. The first thing we need to do is recognize that we are called to be faithful servants of Christ in whatever job we have. When Paul writes to Christians who are slaves he gives this advice: "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does" (Ephesians 6:7-8a). Even if we don't enjoy it, we need to be faithful to God in the work that he has provided.
2. If we are letting our jobs take a higher priority than our families and God, we need to repent. Of course there will always be times when our jobs demand more of us than at other times, but many men make the mistake of feeding their egos and ambition through their accomplishments at work at the expense of their wife, children and relationship with God.

Fifth Priority: Be Involved in a Local Church (Hebrews 10:25)

My wife, Carolyn, and I have some good friends who live in England. For a while, things were a real struggle in their married life. The turnaround began with two things. First, the husband began to cultivate his relationship with God. He is a corporate lawyer, and very busy, but loving God was so important to him that he began meeting on a weekly basis with another brother to pray. Second, he and his family got involved in a good, Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. This was very instrumental in his growth as a husband and in the growth of his entire family in the Lord.

The practical step to take here is quite obvious: get involved in a good local church that believes in the Bible and teaches it well! Involvement in a local church is not an option for the Christian: it is a command. "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another -- and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25). This is absolutely essential to the spiritual well-being of your family.

(c) 2003 Christian Family Life

Free To Serve

by John Fischer
Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional

“For you have been called to live in freedom – not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13)

What will you use your freedom for?It’s an important question, since one of the greatest things about being born again is the freedom that comes from the Spirit of God. “And wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, he gives freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)

In Christ we have been set free from the power and the penalty of sin, free from trying to earn God’s favor, free from the insatiable need to please ourselves, and free to know the truth.Even though we may not be aware of all these freedoms, they are nonetheless true and available to each of us by faith.

But the question Paul addressed in Galatians is what we use this freedom for. He suggests that we use this freedom to lovingly serve each other.

Notice the things we have been set free from, they all revolve around the self. Think about it.Most of us have spent the better part of our lives getting all the attention. Even the guilt, self-pity, and regret we love to wallow in are all about us. Imagine freeing up the thinking time we put into self-indulgence – feeling guilty, judging others to feel better by comparison, and figuring out how to please our selfish desires – and imagine spending that time on someone else.

First you will need to remind yourself of your freedom in Christ because forgetting that is what gets us stuck in the first place.Then use that freed-up time to identify with what someone else is going through and plan how you can serve him or her.

If being free to serve sounds like an oxymoron, it’s only because we have all become so used to being in bondage we can’t imagine being free.But free to serve is what we were meant to be.It’s how we become useful to God.

Next time you catch yourself absorbed in you-know-who, stop and think about what you can do for someone around you.Remember your freedom in Christ and spend it on others.Think about what their needs might be – ask them, if you don’t know – and serve them in love. It’s time for someone else to get our attention for a change.

It’s All About Jesus

by John Fischer
Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional

“When I came to you … I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-2 NIV)

The Gospel message has gotten a little foggy these days with all the attention being paid to politics, family values, and culture wars, and a lot of folks have lost track of the fact that it’s all about Jesus. Ask the man on the street what a Christian is today and you’re likely to ask a long time until you hear anything about Jesus or the cross. Our message, from beginning to end, is Jesus – who he was, what he said, and what he did.

The last recognized revival in this country was a movement primarily among baby boom youth in the early 1970s that was quickly dubbed the Jesus movement. It got that name because everything was focused around Jesus. When you think about it, Jesus was the ultimate hippie – he wore long hair, sandals, and he was against the establishment – and a generation of ideological kids embraced Christ, even while they rejected religion and the institutional church. Jesus was the central figure in all of this. What is now called Christian music was originally called Jesus music. Christians were called Jesus freaks. Now I’m not suggesting we all go back to tie-dyed T-shirts, bell-bottom pants, and Jesus rock, but I am suggesting we could learn something from this emphasis that transcended politics and religion.

Our message is all about a person, and our mission is to share that person with the world. God made us to belong to him; we wandered away; Jesus is the way back. A whole generation of young people found that out 30 years ago and nothing’s really changed about the heart of the message. It’s a personal message. It’s non-threatening. It’s all about a meaningful relationship with God that comes to someone by way of a meaningful relationship with them. There’s not a lot of baggage here. Our main concern is to introduce ourselves to people and in doing so, to introduce them to Jesus, because, as far as we’re concerned, that’s who it’s all about.

Jesus came to save us, unite us, and teach us to love one another. We’ve added a lot of other stuff to this and I’m not so sure it’s helping us do what we’re supposed to be doing. If it makes you more loving to your neighbor, then it’s probably a good thing. If it makes you your neighbor’s enemy, then it’s probably not. If it’s all about Jesus, then it’s definitely “right on!”

A Battle of Wills

by Jon Walker
Purpose of Driven Life Daily Devotional

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 NAS)
Do you respond to God’s direction, even when you don’t understand what’s going on?

Part of the strength God gives you to “do all things through him” is the ability to choose to do his will, even before you know the full implications of what that means. He will begin to change your “wanter,” developing within you more and more of a ‘want’ to do his will.

But this is where we often stall in our steps toward being more like Jesus. We get into a battle of wills with God, wanting him to reveal his plan first, and only then – when we have a full understanding of his plan - will we decide to respond, or not.

But that has us walking by sight, and not by faith, the exact opposite of how God teaches us to walk: “We live by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Am I willing to decide – in advance – that I will do what God asks me to do, no matter what it is? Am I abandoned to him and his will, believing he will strengthen me to do all the things he asks? Or do I behave as if I believe I am the final judge of what is best for my life: “God, show me the whole plan, wait for me to understand, and then I’ll decide whether or not to do what you ask.”

The Good News is that, even if you’re not ready for immediate obedience, God will give you strength to be honest with him. He already knows about your hesitancy, so he won’t be surprised by prayerful confession, such as: “Father, I'm not sure I'm ready to do your will. I don't know if I want to do it or not.”

Yet God is gracious and patient. Tell him, “I don't know that I’m willing to step out in faith without first knowing everything that’s going to happen, but I'm willing to be made willing.”

So what?

· Build your confidence in God – Each time you take a step of faith, your confidence in God will increase, as you see that he is waiting for you on the other side of your decision.
· Polaroid vision – Each time you take a step of faith, God will reveal more of his plan to you. It’s what Rick Warren calls “Polaroid vision:” You can see God’s picture developing, but not all of it is visible right away.
· Grow into God’s vision – You may be frustrated that God hasn’t shown you the whole picture of his vision for you, but he may be holding it back because he knows you will be overwhelmed by what you see. He’s calling you to a God-sized mission, one that will appear impossible for you to complete. But that’s the point – there’s no way you can fulfill your mission without God and his strength working within you.
· Relax in God’s will – If you think discovering and following God’s will depends entirely on you, then you’ll probably start getting nervous, wondering, “Am I taking the right step here? Have I missed something?” God doesn’t need you to figure it all out; he’ll provide the answers as you need them.

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.

In Our Humble Opinion

by Jon Walker
The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional

“And being found in appearance as a man, [Jesus] humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8 NIV)

Humility is such a slippery slope. The more conscious you are of being humble, the less likely you are to remain humble. It’s like the old joke about the humble man who received an award for his ever-present humility. The problem was, once he stepped forward to receive the award, they had to take it away from him. Ha!

The thing is, most of us approach humility in one of two ways:

• The first approach is consciously acting as if we are humble. We create a false humility by trying to imitate what we think humility looks like.
• The second approach is to assume we’re not worthy, that we’re second class and permanently assigned to the back of the bus.

Neither of these approaches reflect authentic, biblical humility. The biblical approach to humility means you understand exactly who you are – but more importantly – you understand exactly whose you are, and that God has placed you where he wants you, for such a time as this. In this way, your humility is not attached to your self-esteem.

In other words, you don’t have to think less of yourself. Rather, you begin to think more of God, and you begin to agree that you are totally dependent upon God, and from this emerges a Christ-like humility. You’re no longer burdened by having to know all the answers or to be in control of everything.

It is God’s job to solve the problems of the world. Your job is to walk in humble obedience to what God tells you to do.

So what?

• Dependence requires humility – You will succeed in your purpose because of who God is, not because of who you are. God loves you and wants you to succeed. He will support you in your mission for him, not because you pretend toward perfection, but because he knows you can’t succeed without him.
• Humility leads to purpose – As you move toward dependence (a biblical humility) on God, he gives you his strength for any task before you and his strength to take the steps of faith required to complete your purpose. For such a time as this, God created you, prepared you, and called you to share the Good News.
• Christ-like humility – Look at the picture of humility Jesus presents in Philippians 2. Ask God to show you what needs to change in your life in order for you to fit into this picture of humility. Where is there false humility? Or where do you believe you are, in a sense, worthless, that you are not fearfully and wonderfully made by God? “Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.”
  

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.

Love Forever

No one falls in love by choice, it is by CHANCE.
No one stays in love by chance, it is by WORK.
And no one falls out of love by chance, it is by CHOICE

He did something for you, now do something for him.

Spread his word, and you'll be rewarded.

How will you be rewarded?

Matthew 10:32

"Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father in heaven"

~~~

Do prayers reflect belief?

by Jon Walker
The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional

“Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: ‘Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You've concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people.’” (Matthew 11:25 MSG)

What do your prayers reveal about your perceptions of God?

I was thinking about this question the other day while reading a book by the great prayer warrior T. W. Hunt. In The Disciple’s Prayer Life, Hunt and co-author Catherine Walker say we learn about the attributes of God by analyzing the prayers of people in the Bible.

For instance, when Daniel knelt to pray, he knowingly violated a civil code that required he only pray to a king-proclaimed god. From Daniel’s prayer, we learn that God is the most high God, and there are no other gods above him.

When Cornelius, a Gentile, prayed, seeking salvation from the God of Abraham, we learn from his prayer that there is only one true God.

These, and many other prayers in the Bible, show us the character of God and help us know him more intimately. But then I started thinking, “What would someone learn about God if they listened to my prayers? Would they see that he is trustworthy? Would they see that he’s pure and holy?”

I have to admit that sometimes my prayers reflect more of a wishful faith that hopes God is listening and willing to answer, than a confident expectation that God will do what he has promised to do.

Prayers like that suggest a god who is not trustworthy, a god who isn’t concerned about the circumstances of my life, a god who reflects my own weak faith, as opposed to a God who is trustworthy, caring, and faithful.

So what?

• Know God – Do your prayers reveal the truth about God, his character as described in Scripture? Align your prayers with God’s great and unsurpassed character. He is El Shaddai, the all-sufficient One, able to meet any and all of your needs.
• Pray Scripture – Align your prayers with God’s Word. One way to ensure this is to pray sections of Scripture. In other words, take a passage and use it as the basis for a prayer to God, personalizing it to your circumstances and needs.
• Provision list – Thank God that he does answer your prayers. In fact, keep a prayer list that records your prayers and the answers God provides. It will supply ample, consistent evidence that God is involved in your life and constantly cares for you.
  

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.

Love God with all your weakness

By Jon Walker
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind …." (Luke 10:27 NIV)

No doubt it sounds strange, but in order to love God with all your strength, you have to admit that you are weak and that your strength is limited.

By doing this, you acknowledge God as the true source of your strength, and that in your weakness, he is strong. You become strong as you become totally dependent upon him, allowing his strength to work through you.

As you allow God to show his strength, you will find yourself doing things you never thought possible. God promises you can do all things through the Father as he gives you his strength (Phil. 4:13). You’ll take steps of faith you never thought possible, and you’ll love others in a way you never imagined as God supplies you with supernatural strength and energy.

God is strong and he wants you strong. He will change you in places where you cannot change yourself, and he will transform the broken places of your life in order to use them for his own glory.

God doesn’t ask you to take steps of faith alone; he is with you in every step, filling you with a grace-charged strength. God only asks you to take one step of faith at a time.

So what?

· Tell God you need his strength – and really mean it this time. Ha! When you try to love and serve others with just your own strength, you’ll inevitably fail. After all, there are a lot of frustrating, unlovable people out there. (Just ask some of my friends!) And that’s OK because God wants you to fail in your own strength so you’ll start to rely upon his strength.

· You can’t love God wholeheartedly – Jesus knows you won’t be able to love God with your whole heart until you become dependent upon his strength to do so. You simply can’t do it through your own energy or strength, but Jesus also knows you’ll come to realize this yourself the more you attempt to love God – and others – on your own. At that point, you’re faced with a very clear but difficult choice: Keep on keeping on in your own strength, wondering why this abundant life thing doesn’t work, or take the “Nestea plunge” into the deep end of dependence on God’s strength.

· One step of faith at a time – Relying on God’s strength doesn’t mean he will require you to take giant leaps of faith. He’s taking you on a lifelong journey, and my experience is that God only asks for one step at a time. The so-called “leaps of faith” you see some people take actually are the culmination of a lot of little steps of faith that you may not be aware of. The first step is to ask God to be your strength as you take your first steps of faith. Willingness to rely on him is a step of faith.

· Question for meditation: How dependent on God am I each day as I walk out my faith? Where am I moving independently of him?

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.

Christ In You

by Jon Walker
The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional

“God wanted to make known to those among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27 HCS)

While moving through the line at a college cafeteria, one of my friends spotted a note stuck in a bowl of apples. It read, “Please take only one apple per student. Remember, God is watching!”

When my friend, one apple in hand, got to the end of the line, he spotted another note – this one hand-written – next to a bowl of cookies. It read, “Take all the cookies you want! God is watching the apples.”

Has it ever struck you how comically absurd it is for us to behave as if God is compartmentalized, convincing ourselves that somehow we can live separated from – or hidden from – God’s omnipresent spirit?

But this belief – and the resulting behavior – is contrary to the Gospel. The brutal and bloody death of Jesus was not just about paying the penalty of our sins; it also released the Holy Spirit to scrub us white as snow so this Jesus-Spirit could live within us.

When you become a believer, God breathes the Holy Spirit into you (John 3), creating a constant connection between you and the Heavenly Father, a flowing fountain of living water springing up into life eternal. (John 4:14)

To echo Ian Thomas, who is an obedient teacher of Christ, the work of Jesus allows God to come out of heaven and dwell inside you. You now have the energy and power of Jesus working actively within you, transforming you from the inside out. (Ephesians 2:10)

You are united with Christ, but not in some New Age mystical sense – He is God, and you are not– I repeat not – any sort of God. As a Christian, you partake in the Divine nature, but you are not divine. (2 Peter 1:3-4) You’re merely – yet quite uniquely – a trophy of God’s grace, wholly and totally dependent upon him for your salvation, your sanctification, and the next breath you take.

The Good News is simply this – Christ in you – and that is your only hope for glory (that is, an eternity with God). “The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message.” (Colossians 1:27b MSG)

So what?

· God is our strength – Here’s a radical “so what?” With the Spirit of God inside, you can stop praying prayers like, “God, please give me strength.” The fact is, he is your strength. Your prayers can move toward allowing his strength to transform you. (Strength is just an example here – this also applies to wisdom, peace, joy, etc.)

· Up close and personal – God is not a distant God. His spirit is working within you. Paul suggests this is a down payment on the eternity to come, but it also shows that God values intimate relationship over rules or religion.

· Expect God to work in you – You are “God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works ….” (Ephesians 2:10a NIV) Don’t hope that he’s at work in you; expect him to work in you, transforming you into a reflection of Christ. Ask God where he’s working in you, and then expect him to show you.

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.

The Secret

One day, one friend asked another:

"How is it that you are always so happy?
You have so much energy, and you never seem to get down.

With her eyes smiling, she said:

"I know the Secret!"

"What secret is that?"

To which she replied, "I'll tell you all about it,

but you have to promise to share the Secret with others."

"The Secret is this:

I have learned there is little I can do in my life that will make me truly happy.

I must depend on God to make me happy and to meet my needs.

When a need arises in my life, I have to trust God to supply according to HIS riches.

I have learned most of the time I don't need half of what I think I do.

He has never let me down.

Since I learned that 'Secret', I am happy."

The questioner's first thought was,

"That's too simple!"

But upon reflecting over her own life

she recalled how she thought a bigger house would make her happy, but it didn't!

She thought a better paying job would make her happy, but it hadn't.

When did she realize her greatest happiness?

Sitting on the floor with her grandchildren, playing games, eating pizza
or reading a story, a simple gift from God.

Now you know it too!

We can't depend on people to make us happy.

Only GOD in His infinite wisdom can do that.

Trust HIM!

And now I pass the Secret on to you!

So once you get it, what will you do?

YOU have to tell someone the Secret, too!

That GOD in His wisdom will take care of YOU!

But it's not really a secret...

We just have to believe it and do it...

Really trust God!

Believing Your Uniqueness

by Jon Walker
The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotation

“The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me — to tell people the Good News about God's grace.” (Acts 20:24 NCV)

God gave you a unique role to play in his Kingdom.

You’re the only person in the world who can live your particular life for the glory of God. There is no one else in the world with your unique mix of spiritual gifts, passions, abilities, personality, and experiences. God shaped you for a very specific ministry, and no one else can fulfill your mission.

If you don’t do it, nobody else can!

Paul writes, “The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me — to tell people the Good News about God's grace.” (Acts 20:24, NCV) To Paul, the most important thing we can do is to be on a mission to tell others about God’s Good News.

Telling people about Jesus is more than just a matter of life and death; it involves the eternal destiny of those waiting to hear about Jesus from you. God doesn’t want us to waste a precious minute of our lives doing things that don’t matter — if the most important thing we can do is left undone.

It’s never too late to move faithfully into your mission for God. You may think you don’t have any skills God can use, but the truth is that God would never send you on a mission without making sure you had everything you needed – including your unique shape – and the Holy Spirit active within you.

So what?

· Take inventory – Through your spiritual gifts, passions, abilities, personality, and experiences, God has uniquely shaped you for your mission. Take an inventory of your life and think it through: What mission do you see God has prepared you for?

· Don’t waste God’s grace – The Apostle Paul writes, “But because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I'm not about to let his grace go to waste. Haven't I worked hard trying to do more than any of the others? Even then, my work didn't amount to all that much. It was God giving me the work to do, God giving me the energy to do it.” (1 Corinthians 15:10 MSG)

· What if it’s true? – How would you live differently if you really believed God had created you for a unique mission, one that only you could accomplish?

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.

Jesus Answers Your Fears

by Jon Walker
The Propose Driven Life Daily Devotional

“Be friendly with everyone. Don’t be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people.” (Romans 12:16 CEV)

When we’re in Christian community, we do a lot of things right, but we still have a lot to learn about being “friendly with everyone.” (Romans 12:16) Many of us, particularly the guys, are not very good at developing deep, deep friendships.

But that shouldn’t discourage us – because we “can do all things through Christ.” As believers, we can be eternal optimists, and our relationship with Christ provides us with tremendous potential for developing authentic, transparent friendships.

The fear in all this is that, in order to truly know other people, I must be willing to be known, allowing others to get close enough to see the real me. And that sounds a little scary, doesn’t it? What if there are parts of me that I’m not proud of or need a lot of work?

These fears are common to anyone, but Jesus is the answer to your fears. Did you hear that? Jesus doesn’t just provide the answers for your fears – Jesus is the answer to your fears.
Whether these deeper relationships are with other believers who strengthen us in our faith, or with unchurched people God wants to love through you, keep two things in mind:

First, Jesus invites you to know him intimately. Jesus isn’t afraid of deep relationships. In fact, he went to the cross to ensure you could be “accepted in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:6), no matter what you’ve done or no matter how far you need to come.

Second, your intimate friendship with Jesus will help others see that it’s not so scary to know and be known. A godly community emerges when we observe, practice, and model transparent, authentic, no-strings-attached relationships.

So what?

· You have to take a risk – “Being known” by others means risk. Every time you reach out to another person in friendship, you risk being rejected or misunderstood. The risk may be even higher with non-believers because of the difference in worldviews and values.

· You can’t do it alone – Your friendship with Jesus gives you the strength you need to risk building friendships with others. For that matter, your friends need Jesus’ strength to develop a deep relationship with you!

· You need to start now – If we wait until our lives are cleaned up before we develop deep Christian friendships, then it will never happen. Growing up in Christ, and maturing as a believer, are lifelong pursuits and require a deeply loving, committed community.

· Think about it – Are there barriers that keep you from building deeper friendships? Who are the people God wants you to reach out to in friendship?

© 2007 Jon Walker. All rights reserved.

Because of you

by John Fischer
The Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional

Your mission is to live your life.

In 1 Corinthians 7, the Apostle Paul addresses believers who are married to unbelievers, and outlines a general rule that if the unbelieving spouse chooses to stay in the marriage, it would be good for the believer to stay, too. He gives two reasons for this: First, the children will have a godly influence through the believing parent, and second, the unbeliever may be converted “because of you.” (1 Corinthians 7:16) (Exceptions to this rule would of course be situations of abuse and endangerment of a spouse or child.)

Just what does he mean by “because of you,” I wonder? Does it mean you are on a personal crusade to save your spouse? Does it mean that you will preach the Gospel to your spouse at every possible opportunity? Does it mean you will turn your house into a religious institution that coerces your spouse to either put up with Christianity or leave? No, it doesn’t mean any of these things.

It means simply what it says: “… because of you” – because of who you are, because of how you live, because of the way your faith affects everything you do, because of the way you carry on your life, because of the reality of Christ in your life. That’s it. No more; but certainly, no less. Paul is suggesting that living your life with a sense of purpose that comes from your faith in God is enough to convert someone.

It occurs to me that this could be applied to all believers in relation to life in the world among people with whom we work and associate who are not believers. General rule: Don’t leave the world. (Where would you go anyway?) Stay in the world – in relationships with unbelievers – for the chance that someone may be converted “because of you.”

We are not on a crusade; we are on a mission to live our lives according to God’s purposes. When we do that, we make possible an environment of change where a person who does not have a meaningful relationship with God might become curious about someone who does. “Because of you” is a statement of subtle influence, not coercion, and in the context of Paul’s advice in 1 Corinthians 7, it is a steady influence over time, as would be implied by a marriage. There’s nothing complex or even premeditated about a “because of you” influence. This is a believer going about the process of believing; and this is an unbeliever going over their life with a microscope, observing the good, the bad, and the ugly. Does not matter if God is there.

Thought for the day: Don’t ever sell short what God can do “because of you.”