Devotional: God's Love Toward Us by Chadia M.

God is Love -1 John 4:8


Many times we fail and many times we have regrets. As human beings, we cannot be as perfect as we would like to be. The apostle Paul expressed it better when he said that he wanted to do good, but evil takes advantage of him. We are the same way. Personally, there was a time when I felt very unworthy of the love of Christ because of all the bad things I kept on doing. When I looked at my fellow Christians all around me, I fell into despair. They looked so perfect! So, I kept on wondering what was wrong with me. Was I meant to be sinful all my life? Didn't I believe enough? Or didn't God hear my prayers? The only thing I knew was that I needed to change...

It was in that mess that the Lord showed me how much He loves me. Dear friends, Jesus doesn't love you because you are perfect or because everybody else thinks you are nice. No. He just loves you. It doesn't matter who you are (cute, tall, thin, fat...), it doesn't matter who people think you are (boring, not cool, lovely, funny...), or what your qualities and flaws are. He loves you whether others do or not, and He loves you when you do wrong and when you are good, because He knows your value. You are precious in His eyes. That is proven by the fact He showed His love for you by spreading His blood on the cross when you were still a sinner (Romans 5:8). Now, you are made perfect in His eyes and when the devil tries to tell you that you are still a sinner, just confess that you've been washed in Jesus' blood and that you are holy just like the Father.

You must know that your name is "Beloved" in God's heart and that nothing can separate you from His love, which is so perfect (Romans 8:35-39). So do not waste your time in thinking about your failures and mistakes. Instead, believe in the God who loves you more than anyone else. You know what? He knows that you want to change, and that's what He also wants for you. But victory is in prayer and in faith. Pray for yourself and be sure that God's unending love will provide for you and you will be amazed. God's love toward His children is perfect; it never changes. I saw that same love changing my life completely, breaking my chains, giving answers to my hardest questions, and taking me out of my troubles. Today, you can see that same love acting in your life if you trust in it. You may feel alone, but His love went nowhere; it is still there by your side. Just open your eyes, and you will see.

What a wonderful story written by Chadia M. She has a heart that burns for the Lord and a passion to see people turn toward Christ. I hope you will continue to trust in the Lord today in all circumstances. Be encouraged by Chadia's words. Till next post.

Write for Him: The Story of Godly Girls for God

"Dont let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers, in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity." 1 Timothy 4:12


Write for Him is the story of how God has brought together an online community of girls bound together by a hobby of writing. The twenty-five young ladies feature in this book represent ten different countries and many different backgrounds. They put their trust in God to overcome additions, put away distorted views of God, learn how to cope with losing a parent, deal with bullies, face their fears about future, and trade the messages of the world for the Truth. When they wrote these devotionals, fictional stories, testimonies, poems, and quizzes, they ranged in age from 11-24. Each writer desires to glorify God and encourage others by sharing a part of her life. We pray that the reflection of the faith, love, and hope of these girls will inspire in you a passion for God's Word, so we can continue to grow together in to the women God desires for us to become.

Write for Him is written by Hillary Beth Koenig and has over 30 devotionals written by young girls. Check out this book soon! It has encouraged me in my walk. I will be posting some of the devotionals from the writers of this book (you will read of real girls with true delight, and read of their walk and their passion for God) to encourage you and your walk with the Lord.

Wanting more...

Set a fire down in my soul, that I can't contain or control. I want more of you God. There is no other place I'd rather be, but here in your love.

"Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you." Ps. 16:1-2

Standards

God you teach me something new daily. You have taught me through Ephesians 4 that we are not along in this battle we call war. You are building up your church “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers” each of these giftings' represent different parts of your foundation. Your foundation is the floor plan of our lives. You have given us responsibility because you have equipped us. Your people are to do your work and build up the church, the body of Christ. We as the church should shine as your bride.

Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. - Eph 4: 9-16

Story

The heart and soul of the Bible is its story, yeah? :) It is the real saga of a particular people, how God called them and intended for them to bring blessing to all people. WE are God's people also. God isn't interested in our stellar performance but in our hearts. He loves our willingness and obedience despite our insecurities.

Trusting God in the Face of Difficulties: Inspired by David Wilkerson

Nothing honors God more than trusting him in the face of difficulties. How quickly we forget the miracles and past blessings.

In Psalm 106 we see Israel beholding an incredible miracle as the Red Sea caved in upon the Egyptian army, drowning every soldier. “When they saw the Egyptians lie in the sea before them, then they believed in God, and sang his praise.” And the next words that follow are, “They soon forgot his works” (verse 13).

But we cannot trust our faith to past experiences—we are too forgetful and recall is too fragile. Past experience alone will not be enough to strengthen us in present difficulties. We need fresh faith—anchored in a daily supply of the Word of God—a fresh word from God!

Trust God when facing difficulties and God will trust you with more of his grace, his all-sufficiency and his strength.

To trust God in the face of dire difficulties requires a venturing faith—committing all things into his caring hands. There comes a time we must launch out into the deep and cast every care upon him. This venturing faith is all-pleasing to him.

Faith is our only hope, our only way out of difficulties. So let us step out and commit all to him!

Be of Value

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. -Romans 12:11,12


Before reading the passage below or looking any further I would like to summarize two characters...
Rick Rusaw -wonderful Man of God.
Dr. Lester Ford -encourages Rick to strive for his hopes, dreams and ambitions for his future and stretches us (me) to depend more on God and less on ourselves.

I love reading this passage, it's so encouraging!!! :)

I had just moved from my home in upstate New York to Ft. Myers Florida, to being my first job in a local church. It was a wonderful place with a real opportunities. But I also had plenty of dreams for the future that stretched far beyond the confines of that Florida church. I was very ambitious. And while ambition can be healthy, ambition clothes in immaturity can be disastrous.

There was an 80-year-old minister on staff at that Florida church. His name was Dr. Lester Ford. Dr. Ford had been an engineer, preacher, and college president. He had moved to Florida to retire, but a few days a week he gave his time to the church. And I have no idea why, but Dr. Ford took me under his wing.

One day at lunch he asked me what I wanted to do with my life. With Plenty of enthusiasm I shared the dreams on my heart. Dr. Ford listened carefully. He helped me shape my ideas. He encouraged many, and he smiled or laughed at some, as though they were distantly familiar to him. After a long time, Dr. Ford leaned across the table and said to me, "Rick, you have plenty of great dreams, and you should never stop dreaming, but along the way, learn to be of value where you are. Because if you don't learn to do that, you won't have much of a future. And you can't be of value somewhere you're not."

"Be of value where you are." That was the advice the retired minister gave me. It was OK to dream about tomorrow, as long as I was giving energy, passion, and prayer to what I was doing today.

As the years have gone by, a lot of the dreams I shared with Dr.Ford have come true. I have viewed the fulfillment of those dreams as precious gifts-gifts that arrived when I chose to be faithful through difficult times, to be of value where I was.

Dr. Ford went to be with the Father a long time ago. On one of our last visits I thanked him for his friendship and his investment in me. He smiled, took my hand, and looked me straight in the eye. "Just be of value where you are, Rick," he said, "because you never know what God has in store."

-Rick Rusaw

As we look towards our future we should remember to look around for opportunities now.
1.) What are some specific ways you can "be of value where you are?