Why It's Important to Wait on God by Sheila Walsh

Why It's Important to Wait on God Waiting. It isn’t easy, especially when we are waiting on God, but Scripture is filled with the stories of men and women who experienced agonizing periods of waiting on the Lord. Abram and Sarai waited twenty-five years for God to fulfill His promise that someday they would have a child. When Isaac was born, they were old enough to be great-grandparents! The Israelites suffered for more than four hundred years in Egyptian slavery, waiting for God to deliver them from their cruel bondage. After Samuel had anointed him king of Israel, David waited years to assume the throne that was rightfully his. For three long days Jesus’ followers waited for hope to break through their darkest despair as His battered body lay in the tomb. Jesus rose from the dead and returned to the Father to prepare a home for us, and we who call Him Savior and Lord have been waiting more than two thousand years for Him to return. The difficult work of waiting often seems to be part of our relationship with God. His timing is just different from ours. The apostle Peter wrote, “Do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (2 Peter 3:8). What does this have to do with our quiet time with God? When I enter into that space with God, I often experience a period of waiting, and I think that comes with being human. Don’t be discouraged if you struggle to quiet your mind or you feel as if your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling. Grant yourself the gift of relaxing into the wait. If you gently continue to turn your heart back to Him, simply waiting on Him, you will experience His presence. And His presence will be worth the wait! Excerpted from  5 Minutes with Jesus: Quiet Time for Your Soul by Sheila Walsh. © 2017. Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

The Valuable Lesson We Can All Learn From Loss by Maria Goff

The Valuable Lesson We Can All Learn From Loss  “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 Loss visits all of us. None of us gets to opt out. Rather than praying that we never experience loss again, our prayer should be that God would show us what’s possible on the other side of the loss. While we’re waiting to find out what God might have for us, we might be sad for a while but we’re not going to be stuck. We’re going to move forward. Love keeps us going and hope moves our feet. God does not put loss in our lives to show us His power. God does this to allow each of us to go through difficult times to show us His presence through it. It’s as if He reminds each of us in our most difficult circumstances that the most beautiful waterfalls only happen in the steepest places in our lives.

Excerpt from Love Lives Here by Maria Goff © 2017. B&H Publishing Group. Used by permission.

Hannah's Praises

Rejoice in amazement over God's miraculous intervention! My heart rejoices in the Lord! ~ 1 Samuel 2:1

Hannah's Praises from the Once-a-Day Devotional for Women My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. – 1 Samuel 2:1-2 During this Advent season you will probably hear a reading of Mary’s prayer, in which she thanks and praises God for allowing her to bear Jesus, God’s Son (Luke 1:46-55). Her ancestor Hannah had the same feelings of gratitude towards God and shared the same prayer (1 Samuel 2:1-2). Both of them were linked across the centuries as women who gave birth to special babies — the prophet Samuel to infertile Hannah, and Jesus to the virgin Mary. Hannah’s prayer rings with amazement over God’s miraculous intervention in her life. Her celebration of God in prayer was her answer to her enemies — the Lord himself had answered her request for a son. In our prayers, we should imitate Hannah’s example by looking for the ways God has blessed us. Our praise for God’s work in our lives is the best testimony to others. What will capture people’s attention is not the size of God’s answers, but the fact that God does answer prayer. Find ways this week to tell others how God has answered your prayers. Prayer Dear Lord, oh how You have blessed me! My heart rejoices in You… Excerpted with permission from Once-a-Day Devotional for Women copyright Zondervan.  * * * Your Turn What are you rejoicing in God about today? How has He blessed you?

He's Coming! The Expected One by Scott James

He's Coming! This shout of anticipation is the heart of Advent, the time of year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The weeks leading up to Christmas Day are a special time of reflection on God’s gift to us: the child Jesus. Rejoicing in Jesus’ birth certainly brings glory to God, but sometimes we can forget that God didn’t just send a child into the world; He sent a mighty Rescuer! The image of the Child in the manger should fill our hearts with praise because we know what that Child would grow up to accomplish—He would save His people from their sins. This story is not just for those of us who live after Jesus’ time, though. The people of God have always known what Jesus’ mission would be. How did they know about this divine rescue plan before Jesus actually came? Because God promised the whole plan to them, and every single part of it was designed to become true in Jesus. No, God didn’t just promise His people that a miracle child would be born. He also promised that this Child would grow up to be the loving Shepherd of His people, the place-switching Sacrifice, the resurrected Lord, and the righteous King who reigns in glory forever. But there is yet another promise: this King is coming back for His people! As we celebrate the first coming of the Expected One during Advent, let’s also look forward in hopeful anticipation of His second coming. Let’s keep in mind the whole picture of who Jesus is, worshipping Him as the fulfillment of all of God’s promises to us, “For every one of God’s promises is ‘Yes’ in Him” (2 Cor. 1:20 HCSB). The Expected One by Scott James © 2014, B&H Publishing Group. Used by permission.

God's Title: His Name is Lord by Sally Lloyd-Jones

"Thoughts To Make Your Heart Sing may be the best, first introduction for children to have their own time with God." — Dr. Tim Keller

God's Title: His Name is Lord by Sally Lloyd-Jones, from Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing

When someone important is being introduced, the announcer usually says, “Mr. So-And-So — Founder of This Extra-Important Company!” or, “Miss Something Else — Nobel-Prize-Winning Inventor of This Brilliant Thing!” Do you know how God likes to be introduced? His name is the Lord... Father to the fatherless, defender of widows. — Psalm 68:4-5 (NLT) Our Almighty God, who sifted stars through His fingers, stands not with kings and princes, but with the weak, the powerless, the poor. Because the people no one else thinks are important have a special place in God’s heart. He hears their cries. He fights for them and defends them. And one night long ago, in Bethlehem, He stepped out of Heaven and became one of them.  Excerpted with permission from Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing by Sally-Lloyd Jones, copyright Zonderkidz. * * * Forward to a Friend Watch the Video Your Turn Is that how you think of God — as the One who aligns with the outcast, underappreciated, disenfranchised, stepped on, poor, orphans, and widows? As the One who stands with you in your own powerlessness? Today, let’s meditate upon the outrageousness of God to have stepped out of Heaven to stand with us and defend us!

Those Who Sow in Tears Shall Reap with Shouts of Joy by Sheila Walsh

Psalm 126:5: Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!

Those Who Sow In Tears Shall Reap with Shouts of Joy  by Sheila Walsh, from 5 Minutes With Jesus

A Bottle of Your Tears When I opened the gift from my friend, I wasn’t quite sure what it was. The small glass bottle was a beautiful cobalt blue, about two inches tall, covered in sliver filigree. I thought it might be a perfume bottle, albeit a very small one, but her note explained that it was actually a tear bottle she’d found in an antique store in Israel. I did a little research and discovered that tear bottles were common in Rome and Egypt around the time of Christ. Mourners would collect their tears as they walked toward the graveyard to bury their loved one, a tangible indication of how much that person was loved. Sometimes women were even paid to follow the mourners and cry into such a vessel. Apparently the more anguish and tears produced, the more important and valued the deceased person was perceived to be. But legend has it those mourners-for-hire who cried the loudest and produced the most tears received the greatest compensation. I treasure this little blue bottle because it reminds me of a profound spiritual truth David wrote about in Psalm 56, when he was at one of the lowest points of his life. David had been captured by his enemies in Gath (he had actually feigned insanity to survive), but he found comfort in the fact that God saw everything he was going through and caught every single tear he shed. I love David’s confidence in the mercy and faithfulness of God even when he himself had not been faithful to the Holy One. David knew without a doubt that Almighty God never misses a moment, a tear, or a sigh from any of His children. Do you rest in that truth, or do you question that God loves you that much? Do you ever feel alone? Have you ever thought, “No one on this earth understands the depth of my suffering”? If you’ve taken a wrong turn in the road, are you expecting God to hold back His mercy until you get back on the straight and narrow? That’s not the God David knew; that’s not the God of the Bible. We have a Father who keeps track of all our wanderings and catches every single tear we cry. When we begin to grasp the depth of that truth, we can say with confidence just as David did, This I know: God is on my side! — Psalm 56:9 Your heavenly Father knows your every struggle and never leaves your side. Five Minutes in the Word You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book? — Psalm 56:8 ESV The Lord hears His people when they call to Him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. — Psalm 34:17-18 He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. — Psalm 147:3 Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! — Psalm 126:5 ESV Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. — Matthew 5:4 ESV * * * Excerpted with permission from 5 Minutes With Jesus by Sheila Walsh, copyright Sheila Walsh. Published by Thomas Nelson Forward to a Friend Your Turn If you’re in a season of tears, God is on your side! The Lord will bind you up, and joy is coming. Even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.

1 Sneaky Lie from Satan that we Actually Believe by Holly Gerth

1 Sneaky Lie from Satan that We Actually Believe An excerpt from Do You Know You're Already Amazing? A cool breeze brushes Eve’s cheek as she walks through the Garden of Eden with her husband and her God. She breathes in a deep sigh of contentment. Life is good. She feels no self-consciousness, worry or fear. She is loved. She is content. She is safe . The next day she hears an unfamiliar voice as she picks fruit. “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1). No one has ever questioned God before! She says to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die'" (Gen. 3:2–3). Perhaps she expects this explanation to satisfy the snake. But he continues, "You will not certainly die. … For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:4–5). We know how the rest of the story goes. Eve eats and paradise is lost. But what lie entrapped her heart? What did she believe? When I read this story, one phrase jumps out at me: "you will be like God" (v. 5). In other words, you’re not enough as you are. And with that lie comes a sinister implication: God is holding out on you. Ironically, it’s the same reason the serpent fell. Not content with his identity or position in heaven, he grasped for all of God’s glory and lost everything. He’s still trying to drag God's daughters down with him. When I talk with women as an author, counselor, life coach and friend, I hear the lie Eve believed repeated so often. And I’ve heard it in my own heart as well. The enemy has not changed his tactics much since the beginning of time. That one lie has a variety of versions: You’re not lovable enough. You’re not good enough. You’re not beautiful enough. You’re not smart enough. You’re not successful enough. But all of those expressions have the same message. Somehow, in some way, we must be lacking. Who God has made us and what he has given us are not really adequate. That can seem true because we were once all sinners in need of a Savior. But once we give Jesus our lives, he restores all that was lost in the fall. We are enough because Jesus is enough in us. When the enemy tries to convince our hearts that’s not true, what can we say in response? He started his temptation of Eve with, "Did God really say … ?" I believe we defeat him by answering with "Here’s what God really does say. …" That’s the tactic Jesus used when the devil tempted him, and we can follow his example. For example, when we hear the lie, "You are not enough," we can answer with what God says to us through Scriptures like these: I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Ps. 139:14) His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life. (2 Pet. 1:3) Part of the armor of God is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17). You don’t have to act defenseless. You are a woman. You are a warrior. You wield God’s Truth, and it cannot be overcome.

Do You Know You're Already Amazing? by Holley Gerth © 2016. Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Used by permission.

the Strength You Need: God Strengthens Us by Robert Morgan

The Strength You Need: God Strengthens Us by Robert Morgan from The Strength You Need

The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. — 2 Chronicles 16:9 Missionary biography is my favorite genre of inspirational reading. Here we find accounts of truly unforgettable characters who found themselves in unbelievable situations, often in danger, doing the world’s greatest work on the front lines for the kingdom. These are the stories that encourage me to do more and to do better. On a recent vacation, I devoured an old paperback autobiography of Mabel Francis, an American worker who sailed to Japan in 1909, sent by the Christian and Missionary Alliance. She labored there through World War I, through the Great Depression, and in the difficult years leading up to World War II. She was in her sixties when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Mabel decided to stay in Japan and continue her work as best she could during the war. She wanted to be there after the conflict — whoever won or lost — to spread the healing message of the gospel in a postwar era. As the war worsened, Mabel was placed under house arrest in her Tokyo home. Over the years, she had won the respect of the local police and governmental officials, and they treated her with humanity. In return Mabel turned her home into a sort of small hospital and tended the sick who came to her. But finally the day came when she was interred in a wartime prison camp, which was housed in a large building in Tokyo. Though never mistreated, Mabel’s deteriorating conditions were lonely, sparse, and frightening. The food became worse and worse, and some days there was none at all. Toward the end of the war another danger arose. The Allies began bombing Tokyo, and every night she heard the droning of B-29s in the skies over Japan. The explosions came closer and closer. One night a bomb destroyed an adjacent building and the fire spread. The prisoners were herded into the streets where they huddled in the open air with flames all around them, surrounded by suffering people, orphaned children, weeping women, and broken men. In her autobiography, Mabel described the difficulties of those days. The whole city was in ruins. She was weakened, undernourished, and exhausted, and she faced unbelievable suffering on every side. With no money, she was desperate and destitute. That’s when Mabel opened her Bible and found a single verse that stayed with her the rest of her life. It was a verse about personal strength, about physical, mental, spiritual, moral, and emotional stamina. It was 2 Chronicles 16:9. In her book, she wrote: Then, God gave me the promise of Second Chronicles 16:9: “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.” The eyes of the Lord...” He knows just where the money is and where our help is coming from. This was to be our source of strength all through those days, as one miracle followed another.1 The rest of Mabel’s book tells about the indelible ministry she conducted in postwar Japan — the open doors and the incredible things that happened through her. She teamed up with the Japanese pastor of the First Methodist Church, located in Ginza, the main street of Tokyo. The church had a big hole in its roof because of a bomb, but that turned out to be a blessing. Every night the church sponsored gospel concerts and the music rang out through the hole, spread over the center of the city, and drew people in. American GIs flooded Japan, and many were zealous Christians. Mabel recruited them to do a tremendous work in Tokyo and beyond. A series of programs called the GI Gospel Hour became the means of many Japanese citizens coming to Christ, and it led to the founding of Far Eastern Gospel Crusade. Today it’s known as SEND International, sponsoring about six hundred missionaries in more than twenty nations in Asia and elsewhere. Mabel also went down to Hiroshima and led people to Christ who had survived the atomic bomb. She helped organize a church among the survivors. After the very first service when nearly everyone was gone, Mabel noticed a little woman standing at the side who seemed to want to say something. Mabel took her hand and asked her to sit and talk. “The morning when the bomb struck,” said the woman, “I was at my home, up on the mountainside. My two little children were playing on the floor — a one-year-old and a three-year-old. I stooped down to pick up something, and in that second, that awful flash of light came! I was startled, and stood up to look around, and when I looked back, my two children were charred at my feet — both dead. I didn’t know then that I was all burned, I was so concerned for my little ones. I picked them up and laid them aside, and pretty soon I began to feel the pain in my own body. Then I found how badly I was burned.” The woman went on to tell Mabel of her overwhelming despair, her suffering, and her attempts to drag herself to every shrine and every temple, looking for peace, but nothing helped. “But tonight you told us of this God’s love, and that it was He who created us, and you said my children are with Him — I believe it! I believe it! My heart is comforted. Light has come to me.” In this way, Mabel, with unflagging energy, brought hope and healing to the only nation in history decimated by a nuclear attack. When she finally left Japan in her old age, the entire country owed her a debt of gratitude. She was recognized as an honorary citizen of her city and honored for her lifetime of service, which was accomplished in the strength of the Lord. Her secret, as she always said afterward, was the promise of 2 Chronicles 16:9: “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” This very same promise is as available to us now as it was in biblical times or during the days of World War II. It’s for you and me just as surely as it applied to Mabel or any other missionary. It’s a promise with no geographical limitations. It’s a promise of strength with no expiration date. It has no shelf life; it’s perpetually fresh and potent. The eyes of the Lord never droop, never close, never slumber, and never sleep. Every moment of every day our Lord’s eagle eye scans every corner of the globe, surveying every heart of every person, looking for someone, for you, for anyone whose heart is fully committed to Jesus Christ. He gives us strength to turn our messes into momentum and our battles into victories. For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. Mabel Francis, One Shall Chase a Thousand (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, Inc., 1968), 83; 103-104. * * * Excerpted with permission The Strength You Need by Robert Morgan, copyright Robert J. Morgan. Published by W Publishing, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Forward to a Friend Your Turn Are you in need of strength from the Lord? Stop and turn your heart towards Him. Be fully committed to Him. He sees you. He sees your need. And He will give you strength.

One Purpose: To Showcase His Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada

God created you and me for one purpose: to showcase His glory. — Joni Eareckson Tada from A Spectacle of Glory

One Purpose: To Showcase His Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada from A Spectacle of Glory

God created you and me for one purpose: to showcase His glory — to enjoy it, display it, and demonstrate it every day to everyone we encounter. What does it mean to put His glory on display? It means highlighting His attributes and characteristics. It means making hard choices to do the right, or righteous, thing. It means keeping your tongue from gossiping, going out of your way for a neighbor in need, telling the truth even when it’s hard, not snapping back when someone hurts you, or speaking freely and openly about your Father in heaven. In short, it’s living like Jesus lived when He walked on earth. In the Old Testament, God used visible things like a burning bush or a pillar of fire to show His glory. In the New Testament, God displayed His glory through His Son, Jesus. But Jesus doesn’t physically walk on earth anymore. So how does an invisible God display His glory in this age? Through you. What a privilege! Father God, what an honor I’ve been given! You no longer choose burning bushes through which to speak; You choose people like me. Point out ways I can showcase Your character and glorious qualities to others today. In so doing, I’ll be glorifying You and living in the way I was created to live. * * * Excerpted with permission from A Spectacle of Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada, copyright Joni Eareckson Tada. Published by Zondervan. Forward to a Friend Your Turn How is God glorifying Himself through you today? How do you feel the Holy Spirit helping you to behave like Jesus towards others which showcases His character?

Truth Remains / Nourish #weeklymorsel

Truth Remains An excerpt from the new book, She Reads Truth Like the rock that withstands the raging fire, the Truth will remain. Everything around it will perish, but the Truth—and the One who gives it—will remain. The prophet Isaiah stated it plain as day: “the grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever” (Isa. 40:8). Jesus, standing on a mountain, said the same to His disciples: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away” (Matt. 24:35). And listen to these no-nonsense words from Peter’s second letter: “But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed” (2 Pet. 3:10). The facts of our lives will melt away with the heat; they were never meant to last. But when the trappings of this temporary life burn away, what will be revealed? Is my life hidden in the immovable, imperishable rock of God and His Word, or am I climbing hills made of lesser things and hoping for the best? If the stuff of life will burn away, why can’t I ignore the cares of today and simply hold out for the eternal tomorrow? I could, were it not for Jesus. Jesus knew exactly how temporary the things of this world are. He was “with God in the beginning,” after all, and “all things were created through Him” (John 1:2–3). Even so, “He emptied Himself . . . taking on the likeness of men,” the Creator becoming like one of His created for the sake of reconciling them eternally to Himself (Phil. 2:7). He was Emmanuel, God truly with us. The Son of God came to earth to die in our stead. Who would have blamed Him for biding His time until the end? But that’s not who Jesus was. Ignoring the world around Him would not have brought glory to His Father. And ignoring the people around Him was not in His nature—a nature defined by love and holiness, justice and grace. Instead of keeping His distance, the Son of God did the opposite: He fully entered in. Jesus attended weddings and cooked breakfast. He started conversations with strangers and fed hungry crowds. He embraced lepers and healed the hurting. He took notice of widows and sat orphans on His knee. He wept with His friends and He loved His mama. Jesus knew precisely what would and wouldn’t last, and He chose to be all here. He chose to be fully present, out of obedience to His Father and love for His people. As followers of Christ, we are called to do the same. Pass It On! Is there someone in your life who would appreciate today's Nourish? Encourage them today and forward it on! Subscribe Today Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get them straight from the source. Excerpted from She Reads Truth: Holding Tight to Permanent in a World That's Passing Away by Raechel Myers & Amanda Bible Williams © 2016. B&H Publishing Group. Used by permission.

Choose Joy by Lysa TerKeurst

Let all those rejoice who put their trust in You. — Psalm 5:11

Choose Joy from Joy for the Journey

Morning Everywhere I turn today, something tries to steal my joy. If I can’t rejoice and be glad today, I will never rejoice and be glad. I will waste the joyous opportunities of today waiting for tomorrows that may or may not ever come. If I wait until life slows down, the sun comes back, the kids are older and less demanding, I lose some weight, my husband gets that raise, then I’ll spend my life waiting rather than living and being glad. The joys of life are found in and amongst life itself. Yes, life is full of frustrations, disappointments, pain, and suffering; but no matter what we are facing, having an attitude of joy will allow us to find the good that God promises us is there. If an oyster can make a pearl out of an irritating grain of sand, just think what you could do if in every situation you chose to rejoice! ~ Lysa TerKeurst from Living Life on Purpose Evening Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days! — Psalm 90:14 Let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice before God. — Psalm 68:3 I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. — Psalm 13:5 Let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name be joyful in You. — Psalm 5:11 Excerpted with permission from Joy for the Journey: Morning and Evening, copyright Thomas Nelson. * * * Forward to a Friend Your Turn Is something trying to steal your joy? Is someone getting under your skin and you find your joy has a leak? What do you need to rejoice in even if it’s irritating at the moment?

Today's Moment of Truth by Lee Strobel

Today's Moment of Truth “Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established,” said seventeenth-century philosopher Blaise Pascal, “that unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.” We must search for God with passion and tenacity. If you already know Him, heed the lessons of Psalm 42:1-2: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Are you panting after and thirsting for the living God? And for our friends who don’t know Him, the search for God can be perplexing—especially in a world where there are so many spiritual options. With the vast and growing array of religious leaders, teachings, and organizations all vying for their allegiance, how can they sort out what to believe? Fortunately Jesus promised in Luke 11:9 that if they’ll ask, they will receive; if they’ll seek, they will find; and if they’ll knock, the door will be opened to them. He did not say this would be easy or that truth would be served up on a silver platter. Rather, the answer to their spiritual quest will come if they persistently look for it. The prophet Jeremiah said, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). This “all your heart” aspect counteracts our tendency toward complacency. It’s easy to put off thinking about weighty spiritual matters, to passively accept traditional religious practices, or to simply submit to the teachings of spiritual authorities who want to impress their beliefs upon us. Yielding to these approaches might have been a natural response when we were young, but there comes a point when we must mature in matters of faith and make certain we have embraced the right set of beliefs. But here’s some great news: Jesus didn’t just tell us to seek Him; He said He also “came to seek and to save” us (Luke 19:10). And He made this promise to anyone who will embrace and hold to His teaching: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Truth for Today God “rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Even after we’ve come to know Christ, we still need to pant after and thirst for Him. James 4:8 tells us to “come near to God and he will come near to [us].” So seek Him today—while helping friends who don’t know Him learn to ask, seek, and knock.

Excerpted from Today's Moment of Truth by Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg. © 2016. Zondervan. Used by permission.

Generosity and Your Wealth by Ron Blue

Generosity and Your Wealth Howard Hughes was one of the wealthiest men to have lived in the past two hundred years. He was an aviator, an investor, a filmmaker, a business tycoon, an engineer, a hotelier, and an entrepreneur. Yet he was one of the most eccentric, troubled people you could ever come across. Hughes was known as a pleasure-seeking playboy with an aversion to giving. As he grew older, he accumulated more and more wealth, amassing a fortune of over $2.5 billion. Despite his substantial wealth, Hughes was known as stingy, self-centered, and selfish, allowing his fortune to create an artificial barrier between himself and all those who cared for him. Even as he suffered tremendously with mental and physical health, he pushed away everybody in his life. Hughes became a recluse and was known to lock himself away in one place for months at a time. By the time of his death, he was practically unrecognizable. He died miserable, sad, and alone. His life was one of selfishness and greed. His wealth became a prison, condemning him to a lonely life and death. In sharp contrast to Hughes, George Müller lived a life marked by radical generosity, although he began life with a purpose similar to Howard Hughes’s and was known for stealing, gambling debts, drunkenness, and lewd stories. However, Müller experienced a spiritual transformation and set out to serve God and bring Him glory. Müller and his wife were deeply affected by the plight of orphans roaming the streets in their town of Bristol, England. They decided to begin an orphanage and determined that they would never ask for money. Whenever they had a need, they brought it to God and watched Him provide. During his life Müller received over 1.5 million pounds in donations. He directed every pound to serving the orphans in his care. He and his wife cared for more than 10,000 orphans, sharing their lives and Christ with each of them. When Müller died, he had influenced countless souls and is remembered as one of the greatest men of faith in history. He never held on to what was given to him but invested it in other people, and God always provided for him and the orphans. When any orphan became old enough to leave the orphanage, Müller placed a Bible in the orphan’s right hand and a coin in the orphan’s left hand. He prayed with the child and told him that if he clung tightly to what was in his right hand, God would always make sure he had something in his left hand. Both of these men had what many of us long for. Howard Hughes had great wealth and power; George Müller, great faith and impact. However, in these two contrasting stories we see the destructive force of greed and the life-giving force of generosity. Only one of these men lived a life worth emulating, a life filled with joy and wonder. I recently heard a quotation by a Canadian man named Carey Nieuwhof that fittingly sums up these two stories: “There are no inspiring stories of accumulation, only inspiring stories of sacrifice.”

Excerpted from God Owns It All by Ron Blue. © 2016. LifeWay Press. Used by permission.

A Reason to Worship by Angela Thomas-Pharr

A Reason to Worship When you first believe in Jesus, there is a deep and immediate gratefulness for the unearned forgiveness of sin, the assurance of God’s love, the promise of heaven, the restoration of our relationship to God, and the sacrifice of Jesus. The more we grow in the knowledge of Christ, the more we mature as believers. As a result, our gratefulness is ever-increasing. Worship is some days gathering with other believers and singing songs in church. But the definition of worship in the Bible goes further. Worship for believers is so much more. The worship God desires means submitting my entire life to be transformed, becoming a reflection of His glory. All of life is intended to be worship for the redeemed. In other words, “Worship is about what you live for.” Those words gave such clarity to me. If worship is about what you live for, then I need to ask, What am I living for? What is the focus of my attention? The desire of my heart? What drives me? Moves me? Inspires me? All of life is worship. We cannot turn off our worship or stop being vessels of worship. Humans were made to worship. We will either worship the one, true God, or we worship idols—but either way, all of life is worship. With this understanding of worship, I can truly say I long to worship God with my life. I long to live for God. My acts of worship come from a desire to please God, but on their own, they would never be enough. Yet they are enough because each act, word, thought, feeling, and song I sing is hidden in Christ, my Savior. The Redeemer covers me and makes my worship acceptable and pleasing to God. Just like my life, my acts of worship are being redeemed. And praise the Lord, I don’t have to worry about doingworship right. The greater act of obedience is keeping a check on my desire. How will I know if I am worshiping God in spirit and in truth? My life will proclaim the truth by: The things I make important The objects that hold my attention The way I spend my time The way I work The way I relate to others. My life, and yours, will shout the truth of our heart’s desire.

Excerpted from Redeemed by Angela Thomas-Pharr. © 2016. LifeWay Press. Used by permission.

"Come to Jesus" by Hillary Scott

Love Remains | A 13-Day Devotional By Hillary Scott

Day 8 of 13 "Come to Jesus" As weak and wounded sinners, our temptation is to hide from Jesus, run from him, so that he can't know what we've done or who we truly are. But the Christ we see in scripture wants to us to do anything but run from him. Come to Jesus Come to Jesus Come to Jesus and live " 'Come to me,' " Jesus says, " 'all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light' " (Matt. 11:28-30). Read his words again. Slowly this time. Insert your name after "Come to me." Make it personal. It's an invitation from the Savior, and it's meant for everyone. Not just the pastor or ministry leaders or the innocent children. He wants you, the weak and wounded sinner, to come to him and give him your shame and your anxiety and your fear. He will not cringe at your past. He will not turn you away. Now your burden's lifted And carried far away And precious blood has washed away the stain Like the father of the Prodigal Son, when we come to Jesus, he sweeps us up in his arms. He calls for a celebration in our name. He rejoices because his lost sheep has been found. No matter what you are running from today, stop and remind yourself of Jesus' invitation in Matthew 11. Come to him, sing to him, fall on him, dance for him, and remember, when it's all said and done, you'll fly to him. Matthew 11:28-30 Matthew 11:28-30 KJV 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The Gift That Keeps on Giving by Pricilla Shirer

The Gift That Keeps on Giving The cross took away the penalty of our sin. It doesn’t just mean He’s declared it a wash. (“All that sin of yours? We’ll just forget about all that, OK?”) No. Your sin and mine required a just payment. Death. For all of it. And Jesus paid it. Death. For all of it. For all who would receive Him by faith. And honestly, if that’s the sum total of what the cross accomplished for us—escaping what we deserve: eternal separation from God in hell—this fact alone should be enough to garner our unending gratitude, causing us to fall on our knees in awed worship every single day. But the cross really is the gift that keeps on giving. Because it didn’t just take something from us, it gave something miraculous to us. When you trust Jesus as your personal Savior, the penalty of sin is removed and the gift of God’s own righteousness is given (imputed) to you. It is “credited” to your spiritual account. The perfection and holiness of God Himself has become yours in Christ. So when God looks at you now, He no longer sees your humanity, your frailty, your sin … your unrighteousness. He sees you through the blood-stained filter of His own Son, the perfect Lamb of God. You no longer need to exhaust yourself striving for perfection. You are already completely, wholly, and perfectly righteous because of Christ’s gift to you. Perfect righteousness discourages you. Comparative righteousness deceives you. Imputed righteousness defines you and declares you innocent before all accusers. Listen to me closely now. The enemy is constantly on the warpath to keep you from realizing and utilizing this gift. He doesn’t want you to rest in the fact that your sins have been completely forgiven, that your current status and position is one of complete righteousness before God. He knows as long as you don’t see yourself as a righteous, holy daughter of God, you can never get around to wearing the breastplate that blocks him from successfully attacking the most vital part of your life—your heart. He knows that your knowledge and acceptance of imputed righteousness is the key. So hear me loud and clear: YOU ARE RIGHTEOUS. Seriously, say it out loud where the devil can hear you and be assured you’re not messin’ around: “I AM RIGHTEOUS!” Right now as you hold this book in your hands. As you wash the dishes after dinner tonight. As you deal with the difficulties on your job. As you struggle to keep your marriage intact. As you wade through troubled emotions. As you fight to keep yourself financially afloat. No matter what your present circumstances or past entails. None of the ailments of life can take away what the cross has given you. “The old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Excerpted from The Armor of God by Priscilla Shirer. © 2015. LifeWay Press. Used by permission.

Living Waters by Kristyn Getty

Living Waters by Kristyn Getty “Are you not thirsty?” said the Lion. “I am dying of thirst,” said Jill. “Then drink,” said the Lion. “May I—could I—would you mind going away while I do?” said Jill. The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl … The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic. “Will you promise not to—do anything to me, if I do come?” said Jill. “I make no promise,” said the Lion … “Do you eat girls?” she said. “I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms,” said the Lion. It didn't say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it. “I daren't come and drink,” said Jill. “Then you will die of thirst,” said the Lion. “Oh dear!” said Jill, coming another step nearer. “I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.” “There is no other stream,” said the Lion. — C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair Even those of us who have tasted the goodness of the Lord find ourselves trying to make streams out of dust. We so easily put the weight of our hopes and affections on the jobs we keep, the people we love, the things we hold … but everything we worship apart from Christ will always leave us thirsty, leave us broken-hearted. Many spend their whole life avoiding this life-giving stream because they do not want to face the “lion.” Humbling our hearts, confessing our sin, taking the step of faith can be hard. But the pierced hands that reach to lift us from the dry and broken ground we try to grow our lives in are forgiving not condemning, strong not fragile, filled with compassion and not malice. He invites us to drink in unending waters that well up to eternal life. Not coming to the stream is so much harder. Recently, I’ve been challenged about how easy it is to tell my children that life is found in knowing and serving Christ, and then let my conversations, recreations, shopping lists, and time management suggest that I’m actually finding my main life source in other places. When we drink of His grace, we taste the difference, and our calling is to live this difference so that others—especially our children—know that “there’s a river that flows with mercy and love bringing joy to the city of our God …” (“Living Waters” from Facing a Task Unfinished). There is no other stream. I don’t want myself, my family, or my friends to be thirsty. We don't have to be. Come and drink deeply. Praise the Lord of living waters!

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