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Written by Asheritah Ciuciu, a contemporary author.

Maybe God loves us simply because it’s His good pleasure, because He delights to lavish His love on us. Maybe the point isn’t to decipher an intellectual enigma. Maybe the point is to respond with an open heart that receives and echoes back love.

Prayer:

Written by Asheritah Ciuciu, the author of today’s meditation.

Heavenly Father, how great is Your love for us! I can’t comprehend it, and I confess that I often take Your love for granted. Would You grow in me the capacity to grasp more of Your love for us in Christ Jesus? I trust You to continue Your good work in me. And God — I love You, too! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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Written by Catherine Marshall (1914-1983), an American author. This is an excerpt from her book “The Helper.”

Why, we wonder, since Jesus was sending the Spirit to help us and to be our Comforter, would the Spirit’s first priority be to convict us of sin? And what sin did He mean? When we speak of sin, we think of lying, cheating, greed, slander, a vicious tongue, temper, cruelty, sexual promiscuity, adultery, murder and the like, whereas, when Jesus spoke of the convicting work of the Holy Spirit, He did not mention those sins. In fact, He used the singular ‘sin’, then went on to define sin is this: unbelief. He said, “because they do not believe in Me.

Prayer:

Written by Willliam Laud (1573-1645), Bishop of Canterbury.

Keep us, O Lord, constant in faith and zealous in witness, that we may live in your fear, die in your favor, and rest in your peace; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Written by Miles Stanford (1914-1999), a Christian author.

It seems that most believers have difficulty in realizing and facing up to the inexorable fact that God does not hurry in his development of our Christian life. He is working from and for eternity! So many feel they are not making progress unless they are swiftly and constantly forging ahead. Now it is true that the new convert often begins and continues for some time at a fast rate. But this will not continue if there is to be healthy growth and ultimate maturity. God himself will modify the pace. This is important to see, since in most instances when seeming declension begins to set in, it is not, as so many things, a matter of backsliding. John Darby makes it plain that “it is God’s way to set people aside after their first start, that self-confidence may die down. Thus, Moses was forty years. On his first start he had to run away. Paul was three years also, after his first testimony. Not that God did not approve the first earnest testimony. We must get to know ourselves and that we have no strength. Thus, we must learn, and then leaning on the Lord we can with more maturity, and more experientially, deal with souls.

Prayer:

Written by Winfield Bevins, a contemporary seminary professor.

Dear Lord, You are the Risen Christ, the Prince of Peace, the Mighty God, and the Everlasting Counselor. Grant us peace of mind and help our hearts to not be troubled during these difficult and uncertain times. Give us the strength and grace to trust you even when we cannot see the way. Remind us that you will never let us go and that you will always hold us in your everlasting arms of love. We ask all of this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Written by Andrew Murray (1828-1917), a South African writer, teacher, and pastor.

There is often a question about the life of holiness. Do you grow into it? Or do you come into it by a crisis suddenly? Peter had been growing for three years under the training of Christ, but he had grown terribly downward, for the end of his growing was, he denied Jesus. And then there came a crisis. After the crisis he was a changed man and then he began to grow aright. We must indeed grow in grace, but before we can grow in grace we must be put right…Just as the Lord Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to Peter, He is willing to give the Holly Spirit to you. Are you willing to receive Him? Are you willing to give up yhourself entirely as an empty, helpless vessel, to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, to live, to dwell, and to work in you every day? Dear believer, God has prepared such a beautiful and such a blessed life for every one of us, and God as a Father is waiting to see why you will not come to Him and let Him fill you with the Holy Spirit.

Prayer:

Written by Ray Simpson, a contemporary author.

Circle me, Lord,

Keep protection near

and danger afar.

Circle me, Lord,

Keep light near

and darkness afar.

Circle me, Lord,

Keep peace within;

Keep evil out.

In the name of the Father,

And of the Son,

And of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Written by Laurie Beth Jones, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from her book “Jesus, Entrepreneur.”

I suspect that each of us has a bull in our closet…the bull that we melt all our energies into and then worship and serve. We are a society of bull worshippers—the headlines shout it out every day. For some of us the bull is power, for some of us it is fame—fortune—financial success—beauty—sex—acceptance—“being liked.” Our bull not only sleep in our closets, they snort and stomp in our calendars, demanding to be put at the top of our priority lists. No matter how much we feed them, they always want more…We must learn to recognize—and control—our own “bull.” Are we, through daily activities, honoring God or just feeding the beast?

Prayer:

Written by Scotty Smith, a contemporary pastor and author.

Have mercy on me, Father, and free my foolish heart from giving anything or anyonethe attention, allegiance, affection, and adoration you alone deserve. The fact that I’m “beloved, one of your “dear children”—forgiven, secure, righteous, and beloved in Christ—should be all the motivation I need to keep myself from any form of idolatry. May the gospel of your grace relentlessly expose and dethrone all “empty nothings” from my heart. May the beauty and bounty of Jesus so fill my heart there’s little room leftover for anything else. So very Amen I pray, in Jesus’ most worthy and loving name. Amen.

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Written by Joel Muddamalle, a contemporary pastor and director of theology and research for Proverbs 31 Ministries. This is an excerpt from the book 40 Days Through the Bible.

Genesis reminds us that our identity is wrapped up in the will and wisdom of God who created us equal in value and worth, and yet distinct and diverse. God defines us not by what we do, but by whose we are. Sadly, after the Fall, the longing for identity turned us inward, looking to ourselves for our meaning, value and worth. Henri Nouwen, whose work as a priest and professor focused on psychology, social justice, and community, warns us of five lies of identity: 1) I am what I have. 2) I am what I do. 3) I am what other people say or think of me. 4) I am nothing more than my worst moment. 5) I am nothing less than my best moment…Our identity is not simply about us; it is about our relationship with God, who rewrites our story into His story. Our new story is to be lived out in order to invite others into the beautiful story of God who makes all things new and restores beauty from chaos. Who are we? We are image bearers of God. Whose are we? We belong wholly and fully to God the father. What are we suppose to do? We are to spread the glory of God to the ends of the earth by making disciples of Jesus amongst all the nations.

Prayer:

Written by Ron Moore, a contemporary pastor and author.

Who am I really? What do you see in me that you would move heaven and earth to capture my heart? My life feels like a collection of other people’s expectations and disappointments. I do not even know anymore who I truly am. Reveal to me my true identity, my true place in your story. Give me grace to hear your voice; shut out all other voices, and let me hear from you alone.

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Written by Andrew Murray (1828-1917), a South African writer, teacher, and pastor. This is an excerpt from his book “Humility.”

John’s gospel opens a window to the inner life of Jesus. Often Jesus spoke of his relationship with his Father. He revealed the motives that guided him. He shared the heart behind what he did. Although the word “humble” doesn’t appear in John, Jesus’ humility is revealed there like nowhere else in Scripture. Humility is a person’s simple consent to let God be everything—a surrender to his purposes. In Jesus we see the perfect example of humility… Jesus’ humility was simply surrender of himself to God. He let the Father do in him whatever he wanted. It didn’t matter what people around him said of him or did to him, this is what he means…We are to be and do nothing by ourselves so that God may be all. In Jesus we discover what humility means. It is because we don’t understand or seek after it that our own humility is so shallow and feeble.

Prayer:

Written by Rebecca Barlow Jordan, a contemporary Christian author.

Jesus, I want to be like You who obeyed the Father without complaint. You embraced the chains of humanity when You walked this earth. Convict me whenever I complain or compare myself with others. Give me Your attitude of humility and thankful acceptance. I choose to continually offer You a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that give praise to Your name. I long to bring a smile to Your face. Teach me the power of a thankful heart. I know that Your truth dwells in a thankful heart.

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Written by Brother Lawrence (1614-1691), a lay brother in a Carmelite monastery in Paris. This is an excerpt from his book “The Practice of the Presence of God.”

Let us examine our inner selves. Time is pressing down on us, and each of us must be responsible for himself. I believe you have prepared yourself properly, so you won’t be taken by surprise. I respect you for this; it is, after all, our business to be as open as possible to God’s grace. However, we must continuously walk in God’s Spirit, since in the spirit-life not to advance is to fall back. But those who have the wind of the Holy Spirit in their souls glide ahead even while they sleep. If the vessel of our soul is still being tossed by winds or storms, we should wake the Lord Who has been resting with us all along, and He will swiftly calm the sea.

Prayer:

Written by Leslie White, a contemporary Christian author.

Heavenly Father, I give to You all the problems and cares I face. Take complete control, just as You do of the ocean. And send me a great calm. Amen.

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Written by the Lead Like Jesus team, an organization founded by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges that promotes a transformational leadership model based on following Jesus.

Do you ever find yourself focusing on, even fearing, what people think of you? As Joshua and Zerubbabel began to rebuild the temple after the exile, they soon found themselves fearful of the people around them. Despite fearing what others thought or might do, they focused on restoring what was needed to worship God. Where do you need to return to a place of worship and rebuild so that you can pursue your God-inspired vision?

Prayer:

Written by the authors of today’s devotional.

Lord, turn my attention from what others think of me, and let me have eyes only for what You think of my life and work. Replace fear of people with a reverent awe of You that drowns out all else. Keep me focused on what You’ve called me to do. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Written by Whitney Hopler, a contemporary writer.

When I volunteered at my children’s elementary school, I met a student named Victor, who shared some comic strips he had created with me. “In this story, the superheroes are talking, not fighting,” he said. “They’re talking about how to solve their problem instead of beating each other up.” I congratulated Victor on the good ideas he portrayed in the comic strips. Ever since I had seen Victor crying because some kids in his class had teased him for his gentleness, I tried to encourage Victor to see his gentleness as a strength rather than a weakness. He told me that the students who made fun of his gentle nature thought he was weak. However, he added, “I’m just trying to be a gentleman, and my parents say that’s a good thing.” I urged Victor to share his comic strips with his teacher and the whole class. After he did so, more students came to appreciate the value of gentleness…It’s often easier to find harshness than gentleness in our fallen world. People often speak mean words to each other or post harsh messages on social media. Arguments abound, and conflicts rage on as people mistreat each other. Battles for power and control are all around us. Violence is in the news regularly. Yet Jesus continues to call us to be gentle in this harsh world. Jesus models gentleness as a sign of strength…God is gentle with us. He gives us unlimited and unconditional love. He answers our prayers according to what’s best for us. He extends grace and mercy to us whenever we ask for it. Since God – who is the source of all strength – treats us with gentleness, we can see how gentleness is truly a sign of strength when we look to God’s example…It may not be popular to be gentle in this harsh world. However, it’s important for us all to learn how to be gentle. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit will teach us how to do so.

Prayer:

Written by the nuns at Kylemore Abbey, Galway, Ireland.

O Holy Spirit, replace the tension within me with Holy relaxation.

Replace the turbulence within me with a sacred calm.

Replace the anxiety within me with a quiet confidence.

Replace the fear within me with a strong faith.

Replace the bitterness within me with the sweetness of your grace.

Replace the darkness within me with a gentle light. Replace the coldness within me with a gentle warmth.

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