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Written by Candace Cameron Bure, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from her book “100 Days of Joy and Strength.”

It seems to be true that our eyes mirror our souls. When we’re happy, people can see it. Instantly. When we’re sad, that’s apparent too. And when we’re burdened by guilt or shame or fear, the weight shows in the windows of our souls first. We may try and mask it, but those who know us well can tell. Once the light of the world, Jesus, takes up residence in our hearts, the difference is just as obvious. You could say we start to sparkle within. His presence lights us up from the inside out, showing through in our attitudes and actions and words. And I don’t mean just on the easygoing days, but in the rough-and-tumble times that really test our faith. What’s more, our spiritual eyes open up, newly enlightened to the wisdom of God’s counsel. Soon, His commands and instructions, which may have once felt like spiritual obligations we had to fulfill to stay in His graces, become open doors to a deeper trust in Him. Duty gives way to friendship because we love Him and can see that His ways are good.

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. [Psalm 19:8]

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This meditation is from the Pray.com app.

Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong, like your mistakes or circumstances made you invisible to the world? As Jesus began His ministry, He didn’t start by choosing scholars or dignitaries. Instead, He walked the dusty shores of Galilee, calling fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James, and John. He healed a leper who dared to approach Him. He welcomed a paralytic lowered through a roof. He even invited Matthew, a despised tax collector, to be His disciple. These weren’t just random encounters—they were intentional invitations to the rejected and forgotten. What does it mean that Jesus chose outcasts to build His kingdom? Each healing and calling shows us that Jesus isn’t deterred by our weakness. He’s drawn to it. He doesn’t wait for us to be clean or confident—He steps into our pain, heals, restores, and sends us forward with purpose. In a world where status often dictates influence, Jesus flipped the model. The broken became His messengers. Jesus’ actions remind us that ministry doesn’t begin with perfection—it begins with surrender. When we bring our imperfections to Him, He meets us with healing and direction. If Jesus could use fishermen, tax collectors, lepers, and paralytics, He can use you too. He still walks into the lives of outcasts today—only now, He does it through us. Who in your life feels invisible—and how can you be the hands of Jesus to them?

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. [Matthew 4:23]

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Written by the team of “Transforming Mission”, a group providing resources and coaching for Christ-centered leaders.

Every decision you make, whether in faith, leadership, or daily life, flows from your starting point. If you start with personal preferences or politics, you’ll spend more time defending your views than following Jesus. That’s why beginning with Jesus is essential. Starting with Jesus means more than reciting a creed or agreeing with doctrines. It means trusting and obeying Jesus in the way you live, love, and lead. It shifts belief from an intellectual checklist to a dynamic, lived faith. When Jesus is your starting point, your values, perspective, and relationships are transformed. You begin to see others through His eyes. You lead with compassion. You make decisions rooted not in self-interest but in God’s love. The question is simple but profound: where are you starting? With assumptions, preferences, or politics, or with Jesus, the One who makes all things new? Remember: It matters where you start. Always start with Jesus.

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. [1 Corinthians 3:11]

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Written by the team of “Transforming Mission”, a group providing resources and coaching for Christ-centered leaders.

In the Greek language, the words grace and gratitude share the same root. That’s no coincidence. True gratitude flows from recognizing the grace of God—not from having everything go your way…Gratitude is never just good manners. It’s a response to grace. When we practice gratitude daily, we: refocus on God’s goodness, reframe our relationships, and realign our hearts with Christ. Start your day by giving thanks for life, breath, and the people who shape your day. Say grace over what you have. Notice what, and who, makes your life easier. Gratitude changes everything. Not just what we feel, but how we live and lead.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever. [Psalm 107:1]

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Written by Keri Eichberger, a contemporary writer. 

Consider what you have been suffering through lately. And remember, for each moment you or I feel helpless, hopeless, heartbroken, or even harassed, this is when the Lord swells with compassion. Your compassionate caretaker is constantly watching over you, loving you, and caring deeply for you like a shepherd tending to his beloved sheep. I pray you feel this. Right now and forever, he is with you, and he is hurting with you. But he is always holding you with sufficient compassion. The ever-present, all-encompassing compassion of Jesus that, when acknowledged and accepted, will help and heal every hurting heart.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. [Matthew 9:36]

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Written by Lisa Harper, a contemporary author, speaker, and teacher.

When you encounter God’s tangible presence and compassion in thin places— those moments when you feel like your heart’s running out of breath… when your soul’s so threadbare, it hurts…and when you can’t quite carry the weight of your own life anymore— it changes everything. I’ve walked through several seasons of what an ancient church father, Saint John of the Cross, called a “dark night of the soul.” There’ve been seasons when my head held onto cognitive information about our Redeemer, but my heart was limping far behind my confessed theology. Thankfully, Jesus sat with me in the sad. He softened the hard places, strengthened the broken ones, and whispered throughout those long, dark nights…When I finally began to realize that spiritual maturity is less about accumulating knowledge about God and more about intimacy with Jesus, it radically transformed my faith and can transform yours, too…Perfection is so not a prerequisite for Christlikeness…but honesty is. 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. [Romans 8:28]

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Written by Richard Foster, a contemporary theologian and author.

The truth of the matter is, we all come to prayer with a tangled mass of motives—altruistic and selfish, merciful and hateful, loving and bitter. Frankly, this side of eternity we will never unravel the good from the bad, the pure from the impure. But what I have come to see is that God is big enough to receive us with all our mixture. We do not have to be bright, or pure, or filled with faith, or anything. That is what grace means, and not only are we saved by grace, we live by it as well. And we pray by it.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. [2 Corinthians 9:8]

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Written by Skye Jethani, a contemporary author, speaker, and pastor. This is an excerpt from his book “What if Jesus Was Serious about Prayer?”

The person who learns to commune deeply with God in prayer, however, will open her eyes to see a world bathed in His presence. She will recognize God’s image in her neighbor and in her enemy, in the sacred and the ordinary, in the intimate and the immense, in the natural and the architectural. Prayer is on our knees but also walking the dog. Prayer is spreading peanut butter and jelly and remembering that Christ was broken and healed for the little mouths that will eat those sandwiches. Prayer can be in a beautiful sanctuary or at the kitchen sink. Prayer is in the music that brings us to tears and in gazing into the eyes of a newborn baby. Prayer is also in the pain and struggles we face throughout our lives and when we cry out in frustration or anger. Prayer can be in a scream of help or the clenching of a jaw. Prayer is all of this and more if we just invite it to be a part of everyday life and recognize it as so much more than heads bowed, eyes closed.

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. [Acts 2:42]

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Written by Zach Windahl, a contemporary author. This is an excerpt from his book “The Bible Simplified.”

Jesus did not come to earth to start a new religion called Christianity. He came to earth to expand upon an old religion and show its followers how He was the fulfillment of all they had been waiting for…Everything Jesus did and said had to do with the Kingdom of God (or Kingdom of Heaven, as the Gospel of Matthew says it)…The Kingdom of God wasn’t taking over the old one with force and violence, but with peace and love and joy and an emphasis on holiness. This Kingdom was the exact opposite of the kingdom of the world. The Kingdom of God cared for the poor and sick and hurting and defenseless; it wouldn’t take over in a military fashion like the powers of the world always did. Jesus taught believers how to handle anger and lust and divorce and enemies. He taught them how to pray and fast and handle money and deal with anxiety. He went on and on, teaching about this new Kingdom that had come near — God’s Kingdom. This “Kingdom lifestyle” is how God planned to partner with humans to rescue and redeem the world. If people were willing to obey His teachings, the world would slowly become what God had intended it to be…When we accept Jesus as our King and Lord, He invites us to participate in the Kingdom of God, bringing Heaven to earth in the present, and boosting our hope for the future where He reigns for the rest of eternity.

The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news! [Mark 1:15]

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Written by Megan Conner, a contemporary writer.

We all know the legends in which a nod of the head, a rub of the lamp, or a drink of fantastic waters will allow someone’s greatest wishes to come true. While these stories are fiction rather than fact, in many ways, we yearn for such a reality.  We think that if we could just receive what we are longing for, our hearts would finally be satisfied…It is so easy to believe tangible items or outcomes will ease our angst. We project, if my children would just find the right spouse, then I would have peace.  If my parents’ health would improve, then I will stop worrying.  If I could just obtain that perfect job, then I would be happy. The list can go on and on. However, what we are really seeking is our version of what we think we want. Thankfully, our Heavenly Father sees far beyond our momentary light afflictions and into the deep crevices of our souls. He, and He alone, understands the true desires of our hearts when we may not know them ourselves.

Our troubles are small. They last only for a short time. But they are earning for us a glory that will last forever. It is greater than all our troubles. [2 Corinthians 4:17]

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