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Jun 27 2015 01:09am
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
– Romans 8:29-30

We didn’t choose God; He chose us. This is a liberating truth because that also means that God has a plan for us to be changed into his likeness. So Christian growth is not an exercise of willpower, but of obedience to the path that God has set before us. This path is filled with God’s provision and mercy and it is the path to his glory as we keep stepping forward by faith.
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Jun 28 2015 02:30am
“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.
– John 4:21

The woman at the well had a mindset that spirituality was based upon a certain time or place, but Jesus turned that thinking around. God is not limited to Sunday mornings or mid-week services—He is calling us to worship him at all times in all places. What about our mentalities toward God? Do we limit him to church gatherings, or are we looking for his hand in our day-to-day lives?
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Jun 29 2015 01:49am
When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.”
– Genesis 5:28-29

There is great irony that the name Noah literally means “rest”. By the time he becomes an adult, Noah is surrounded by a world that is so wicked that God repents that he ever created man. But there is great hope in his name as well, for Noah is the one chosen by God to build an ark for the coming flood, and goes on to become the new start for humanity. Noah reminds us that even in the most oppressive atmospheres, God has a plan.
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Jun 30 2015 02:10am
But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land.
– Judges 1:27

This account of Jewish settlements in the Promised Land have a message for us as well. The Canaanites were supposed to be driven out of the land in order for the people of God to experience peace, yet the Canaanites were determined to stay. Don’t expect the unwanted areas of your life to change without a fight—they have been active for years. Yet as we continually come to the throne of grace to receive the grace that we need, we must keep fighting the sin that so stubbornly hangs on.
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Jul 1 2015 01:19am
Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
– Psalm 116:7

Our society is harried, frazzled and distracted. The unfortunate thing is that the people of God are living in the same pattern. When you come to the LORD in prayer, get rid of your agendas—pray to receive God’s rest. Remember the ways that God has displayed his goodness to you in the past and allow those memories to wash away your anxieties, for Jesus’ yoke is easy; his burden is light.
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Jul 2 2015 02:40am
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
– Psalm 145:8

Unfortunately, one of our images of God is as an old man with a long beard who is waiting to punish us for all of the things that we have done wrong. This is not the imagery of the Bible. The theme of Scripture is consistent: we keep rebelling against God and he keeps showing compassion and loving kindness upon us. How can God do this? God leveled his judgment upon humanity upon himself at the cross. Jesus received God’s anger over our sin so that we can experience the riches of his love. Change your image of God and your life will change too.
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Jul 3 2015 01:04am
Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me, since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord.
– Proverbs 1:28-29

Scripture tells us that wisdom needs to be cultivated on the front end of our thinking. It takes time and effort to gain God’s perspectives, but if we don’t develop the habit of thinking differently in times of calm we won’t know what to do in times of difficulty. Is your prayer to escape the consequences of your decisions, or are you willing to humble yourself and embrace ways that are not your ways and thoughts that are not your thoughts?
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Jul 4 2015 01:07am
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
– Galatians 5:13

July 4th is a great celebration of freedom in the United States, but freedom is not the end in itself. Freedom was given to us in order to live responsibly. “Freedom” that is used as an excuse to do anything that we want will quickly turn into lawlessness, which requires laws and regulations in order to maintain order. But the freedom that Christ gives is best expressed when we serve each other humbly in love. So celebrate with fireworks and picnics, but also celebrate by finding ways to serve others well, which is true freedom being expressed. Happy 4th of July!
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Jul 5 2015 01:21am
The Lord watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
– Psalm 146:9

In our debates about immigration we must remember that God cares about the disempowered. Christians have been given new citizenship into the Kingdom of God, so we are uniquely commissioned to extend kindness to those who have been displaced in society. So don’t limit your thinking about these issues to political or economic levels; realize that the LORD has something to say about this.
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Jul 6 2015 01:23am
I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
– Ephesians 3:7-9

We all have been given a gift of God’s grace for the good of his people. As the least of the Lord’s people, Paul knew that these graces were not given based upon any personal merit, so stop disqualifying yourself to use the gift of grace that God has given you. God has created all things, including you and your capacity, and God wants us to focus upon him and use what he has freely given us.
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