Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
John 14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Not too long ago, God taught me the life-transforming lesson of trusting Him completely, and most of the time I do, yet there are times when circumstances can come at us with such a volume and speed, that we have to catch our breath and be reminded that God is still to be trusted. We forget, for a moment, that we are to cast burdens on His shoulders. Always. The gift of releasing to Him will never change. The LORD does not change.
This past month has been concerning and exhausting. I felt burdened. Heavy. Heavier than I have felt in a long time. Time spent talking of burdens overshadowed the time spent experiencing His joy. I began to carry the weight of those concerns squarely on my own shoulders. Something I was never meant to do...
Then, on a regular Monday, I felt something stir in my heart... a whispered reminder of what I had learned and known... His joy. Was this God stirring my heart? Or was it just me? The very next day, God let me know that it was indeed He who was stirring my heart... It was He who whispered the word: Joy.
Tuesday morning brought the promise of a new five-week Bible study at church. One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I wasn't sure exactly what it was about, but was excited to begin something new. As I was driving to bible study, I was listening to KLOVE, our Christian radio station as a Christian comedienne was being interviewed... She spoke of the LORD being our joy. Hmmm...
I arrived early to Bible study to set up the registration table that I would be manning later in the morning. As I was stacking the books to be bought by the women who would be coming through our doors... I looked up and saw a woman I hadn't known before. She was very early. And new to the church. I gave her a book and she told me her name... her name was Joy. I smiled.
The Bible study video was about to start. I settled in my chair, book opened, pencil in hand, new and old friends around me, and ready to write down nuggets and treasures that I would glean from the message about to be given. One Thousand Gifts was about to begin. This beautiful, heart-stopping video, based off Ann Voskamp's best-selling book, focused on living life by one beautiful word: eucharisteo. Eucharisteo, the word Jesus used when He gave thanks at the Last Supper. The word He used when He broke the bread and shared the wine. The word Jesus used when He knew He was about to be betrayed, denied, beaten beyond recognition, and nailed to a cross. Eucharisteo. The word that has three meanings rolled into one. Thanksgiving. Grace. And Joy... I caught my breath.
I left Bible study, focused on this beautiful word... eucharisteo. Thanksgiving. Grace. Joy.
The LORD brought the word Joy across my path two more times that amazing Tuesday... once in a Proverb and once through my dear daughter leaning over our balcony, shouting down to me, "Hey, Mom? Guess what our devotional for today is about? It's about Joy!" And I smiled.
Yes, God wanted me to be joyful again. Ministering, mindful, praying, caring, but joyful. He wanted me to encourage, comfort, guide and love; to be a willing vessel for His Holy Spirit... with His joy.
God whispered, where is your joy, child? I created you to spread joy. No, not the delusional joy based on denial. The joy deeply rooted in the full knowledge of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Full-on joy in the knowledge of His transformative power. Shout-from-the roof top joy of His restorative healing of our bodies and souls. Yes, that joy. A joy I was meant to embrace, spread over my family, and share with those whom the LORD has put in my path.
Joy... Yes, now I know it was God stirring my heart that Monday. A new lesson... a new season... living in eucharisteo. Thanksgiving. Grace. Joy.
Dear Heavenly Father, You are always teaching us as we walk along this journey with You. LORD, You have this beautiful way of shepherding us down the path of life. LORD, help us to rejoice always, and when we are burdened, to cast those burdens upon you. We are so grateful that Your yoke is light. Praise You, God, for You never change, You are always in control and we can have complete trust in You. LORD, You are always revealing new lessons and reminding us of old ones that we may have forgotten. Thank You God, for loving us so deeply and working so clearly in our lives. LORD, I praise You as I pray this all in the joyous name of Jesus... Amen.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
The Definition of Hope
Psalm 9:10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.
Psalm 143:8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
With two busy teenagers, I find myself driving from place to place quite a bit in this season of my life. I love to listen to Christian radio stations as I am taxiing my precious cargo around town, and whenever I hear inspiring words on the radio, I grab a pencil and whatever paper I can find, and quickly write it down. As I was cleaning out my car this past week, I came across a handwritten note, scribbled across the back of a store coupon:
"Because of Jesus, we have hope. And hope changes everything."
How true! Yes, Jesus truly is our hope! Yet as I began to think about these words of truth written hastily on the back of my coupon, I realized that the word hope can really be quite generic. We tend to use the word "hope" frequently, but what does the word "hope" really mean? We can hope for a change in the weather, and we can hope for a great parking spot at the grocery store when it is pouring rain. But we can also hope for medical tests to turn out in our favor, or we can hope for a lost loved one to come to know the LORD...
I decided to look up the definition of the word "hope." Merriam-Webster defines it as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. To be honest, I found this definition to be a little less than inspiring. As I read further down the page, the dictionary gave the "archaic" definition... the definition that is considered "old", and "no longer used"... there, on the page, it was written: hope -- a feeling of trust. Yes. Perfect.
"Because of Jesus, we have trust. And this feeling of trust changes everything."
The hope we have in Jesus is a deeply rooted trust in Him. It is a trust that lightens our burdens... a trust that gives us a peace that passes all understanding. It is a trust that we are His; dearly loved and cherished... a trust that we are held in His mighty hands, never to be let go.
Because of Jesus, we have hope. And this hope does indeed change everything. We hope in His goodness, in His mercy and in His faithfulness. We hope in His healing, His provision and His protection. We hope in the One who repairs, redeems, and transforms. And we hope in His promises, so clearly revealed in His Word.
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for giving us hope through the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Father, You sent Your only Son so that we could know Him, believe Him, and have eternal life through Him. LORD, we place our hope in Jesus, the One who changes everything. He is the One who redeems and He is the One who transforms. My heart trusts in You, LORD -- You are my Strength, my Shield, and my Peace. I praise You and thank You for hope -- that deeply rooted feeling of trust -- that can only come from You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
You Know Me
Welcome to my "guest" devotional writer, my sweet 13 year old daughter, Sarah. I had the privilege to read this beautiful letter she wrote to The King of Kings, Jesus, the One who loves her dearly. Inspired by Psalm 121 and Psalm 139, Sarah's letter to Jesus is a precious example of breathing Scripture back to the One who breathed the Word to us. I pray you will be blessed by her letter of love. I know I was...
Psalm 121:1 I lift my eyes up to the hills -- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 139:1-5 O, LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in -- behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
Psalm 139:16 ...your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Dear Jesus,
You know me inside and out. You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts from far away. You know where I go and where I lie down. You know everything I do. Lord, you know what I say, even before the words leave my mouth. You are all around me -- in front of me and behind me.
You adorn me in a cloak of light. I am amazed by Your love for me. Wherever I go, and wherever life leads me, I will cling to You and find comfort in Your presence. I praise You because You made me in such a wonderful way. You know all my worries and You set me on the straight path.
You always walk by my side and when I cannot walk any further, You gather me up in Your arms and carry me. You will never leave me nor forsake me. I lift my eyes up to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from You, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. You will not let me fall. You never sleep and You always watch over me. You will protect me from every danger. I will go through hard times because I live in a fallen world, but You will not put me through anything I can't handle, O Lord.
Always stand by my side because I belong in Your presence. My heart is Yours, and I love You forever into eternity.
...Amen. Next time, "I Know You" a letter from Jesus to Sarah...
Psalm 121:1 I lift my eyes up to the hills -- where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 139:1-5 O, LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in -- behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
Psalm 139:16 ...your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
A Love Letter To My King
Dear Jesus,
You know me inside and out. You know when I sit down and when I get up. You know my thoughts from far away. You know where I go and where I lie down. You know everything I do. Lord, you know what I say, even before the words leave my mouth. You are all around me -- in front of me and behind me.
You adorn me in a cloak of light. I am amazed by Your love for me. Wherever I go, and wherever life leads me, I will cling to You and find comfort in Your presence. I praise You because You made me in such a wonderful way. You know all my worries and You set me on the straight path.
You always walk by my side and when I cannot walk any further, You gather me up in Your arms and carry me. You will never leave me nor forsake me. I lift my eyes up to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from You, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. You will not let me fall. You never sleep and You always watch over me. You will protect me from every danger. I will go through hard times because I live in a fallen world, but You will not put me through anything I can't handle, O Lord.
Always stand by my side because I belong in Your presence. My heart is Yours, and I love You forever into eternity.
Love,
Your Princess,
Sarah
...Amen. Next time, "I Know You" a letter from Jesus to Sarah...
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Prayers in the Throne Room
Hebrews 4:14-16 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Revelation 5:8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God's people.
I love praying with people. I love to join in prayer with those of all ages, of all denominations, on all points of the journey... I love praying with people whose prayers are like poetry, and with those whose prayers are precious in their simplicity... It is a blessing to hear each prayer... each is beautiful to me.
Our prayers are beautiful to God. Scripture tells us that we may approach the throne of grace because of what Jesus did for us. When we pray, we are entering into the throne room with confidence. That image simply fills me with awe. As we pray, we enter the throne room... and God is there, with Jesus at His right hand, listening to our prayers. And every prayer is important; every prayer is heard.
I can imagine all the prayers held in those golden bowls of incense... mingled with the prayers of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Hannah, David, Solomon, Ruth, Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Mary, Peter, Paul... mingled with the prayers of Jane, Tom, Sarah, Jason, Rob, Michael, Elisabeth, Bruce, Arlene, Chris... all the prayers of desperation, fear and worry... the prayers for comfort, healing and strength... the prayers for provision, wisdom and discernment... the prayers of thanksgiving, worship and praise... the tentative prayers, the bold prayers, and the questioning prayers... all are significant, all are heard. Each and every one.
Heavenly Father, we humbly, yet boldly, approach Your throne of grace and pray. Father, we come to You, knowing that You hear our prayers. LORD, we know that our prayer is a sweet conversation with You... thank You for Your grace, thank You for Your mercy, and thank You for Your undeniable love for us. I praise You, and give You all honor and glory. In the mighty, loving, awesome name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Revelation 5:8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God's people.
I love praying with people. I love to join in prayer with those of all ages, of all denominations, on all points of the journey... I love praying with people whose prayers are like poetry, and with those whose prayers are precious in their simplicity... It is a blessing to hear each prayer... each is beautiful to me.
Our prayers are beautiful to God. Scripture tells us that we may approach the throne of grace because of what Jesus did for us. When we pray, we are entering into the throne room with confidence. That image simply fills me with awe. As we pray, we enter the throne room... and God is there, with Jesus at His right hand, listening to our prayers. And every prayer is important; every prayer is heard.
I can imagine all the prayers held in those golden bowls of incense... mingled with the prayers of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Hannah, David, Solomon, Ruth, Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Mary, Peter, Paul... mingled with the prayers of Jane, Tom, Sarah, Jason, Rob, Michael, Elisabeth, Bruce, Arlene, Chris... all the prayers of desperation, fear and worry... the prayers for comfort, healing and strength... the prayers for provision, wisdom and discernment... the prayers of thanksgiving, worship and praise... the tentative prayers, the bold prayers, and the questioning prayers... all are significant, all are heard. Each and every one.
Heavenly Father, we humbly, yet boldly, approach Your throne of grace and pray. Father, we come to You, knowing that You hear our prayers. LORD, we know that our prayer is a sweet conversation with You... thank You for Your grace, thank You for Your mercy, and thank You for Your undeniable love for us. I praise You, and give You all honor and glory. In the mighty, loving, awesome name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Beauty in the Brokeness
Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
John 4:10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
I love to beachcomb. I slowly walk along the beach, my eyes searching over the shoreline. The waves roll in as I hunt for unique shells, smooth stones, and tiny pieces of beach glass. This particular summer vacation, the prize of the perfectly formed shell was elusive... but as I gave up my quest for the perfect shells, I found pleasure in looking for the broken ones. In fact, I began to delight in finding that little piece of knobbed whelk shell, or the remnant of the lettered olive shell. And the broken shells were plentiful... pieces of shells that were once beautiful and whole; broken by the pounding of the ocean. As I picked up the shells, gently washing them off in the surf, I thought of what they once were, but found such beauty in their uniqueness.
As I gathered the broken pieces, I thought about how God picks us up when we are broken.
I think of God, the Good Shepherd, walking the shoreline of life, picking us up, treasuring us, gently washing us in springs of living water, and wiping the tears from our eyes. While the brokeness may be part of our story, He will hold us up as beautiful. He will make us whole. And, yes, there is healing in His Living Water.
Come to Him in your brokeness... you don't have to be that perfect shell before He will love you. You see, God sees the beauty in the broken shells, too.
Dear Heavenly Father, we are those broken shells on the shoreline. Life's waves and storms can batter us and break us. But, LORD, I am so thankful You gently pick us up and carefully rinse off our sand and grit. God, You hold us in Your hand and see the beauty in all of us. I am so very grateful for Your love and healing! I pray this in the restoring name of Jesus. Amen.
John 4:10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
I love to beachcomb. I slowly walk along the beach, my eyes searching over the shoreline. The waves roll in as I hunt for unique shells, smooth stones, and tiny pieces of beach glass. This particular summer vacation, the prize of the perfectly formed shell was elusive... but as I gave up my quest for the perfect shells, I found pleasure in looking for the broken ones. In fact, I began to delight in finding that little piece of knobbed whelk shell, or the remnant of the lettered olive shell. And the broken shells were plentiful... pieces of shells that were once beautiful and whole; broken by the pounding of the ocean. As I picked up the shells, gently washing them off in the surf, I thought of what they once were, but found such beauty in their uniqueness.
As I gathered the broken pieces, I thought about how God picks us up when we are broken.
I think of God, the Good Shepherd, walking the shoreline of life, picking us up, treasuring us, gently washing us in springs of living water, and wiping the tears from our eyes. While the brokeness may be part of our story, He will hold us up as beautiful. He will make us whole. And, yes, there is healing in His Living Water.
Come to Him in your brokeness... you don't have to be that perfect shell before He will love you. You see, God sees the beauty in the broken shells, too.
Dear Heavenly Father, we are those broken shells on the shoreline. Life's waves and storms can batter us and break us. But, LORD, I am so thankful You gently pick us up and carefully rinse off our sand and grit. God, You hold us in Your hand and see the beauty in all of us. I am so very grateful for Your love and healing! I pray this in the restoring name of Jesus. Amen.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Faithful
Exodus 34:6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness..."
Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.
Psalm 33:4 For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
Isaiah 25:1 O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.
1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
As I draw closer and closer to God Almighty... as I sit at His feet and make Him my Center... as I walk on this journey, hand-in-hand with Him... I am overwhelmed by God's faithfulness.
As I seek my Heavenly Father with all my heart... I am amazed how He so clearly works in my life. I am in awe of His Presence during my quiet prayer and devotional time. And He is so faithful to answer. In His time.
Psalm 5:3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice, in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
I wait with expectation, because I know the LORD will answer... I know He is faithful. But it will be in His perfect time, not my worldly time... my time is oriented in a world of immediate answers, quick messages, and instant communication. His time is measured in infinite eternity. Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)
In times of waiting, do not doubt His faithfulness... know that God is faithful, and wait in expectation. Embrace that precious time of waiting and draw even closer to Him. Anticipate that His answer will be His perfect will in His perfect time...
Experiencing God's faithfulness leads you to completely trust in Him. That complete trust in Him leads you to His Peace... His beautiful Peace that transforms your life.
Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for Your undeniable faithfulness as we come to You in prayer and devotion. Thank You for Your answers in Your perfect timing. LORD, sometimes Your answer and Your ways may not be what we anticipated, but we know that Your plans are perfect and good. LORD, I pray that all may know your faithfulness and experience Your mighty Presence and Peace in their lives. I pray that all may experience the joy of expecting Your goodness and faithfulness. I pray this all in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.
Psalm 33:4 For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
Isaiah 25:1 O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.
1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
As I draw closer and closer to God Almighty... as I sit at His feet and make Him my Center... as I walk on this journey, hand-in-hand with Him... I am overwhelmed by God's faithfulness.
As I seek my Heavenly Father with all my heart... I am amazed how He so clearly works in my life. I am in awe of His Presence during my quiet prayer and devotional time. And He is so faithful to answer. In His time.
Psalm 5:3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice, in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.
I wait with expectation, because I know the LORD will answer... I know He is faithful. But it will be in His perfect time, not my worldly time... my time is oriented in a world of immediate answers, quick messages, and instant communication. His time is measured in infinite eternity. Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)
In times of waiting, do not doubt His faithfulness... know that God is faithful, and wait in expectation. Embrace that precious time of waiting and draw even closer to Him. Anticipate that His answer will be His perfect will in His perfect time...
Experiencing God's faithfulness leads you to completely trust in Him. That complete trust in Him leads you to His Peace... His beautiful Peace that transforms your life.
Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for Your undeniable faithfulness as we come to You in prayer and devotion. Thank You for Your answers in Your perfect timing. LORD, sometimes Your answer and Your ways may not be what we anticipated, but we know that Your plans are perfect and good. LORD, I pray that all may know your faithfulness and experience Your mighty Presence and Peace in their lives. I pray that all may experience the joy of expecting Your goodness and faithfulness. I pray this all in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Invite Jesus In
Luke 19:5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today."
Luke 19:7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'"
Luke 19:9-10 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
What if Jesus told you, "I must stay at your house today?" What if today was the day your life was about to change forever? What if today was the day that you let Jesus in and began to follow Him... truly follow Him... truly allowed Him into your life? Would you invite Jesus in? Would you let Jesus set up residence in your home, in your life... in your heart?
I encourage you to let Him in! Jesus wants to stay at your house today! He will transform your home, your life, and your heart. And Jesus doesn't want to just stay in the neat and tidy houses... He longs to come into the messy ones. The houses with past hurts, with regrets, with mistakes, with questions...
Jesus had a divine appointment with Zacchaeus. On that day, Zacchaeus was transformed. And oh, how Jesus wants to transform us! He wants to transform homes! Transform lives! Transform hearts! And Jesus will. It is His promise... if only you would let Him in. Let Jesus stay at your house today. You will never, ever be the same.
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that You will come to our houses today. We all need You in our lives. No matter where we are on our journey with You... from not knowing You, to taking those first steps toward You, to the one who is diving deep into Your Word, to the person who knows You so very deeply, like a dear old friend. We all need You to come and stay at our house. Every day. We welcome you in. Saturate our homes and our hearts today! I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Luke 19:7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'"
Luke 19:9-10 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
What if Jesus told you, "I must stay at your house today?" What if today was the day your life was about to change forever? What if today was the day that you let Jesus in and began to follow Him... truly follow Him... truly allowed Him into your life? Would you invite Jesus in? Would you let Jesus set up residence in your home, in your life... in your heart?
I encourage you to let Him in! Jesus wants to stay at your house today! He will transform your home, your life, and your heart. And Jesus doesn't want to just stay in the neat and tidy houses... He longs to come into the messy ones. The houses with past hurts, with regrets, with mistakes, with questions...
Jesus had a divine appointment with Zacchaeus. On that day, Zacchaeus was transformed. And oh, how Jesus wants to transform us! He wants to transform homes! Transform lives! Transform hearts! And Jesus will. It is His promise... if only you would let Him in. Let Jesus stay at your house today. You will never, ever be the same.
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that You will come to our houses today. We all need You in our lives. No matter where we are on our journey with You... from not knowing You, to taking those first steps toward You, to the one who is diving deep into Your Word, to the person who knows You so very deeply, like a dear old friend. We all need You to come and stay at our house. Every day. We welcome you in. Saturate our homes and our hearts today! I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
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