THE PURE IN HEART
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8
As our mourning to God begins the transforming process of our new life in Christ, so our lifestyle of purity amid the impure can become the beginning of reconciliation.
This Beatitude necessitates the strictest and most honest self-examination. We are to do everything with pure, unmixed motives. This demands the death of self and the springing to life of Christ within the heart.
So, blessed are those whose motives are unmixed and who operate in purity. They shall be given a vision of God Himself. As we draw closer to Him through purity, we shall see Him more clearly, love Him more dearly and follow Him more nearly. Thus:
Blessed are those whose motives are absolutely pure and whose life is characterized by purity, for they will be able to see God.
The area of moral purity is one major concern of Muslims. Great stress is laid on modesty in dressing and purity of relationships between the sexes. But Christians seem so nonchalant about such issues. Is it because we do not care about purity? No. The difference is in our starting points. In the Muslim view, purity is from the “outside in.” For the follower of Jesus it must be from the “inside out.” Thus, Muslims seek to cleanse themselves knowing they are in need of cleansing, whereas we know Christ has already cleansed us.
But we tend to disregard the danger that dirt can pose to us and we become careless. What is important to realize is that a careless disregard for even the “appearance of evil” will lead people to wrong conclusions and cause them to stumble. It is not enough to say we are pure. We must be seen to be pure.
A co-worker in China was teaching a class of believers in which two antagonistic-looking groups of students sat across from each other, looking as if they were facing enemies. As he was sharing, some students started crying and others were repenting. He told them that if they needed to apologize to others, they should sincerely ask the Holy Spirit to work, and to move them, and to give them the courage to admit their wrongs to others. He said that God delights in pure hearted children, and He wants to use submissive, humble people. Everyone was hugging and crying. Everyone was confessing his or her sins to each other. The cleansing brought purity to their relationships.
RESPONSE: Today I will seek to live my life in true purity before God with good motives.
PRAYER: Lord, I can only live this way if I listen and respond positively to the reproving of Your Holy Spirit. Help me to be sensitive to purity issues.
Promise #199
Promise #199:
I will blanket My protection over all who trust in Me.
Psalm 5:11 (WEB)
But let all those who take refuge in you rejoice,
Let them always shout for joy, because you defend them.
Let them also who love your name be joyful in you.
In the NLT & NIV Bible versions of this verse, the psalmist asks God to ‘spread His protection over them’. The Amplified Bible says ‘make a covering over them’. When I think of this promise, I imagine that Papa God spreads a huge canopy, a nice warm comforting blanket over us that provides warmth, protection and shelter all the days of our life.
The knowledge of a loving God that is brooding over us and protecting us will cause us to trust Him even more and fill us to overflowing with unspeakable joy. I chose this particular photo of cloud cover to remind me that just as the clouds can shield us from the heat of the sun’s rays, so God’s love covers us and shields us from the harshness that life can bring our way.
May each one of us snuggle under the blanket of God’s protecting love today and may our hearts be filled with joy knowing that we are safe and secure today and for the rest of our lives.
Love God And Love Others Well
Our Hero
“His eyes are like blazing fire.” — Revelation 19:12
Everyone loves a movie with a happily-ever-after ending. One in which the dashing young man sweeps the beautiful girl into his arms just as the credits start to roll. The plot usually involves an evil rival who tries to lure the girl away, so we all cheer when the hero finally crushes the bad guy.
Jesus is our happily-ever-after Hero. He stepped out of heaven to rescue us from an evil enemy bent on destroying us. He gave up absolutely everything in exchange for His bride. He’s gallant, fearless, and utterly faithful. The Bible even depicts Him as riding on a white horse: “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True” (Revelation 19:11).
Rejoice! Jesus is our hero, His love is unshakable, and He’s got a happily-forever-after ending planned for you.
Jesus, You truly sweep me off my feet! Help me to turn to You whenever I need a hero — and even when I don’t. Amen.
“We do not think ourselves into new ways of living, we live ourselves into new ways of thinking.” “Most of us were taught that God would love us if and when we change. In fact, God loves you so that you can change. What empowers change, what makes you desirous of change is the experience of love.”
~Richard Rohr
A Prayer for Fear and Anxiety
A Prayer for Fear and Anxiety
By Kelly Balarie
For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight (Ephesians 1:4, NIV).
Anxiety feels not only like sweat, but also like a heart that beats out loud. It pounds and pounds until you’re certain your biggest fears, strongest worries and largest inadequacies will sound in unison and come crashing down.
What makes your anxiety come alive? Social situations? Dwindling finances? Health concerns? Relational issues? Your weight? Your future? Your past?
Anxiety speaks like a dictator and lives like bondage. Jesus speaks like peace and brings deliverance to life.
3 Ways to Wreck Anxiety and Fear
1. Acknowledge: God chose you. This means, out of all the millions of people He could have created, could have desired and could have accepted – by grace, He set His affections on you.
2. Accept: You are holy. By the sacrifice of Jesus, even in your worry, wrestling and hand writhing, God sees you as radiant and resplendent. You are his walking glory!
3. Affirm: You are blameless in His sight. Because Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, you can walk as an imperfect woman, covered by His heart-aching death on the cross.
Anxiety is an invasive bully. It gets in your face and then under your skin, telling you you’re about to face ruin.
The best way to beat fear is to not fear it. The best way to beat fear is to acknowledge it, repent of it and then douse it with love. It can’t rage under the power of the Living Water (Jo. 4:14). It can’t thrive under the light of truth. It can’t strengthen when submitted to the God of all strength.
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment… (1 John 4:18)
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, thank You. Thank You that You see us as holy and blameless. Thank You that You want us. Thank You that, because of your sacrifice, You see us as radiant. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. We accept this as truth and we will walk by this truth today. We love You.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Content taken from the Girlfriends in God devotional, “3 Ways to Wreck Anxiety and Fear,” written Kelly Balarie. You can read that piece in full here. All rights reserved.
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Is a Cashless Society Part of the End Times?
- Heather Riggleman
- Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer
Are we moving towards a cashless society? If we are, does a cashless society mean we are moving into the end times? With all the headlines about cryptocurrency—many Christians are questioning whether or not it’s a sign that we are moving deeper into the book of Revelation when Christ will make His return. It is often assumed that in order for the Antichrist or the beast to control all sales, a cashless society is a sign that the tribulation is near. It is assumed that so long as we are still using cash, we are not living in the end of days; but if we move towards a cashless society where all transactions become electric, then every transaction can be controlled and monitored by the beast (Revelation 3:17).
Cash, cryptocurrency, or no cash, we are living in the end of days. Jesus’ resurrection and ascension marked the beginning of the ‘end of days’ over 2,000 years ago. Many interpret the book of Revelation as a way to know when “the end is near” when the Antichrist or the beast control all buying and selling during the tribulation. However, a cashless society is not necessary to fulfill the meaning of Revelation 13:17.
What Is a Cashless Society?
A cashless society might sound like something out of a science fiction movie but it’s already on its way thanks to some governments and financial service companies vying for the new era. However, no society on this planet has gone completely cash-free—despite the rise of cryptocurrency.
A cashless society is an economic concept where all goods, services, and sales are executed in an electronic format rather than cash. Items like electronic cards or devices will be used for all transactions. It can be in the form of what we use today: credit cards, debit cards, or mobile wallets. Other examples are widely used today such as Venmo, PayPal, Apple Wallet, and Amazon Go.
What Are the End Times or End of Days?
How we understand Eschatology (the study of what the Bible says about what will happen during the end of days) has an impact on our lives here and now and what we are to expect to occur. The End of Days is prophesied by many events that will occur. These events can be categorized as political signs, spiritual signs, natural signs, and sociological signs. The Bible tells if that if many of the signs are present, we can know for sure we are living in the end times.
Jesus’ ascension after His crucifixion and resurrection marked the beginning of the End of Days. Luke 21:11 also lists some of the natural signs as a sign of the times that will occur before Jesus’ second coming: “There will be great earthquakes, famines, and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.” Jesus called these things “birth pangs” in Matthew 24:8 but that does not mean we are to interpret every natural disaster as a sign of the end times. Matthew 24:6-7 predicted that “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.” “Wars and rumors of wars” are definitely characteristic of this present age and what we witness in the news.
Along with the signs God will use in the natural and spiritual realms, society will continue to decline in immorality. 2 Timothy 3:13 tells us evildoers and imposters will go from bad to worse. We will be lovers of ourselves and doing right in our eyes (2 Timothy 3:1-4).
This moral decline and a cashless society will supposedly usher in the Antichrist who will control all buying and selling by forcing people to “take the mark of the beast.” Some believe it could be a microchip while others currently believe it means the use of credit cards.
Some believe the church will be raptured as Christ comes in the clouds to snatch away all those who trust in Him (1 Corinthians 15:52). The “dead in Christ” will be resurrected and taken to heaven too. Then the Antichrist will rise as he gains worldwide control with promises of peace and he will be aided by a false prophet (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8, 13:1; Revelation 13:1; 19:20; Daniel 9:27).
Those who are left behind after the Rapture will be faced with an unbearable choice—accept the mark of the beast in order to buy and sell goods to survive, or face starvation and horrific persecution by the Antichrist and his followers.
Does the Bible Say Anything about a Cashless Society?
There are two references about a cashless society, but the Bible does not specifically contain the phrase, ‘cashless society.’
Revelation 13:16-18 says, “Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.”
Isaiah 55:1-13 says, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.”
Does a Cashless Society Point to End Times?
We are currently living in the end times, cash or no cash. However, the conditions described in Revelation 13:17 existed without a cashless society. If a tradesman wanted to sell his goods, he needed to be a member of the trade association or guild. Each association had a patron deity and in order to trade, each craftsman had to be willing to worship the deities. If a follower of Christ refused to worship a deity, they were not allowed to buy or sell goods.
In modern communist countries, Christians have been barred and banned altogether from buying or selling goods. Some authorities make it clear no one is to buy or sell to Christ-followers in countries like China or Iran today.
Should Christians Embrace a Cashless Society if It Comes to That?
According to the latest research, 86% of Americans are paperless when it comes to financial transactions. 29% of Americans never purchase with cash and 52% state they only “occasionally” purchase goods and services with cash. These days, there are virtually dozens of ways to pay for goods and services without using cash. From Venmo to debit cards to credit cards and even cryptocurrency, we are slowly moving towards a cashless society.https://d376b2330e99274ac8597de250d4e992.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Many view a cashless society as an imminent threat because they believe it will usher in the Antichrist and make it easier for the government to track us and therefore control us—eventually giving the Antichrist the ability to implement the mark of the beast. However, when the Antichrist does come, he will have the power to declare cash as worthless. He will have the power to require a new form of cash and require individuals to take the mark of the beast and pledge their allegiance in order to acquire this new way of buying and selling goods. But even in a cashless society, there are ways around the system. Bartering will always exist.
A cashless society will not usher in the Antichrist, nor is it ungodly or antibiblical. Should a cashless society happen, Christians should not fear it. Instead, Christians should have faith in God. Faith and trust that He will provide for all of their needs. Ultimately, we need to remember God is the one who provides our jobs and He is the one who supplies all of our needs. The rapture could occur at any moment.
The good news is that it’s not too late to choose eternal life. It’s not too late to study God’s Word and get to know Him better. It’s not too late to trust He will take care of all your needs. All that is required is faith in God’s free gift of grace through His Son, Jesus Christ. One thing is certain, you will be trading the world’s riches for eternity.
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Jonas Leupe
Heather Riggleman is an award-winning journalist and a regular contributor for Crosswalk. She calls Nebraska home with her three kids and a husband of 22 years. She believes Jazzercise, Jesus, and tacos can fix anything and not necessarily in that order! She is author of I Call Him By Name Bible Study, the Bold Truths Prayer Journal, Mama Needs a Time Out, and a contributor to several books. You can find her at www.heatherriggleman.com or on Facebook.
Leaving Your Comfort Zone
by: DaySpring
I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me. (Psalm 57:2)
Purpose is not supposed to be an ever-seeking, never-finding, illusive, impossible-to-grasp type of thing. God wants you to understand your purpose. Everything you’ve encountered—even the awful things—have been part of your journey. It’s easy to feel as if our imperfections disqualify us from being used by God in a mighty way, but let’s not forget that Jesus hand selected everyday people to be his disciples. His mother, Mary, was incredibly young and must have felt unqualified for a task as massive as raising the Messiah. And then there was John the Baptist, who lived in the wilderness but was the only one heaven anointed to baptize others and make a way for Jesus. God doesn’t use the same faulty, fickle standards of the world.
He’s not looking for your accomplishments; he’s looking for your availability. However, entering a higher level of purpose with God will require a radical mind shift. The inner beliefs that got you where you are won’t get you into your promised land. It’s time to leave your comfort zone to access your glory zone.
Lord, help me to be kind to myself and to find joy and purpose in my imperfections. You’ve recruited me because I’m worthy. Mature me, focus me, and equip me with the mindset needed to bring you glory. Amen.
Marshawn Evans Daniels
100 Days of Believing Bigger
Looking for more inspiration? You can find more resources for hope and encouragement, such as products to help you grow in your faith or resources in our article library on DaySpring.com.
Changing Our Posture by Practicing Gratitude
by Grace P. Cho
My kids are fifteen months apart. All they’ve known is being with each other, occupying the same space, having a constant companion. My daughter’s like my husband — logical, introverted, often craving space to herself so she can read or play unbothered. My son, on the other hand, is like me — affectionate, empathetic, always craving company and someone to play with. When they’re apart, they miss each other, wondering what the other is up to, what things they might be missing out on that the other is doing. They play well and fight well; it’s a “can’t live with or without each other” situation.
After separate playdates yesterday, I picked them up, and less than five minutes into the car ride home, they start arguing, their tones twisting into whines and their voices rising in volume and sass. I have no patience for this; they’ve been whining since they woke up that morning. So I yell,
“YOU’RE ALREADY FIGHTING?! YOU’VE ONLY BEEN TOGETHER FOR FIVE MINUTES! I’VE HAD ENOUGH TODAY! NO ONE CAN TALK UNTIL WE GET HOME!”
They scrunch their faces at me in frustration, but I don’t relent. We all need a timeout to take a breather, to let our emotions simmer down. Their last whines fade out, and as we drive the rest of the way home in silence, my anger subsides. I recognize my overreaction, and I remember the conversation my husband and I had about how it seems that every podcast or sermon or health tip we listen to these days talks about practicing gratitude.
Am I grateful or do I whine just like the kids do? Am I grateful for them? If they’re gifts from God, how do I practice gratitude when I’ve lost my patience and am beyond annoyed, when I’ve just yelled at them, when they don’t behave as I wish they would?
I check my heart and see the rigidity of my posture. When provoked, I often stand on a soapbox of my own righteousness and lord it over my kids, my finger wagging, my tone condescending. I feel entitled to them conforming to my ways, for them to obey me the first time every single time, for them to play well with each other and be happy and grateful.
Though I do want them to learn to listen, to respect me and each other, my expectations for their behavior is unrealistic. I’m asking for robots instead of children who need grace and reminders. And am I not also a child who needs the same things from the Father?
I’m not that much different than my kids: I also need to try again, to use my words nicely, to say sorry and ask for forgiveness. So I get off my soapbox and relax my stance. I look into the rearview mirror and see their faces, obediently quiet. I can tell they’re ready to be silly again, and I’m grateful their spirits haven’t been broken.Our postures determine our attitudes, and I’m understanding more why so many people across the spectrum are talking about practicing gratitude.
Gratitude changes our posture, and practicing gratitude means we must slow down our minds and our hearts to remember, recount, and recognize what we have to be grateful for. It helps us to make mental and emotional shifts throughout the day when it’s not going well, and it grounds us and gives us a better perspective.
Today has been much like yesterday, with the same arguments and whining, but my posture is softer, my heart more open. I’m running through the things I’m grateful for, and this is what I know:
I’m thankful for my kids, whom I get to raise and love and who make me proud and make me laugh. I’m thankful for second chances throughout the day, so we don’t have to be stuck in bad attitudes and crabby moods. I’m thankful for my husband, who has started asking us what we’re grateful for at the end of each day, a way to recalibrate and center us back to what’s most important. I’m thankful for the quiet hours of the night when I get to work, for the work I get to do, and for the rest I get to relish at the end of the day.
I’m thankful for the depth yet simplicity of living out our faith and for Jesus who walked the way ahead of us. I’m thankful that we are being constantly broken and reshaped into the mold of Christ. All is grace in Him, and all thanks be to Him.
Looking for more inspiration? Check out our Devotional Library and be sure to sign up for our e-newsletter to receive free articles, updates from our Ecard Studio as well as exclusive deals.Practicing gratitude means we must slow down our minds and our hearts to remember what we have to be grateful for.
Bible study of the week: Jennie Allen’s nothing to prove
What if instead of waking up feeling empty, you awoke so full of wisdom and joy you couldn’t help but give it away? — Jennie Allen
Are You Tired?
by Jennie Allen from session one of Nothing to Prove: A Study in the Gospel of John
Welcome to Bible Study of the Week, where every Sunday we give you the free first sessions of video Bible studies from leading authors, pastors, and Bible teachers. Here’s beloved author & speaker Jennie Allen with her study Nothing to Prove: A Study in the Gospel of John.
Be sure to watch the free first session on our blog…
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UNFORCED RHYTHMS
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you, Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. — Matthew 11:28-30 MSG
Are you tired?
Worn out?
Burned out on trying to measure up? Trying to prove yourself?
Maybe we are doing this life all wrong.
What if instead of waking up feeling empty, you awoke so full of wisdom and joy you couldn’t help but give it away?
What if instead of living insecurely, you were watching God move through you in ways you couldn’t believe?
What if instead of living in fear, you lived seeing potential?
What if instead of craving things you can’t ever seem to get, you were fully satisfied and at peace?
What if instead of numbing out because you are tired of striving, you were at peace and could enjoy your life?
Jesus has a plan for our emptiness, our fatigue, our inadequacies, our sin.
Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. — John 7:37-38
Jesus is saying, Keep coming back to Me and I will keep satisfying you. And out of that life with Me, you will overflow and bring life to others.
Your Turn
Watch the video, come get the session one study questions, and share your thoughts on this study on our blog. We want to hear from you!
when I’m feeling a little less than the Proverbs 31 woman…
God wants to partner with you. ~ Alli Worthington, Standing Strong
God’s Plan for Partnership with Us
Alli Worthington, Standing Strong
One of my favorite things about God is that nothing ever surprises Him. I take the greatest comfort in knowing that no matter how crazy the world gets, God is in Heaven saying, “Yep, I saw that coming. I’m still in control. You’re okay.”
Knowing that the Creator of the Universe is in control reassures me that I don’t have to be. No matter what the world looks like.
And yet, even though God is totally in control, totally capable of handling things all on His own, He invites me (and you) to join Him, to share the journey. In fact, He created us for that reason. It’s one of the great mysteries of God.
Just as He created this world with such beauty and diversity, God created us, each with different personalities and the will to make our own decisions. He could have created us to blindly do His bidding, but He didn’t. He made us unique and then gave us the option to use our gifts to serve alongside Him — He gave us a purpose, and then He planted within us a deep desire to live out that purpose alongside Him.
One of the most talked about women in the Bible is the Proverbs 31 woman. Talk about a woman of purpose! That girl had it together.
She got up early, prepared food for her entire family and her employees before the sun came up; was wise with her money and knew how to maximize her Amazon Subscribe and Save. She ran a business, a household, had a great marriage, and was such a great mom her kids called her blessed.
Sometimes when I’m feeling a little less than the Proverbs 31 woman, I do try to remind myself that according to Proverbs 31:1 this was a mother’s dream wife for her son and not an actual woman! “For King Lemuel, an inspired utterance his mother taught him.” Nonetheless, although the Proverbs 31 woman isn’t an actual woman, we can glean so much from this God-breathed description of her.
First, she is a woman of noble character. Her character is deeply rooted in the character of God; and therefore like Him, she has incredible value, she’s wise, diligent, generous, and intentional. For her character to be deeply rooted in the character of God, she has to know Him, intimately.
As strong women of God, called for a purpose, we likewise must develop deep roots in our relationship with God by spending time in His Word and by talking to Him through prayer. Our noble character comes from His noble character.
Secondly, she is trustworthy. In the setting of the Proverbs 31 woman, it speaks specifically of her husband trusting her,
The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.
To live out our purpose in this world, not just in marriage, we have to be worthy of trust.
What does it look like to be trustworthy?
- Perhaps it is holding the confidence of a friend in crisis.
- Or maybe it believing the good you know about someone despite what you might hear from others.
- Or perhaps it is something as simple as doing what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it. Maybe it’s as simple as keeping your word.
For me, the most notable attribute of this woman is how intentional she is with her time. The entire remainder of the passage is filled with a description of how she spends her day. Yes, she is busy, very busy, but she’s busy doing the things she has been called to do.
She partners with God to be about the work He has called her to, and because of her obedience to that calling, she makes such an impact in the world that her husband is highly praised.
This is the one that gets me. It is easy to be busy, and it is easy to be busy doing good things. Throwing your preschooler a Pinterest-worthy birthday party isn’t a bad thing. Volunteering at every event that comes up at your church isn’t a bad thing. But when we are so busy doing good things that we aren’t available to partner with God to do the great things He has called us to, we’ve gone too far.
The greatest lesson I have taken away from God’s description of the Proverbs 31 woman is that she spends her life in pursuit of her purpose, doing the work and the will of God.
Your life is part of a big beautiful story, and the impact you are making might not even be something you see. In the season you are in, it may seem like the work you are doing is nothing special. But you may not know the full impact of your calling until you’re in Heaven, when you discover how your work, your yesses, and your partnering with God changed the world.
- You may start a Bible study that changes your community for generations to come.
- You may raise a child who discovers a cure for a type of cancer — or teaches kindergarten, because Lord knows that’s a calling.
- You may help a woman rebuild her life after her marriage disintegrates in her hands.
- You may write a book that comforts someone in a season of loss or inspires someone to run for president.
No matter what season you are in, no matter how you have questioned God, no matter how often you believe you’ve messed it all up, God still wants to partner with you.
He is continually calling you into your future. The world needs you to answer that calling.
God is standing on the other side of the open door to the next season of your life. And in His hand is an invitation to a great adventure. As women of God, strength and dignity are our clothing, and we can laugh at the days to come.
Written for Faith.Full by Alli Worthington, author of Standing Strong.
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Your Turn
Friends, it’s time for us to partner up with God in a whole new way, fully, completely, doggedly, joyfully! We don’t want to spend our time fruitlessly but to trust Him with designing exactly what is best for us, right? What’s your call? Are you going for it? Let’s do it! Come share with us on our blog. We want to hear from you! ~ Laurie McClure, Faith.Full
brave in our own way
Everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made. — Isaiah 43:7 ESV
God Made You on Purpose
by Annie F. Downs, from 100 Days to Brave
The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of Your hands. — Psalm 138:8 ESV
I like the idea that God only made me once. Like paintings — there’s something special about the first one. My cousin Joe just recently passed away, but for my entire life, he was a painter. An artist. My home is filled with paintings and sketches and illustrations he made just for me. In fact, one of the paintings he gave me proudly hangs in my dining room. It’s huge and abstract and purple and blue and black and weird. I love it. A few years ago, I asked Joe what it’s like to replicate art versus painting the original piece.
The short answer he gave is that the original is work, but fun. Any copies, exact or modified, are boring, if not mindless. Creating is just problem solving, and once you solve the original problem, it’s like you could train bright monkeys to do the replicating. (That’s a quote. “Bright monkeys.” Man, I miss Joe.) The question is not unlike asking a chef to create the most special French onion soup in the world and, after he or she has succeeded beyond any expectations, to keep making it every day.
God made you once. You were worth the work that first time. Then He threw away that mold because one of you is enough for Him. You’re enough. You are the sacred painting, the original.
God made us this way on purpose. It’s no mistake that we are formed the way we are. But why?
Why did God make humans in the first place?
Look at Isaiah 43:7:
Everyone who is called by My name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made. — ESV, emphasis mine
God created us for His glory. Hang with me for a little Old Testament lesson. The word create in the original Hebrew is bara. When this particular word is used, God is the only subject — He does all the work. Only He can create in this particular way. We may be able to create a painting or create chaos, but as humans, we cannot bara. So when God made you, He did something that only He can do, and He did that for His glory.
This short Hebrew 101 lesson does have a point. We look at the original language of the text to see, according to Scripture, that we were made especially by God to promote Him, glorify Him, and worship Him.
If we are each as unique as the Bible says we are, then our calls to courage are each equally unique.
So what does this have to do with being brave?
If we are each as unique as the Bible says we are, then our calls to courage are each equally unique.
We each have to be brave in our own ways.
The painting of your life is a masterpiece that will never be replicated, and there’s a brave brush to use in this painting that will change everything for God’s glory and for your good. Maybe you want to move to another country to live and share about Jesus. My friend, that is brave. It really is.
But so is being a stay-at-home mom. And so is being a cable technician. So is being an author or a baseball player or a chef. Courage looks different for each of us.
God made you on purpose and unique. God has called you to be brave. And God will equip you to do it.
Be Brave: In your journal, or here in the margins, list some ways your life is unique. What do you love? How do you like to spend your time? What ways do you see your life as different from anyone else’s?
Excerpted with permission from 100 Days to Brave by Annie Downs, copyright Annie F. Downs.
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Your Turn
How are you being brave? It likely looks different than the ways your family and friends are being brave because you are different. You were uniquely created for His glory so your story of bravery will be unique. Come share your thoughts with us on our blog. We want to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily
Wisdom for Today
“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” – Proverbs 14:23
Dose of Devotion 