All in God’s Image and Likeness
Feb 16, 2012
I often think of the heavens your hands have made, and the moon and the stars you put in place. Then I ask, why do you care about humans? Why are you concerned for us weaklings? You made us a little lower than you yourself and you have crowned us with glory and honor.
–Psalm 8:3-5
Sometimes people call me up and confess to me a crisis of faith. They confess that they cannot begin to see how God could love and forgive them for their sin. They confess that they have let God down over and over again and again. They tell me that they are sure that they don’t deserve Gods forgiveness, and that they know that they could never do enough in this world to make up for their sin, even if they stopped sinning today and had the rest of their lives to do only good deeds.
When we go through such times, life can be very hard. It is a real crisis of faith and hope. First, know that this feeling is nothing new for human beings. The psalmist asks why God would care for us sinful human beings. We ask why God would forgive me.
The answer is very simple, yet there is no greater truth on which we can place our hope:
1. When God created us, we were created in God’s image and likeness! No other creature on earth was given so great a distinction. When God created us, God made us a little lower than God (some translations say angels)!
2. Not only in creation are we given glory and honor, but when we sin and fall short of that glory and we dishonor God, God continues to love us so much that God sent Jesus Christ, God’s only Son to live, die, and rise from death, so that we might have the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life.
Why does God put up with me and forgive me over and over again and again? Because we are created in God’s image and likeness, and God’s love is so great (beyond our understanding), that through Jesus we are given new life!
Bringing It Home:
1. If you are having doubts about God’s grace being really for you, read Genesis 1:31, and hear that God has called your creation very good. Then read John 3:16 and ask God to help you truly believe it!
2. If you know someone who is having a crisis of faith, pray for him or her. Ask God to guide you in giving that person the hope that only comes through Jesus.
Prayer:
Lord, I know that my faith is not perfect. In my times of doubt, please don’t leave me. Cover me with your love so that I can begin to see the truth of your grace once again.
Amen.
–Psalm 8:3-5
Sometimes people call me up and confess to me a crisis of faith. They confess that they cannot begin to see how God could love and forgive them for their sin. They confess that they have let God down over and over again and again. They tell me that they are sure that they don’t deserve Gods forgiveness, and that they know that they could never do enough in this world to make up for their sin, even if they stopped sinning today and had the rest of their lives to do only good deeds.
When we go through such times, life can be very hard. It is a real crisis of faith and hope. First, know that this feeling is nothing new for human beings. The psalmist asks why God would care for us sinful human beings. We ask why God would forgive me.
The answer is very simple, yet there is no greater truth on which we can place our hope:
1. When God created us, we were created in God’s image and likeness! No other creature on earth was given so great a distinction. When God created us, God made us a little lower than God (some translations say angels)!
2. Not only in creation are we given glory and honor, but when we sin and fall short of that glory and we dishonor God, God continues to love us so much that God sent Jesus Christ, God’s only Son to live, die, and rise from death, so that we might have the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life.
Why does God put up with me and forgive me over and over again and again? Because we are created in God’s image and likeness, and God’s love is so great (beyond our understanding), that through Jesus we are given new life!
Bringing It Home:
1. If you are having doubts about God’s grace being really for you, read Genesis 1:31, and hear that God has called your creation very good. Then read John 3:16 and ask God to help you truly believe it!
2. If you know someone who is having a crisis of faith, pray for him or her. Ask God to guide you in giving that person the hope that only comes through Jesus.
Prayer:
Lord, I know that my faith is not perfect. In my times of doubt, please don’t leave me. Cover me with your love so that I can begin to see the truth of your grace once again.
Amen.
Be Still!
Feb 09, 2012
Be still and know that I am God.
– Psalm 46:10
Several years ago at church camp, we took a girl on a canoe trip who was deathly afraid of the water. We assured her that she was safe. She would wear a life jacket, and would travel in a canoe with experienced staff. She reluctantly agreed to go.
Naturally, her canoe was caught in a current and capsized when it struck an overhanging branch. The girl panicked and thrashed and screamed. It took forever for the staff to let her know that if she would only be still and stand up, she would discover that the water was only waist deep!
Sometimes when we encounter the things we most fear (rejection, failure, sickness…), we panic and thrash about and scream. But God calls us to have a little faith. If we will be still, we might just discover that our greatest fears are only waist deep, and that God has become a foundation we can stand upon.
Bringing It Home
1. What are your greatest fears? What does your faith have to say about those fears?
2. Spend some time with Psalm 46 this week, and allow its comforting message to calm your fears.
Bringing It Home
Powerful God, your love has conquered the powers of evil, and even death itself. Remind us today that you are bigger than all of our fears. Teach us to be still and know that you are God. Let your peace dwell within us today. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
– Psalm 46:10
Several years ago at church camp, we took a girl on a canoe trip who was deathly afraid of the water. We assured her that she was safe. She would wear a life jacket, and would travel in a canoe with experienced staff. She reluctantly agreed to go.
Naturally, her canoe was caught in a current and capsized when it struck an overhanging branch. The girl panicked and thrashed and screamed. It took forever for the staff to let her know that if she would only be still and stand up, she would discover that the water was only waist deep!
Sometimes when we encounter the things we most fear (rejection, failure, sickness…), we panic and thrash about and scream. But God calls us to have a little faith. If we will be still, we might just discover that our greatest fears are only waist deep, and that God has become a foundation we can stand upon.
Bringing It Home
1. What are your greatest fears? What does your faith have to say about those fears?
2. Spend some time with Psalm 46 this week, and allow its comforting message to calm your fears.
Bringing It Home
Powerful God, your love has conquered the powers of evil, and even death itself. Remind us today that you are bigger than all of our fears. Teach us to be still and know that you are God. Let your peace dwell within us today. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
Turn to the Lord for Help
Feb 02, 2012
The Lord says: My thoughts and my ways are not like yours. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, my thoughts and my ways are higher than yours.”
-Isaiah 55:8-9
For years, it was a real ego-boost to help my daughters with their homework. (An ego boost for me, that is!) They would turn to me for guidance and help with their homework. They trusted completely in my ability to help them, and their trust was well placed, because I could help them. It was a great relationship. They needed help and wisdom, so they turned to me, and I gave it to them. It was a win-win for us all!
I have noticed that they turn to me less and less for help with their homework. Could it be because they are studying things that I either forgot over 20 years ago or that I never learned in the first place? Yes! It used to be known that Dad was smarter than they were. Now, in certain areas, they are smarter than Dad. So they search out and turn to others who are of help to them – and now they receive an ego-boost, because they are smarter than Dad!
We all have so many needs. The world has many invitations for help and guidance. You can find books, magazines, self-proclaimed experts, and
other forms of help that all say they have the answer to meet your needs. We turn to them, hoping that they will provide the wisdom and guidance we need. Scripture says that we need to remember that God is the source of all wisdom, guidance, and strength. God’s ways and thoughts are higher than any other on earth. God wants us to turn and receive divine guidance and support in our time of need. Like my children once did, we need to turn to God in complete trust that God can help us. The great thing about God’s ways, though, is that God’s ways
will always be higher than ours! He will always be the source of wisdom and guidance for us.
Bringing It Home:
1. Have you been searching the world for answers to your needs and come up short? Is the self-help book you are following working? Ask God to guide you and give you strength. Trust in God’s ways.
2. If you know someone who is struggling and who needs to rely more on God’s ways, invite them to church or your small group. Offer to pray with and for them.
Prayer:
Lord, your ways are truly so great and so wonderful. Your ways are beyond our comprehension. Help me to truly trust more in your ways and not in my own. Help me to trust that your ways are better than the world’s ways. Only then can I become who you created me to be.
Amen.
-Isaiah 55:8-9
For years, it was a real ego-boost to help my daughters with their homework. (An ego boost for me, that is!) They would turn to me for guidance and help with their homework. They trusted completely in my ability to help them, and their trust was well placed, because I could help them. It was a great relationship. They needed help and wisdom, so they turned to me, and I gave it to them. It was a win-win for us all!
I have noticed that they turn to me less and less for help with their homework. Could it be because they are studying things that I either forgot over 20 years ago or that I never learned in the first place? Yes! It used to be known that Dad was smarter than they were. Now, in certain areas, they are smarter than Dad. So they search out and turn to others who are of help to them – and now they receive an ego-boost, because they are smarter than Dad!
We all have so many needs. The world has many invitations for help and guidance. You can find books, magazines, self-proclaimed experts, and
other forms of help that all say they have the answer to meet your needs. We turn to them, hoping that they will provide the wisdom and guidance we need. Scripture says that we need to remember that God is the source of all wisdom, guidance, and strength. God’s ways and thoughts are higher than any other on earth. God wants us to turn and receive divine guidance and support in our time of need. Like my children once did, we need to turn to God in complete trust that God can help us. The great thing about God’s ways, though, is that God’s ways
will always be higher than ours! He will always be the source of wisdom and guidance for us.
Bringing It Home:
1. Have you been searching the world for answers to your needs and come up short? Is the self-help book you are following working? Ask God to guide you and give you strength. Trust in God’s ways.
2. If you know someone who is struggling and who needs to rely more on God’s ways, invite them to church or your small group. Offer to pray with and for them.
Prayer:
Lord, your ways are truly so great and so wonderful. Your ways are beyond our comprehension. Help me to truly trust more in your ways and not in my own. Help me to trust that your ways are better than the world’s ways. Only then can I become who you created me to be.
Amen.
Gods Power to Change People
Jan 31, 2012
They all met together continually for prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus. – Acts 1:14
I read that Scripture verse just a few days ago and thought to myself,
“Now wait a minute! Aren’t those brothers of Jesus the very same guys who didn’t believe in him? (John 7:5) And yet, here they are praying together with the disciples. What happened?”
The answer, of course, is that the reality of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead had impacted them so powerfully that even these unbelieving brothers had a change of heart. What a great testimony to the power of Jesus’ resurrection. And what good news for us!
Do you know someone who is not a believer? A hard-core skeptic? The kind of person that scoffs at your faith? Someone your heart aches for?
Someone you’ve prayed would come to a saving faith in Jesus, but are beginning to doubt will ever believe? Maybe it’s a child. Perhaps a spouse, or a close friend. Don’t give up hope! If Jesus’ resurrection power could change his brothers’ hearts, it can change anyone’s heart!
Bringing It Home
1. Who do you know that has a skeptical mind or a hard heart when it comes to faith in Jesus Christ? If you aren’t already praying for them, make a commitment to do so today.
2. The power of Jesus’ resurrection is most clearly seen in the changed lives of other believers. Are you showing that change in your daily life? Be a living witness!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, my heart aches for the lost people in my life. I lift
them up to you, trusting in the incredible power of your resurrection.
Change their heart, Lord. And let me shine as a living light, a
testimony to your power and love.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
I read that Scripture verse just a few days ago and thought to myself,
“Now wait a minute! Aren’t those brothers of Jesus the very same guys who didn’t believe in him? (John 7:5) And yet, here they are praying together with the disciples. What happened?”
The answer, of course, is that the reality of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead had impacted them so powerfully that even these unbelieving brothers had a change of heart. What a great testimony to the power of Jesus’ resurrection. And what good news for us!
Do you know someone who is not a believer? A hard-core skeptic? The kind of person that scoffs at your faith? Someone your heart aches for?
Someone you’ve prayed would come to a saving faith in Jesus, but are beginning to doubt will ever believe? Maybe it’s a child. Perhaps a spouse, or a close friend. Don’t give up hope! If Jesus’ resurrection power could change his brothers’ hearts, it can change anyone’s heart!
Bringing It Home
1. Who do you know that has a skeptical mind or a hard heart when it comes to faith in Jesus Christ? If you aren’t already praying for them, make a commitment to do so today.
2. The power of Jesus’ resurrection is most clearly seen in the changed lives of other believers. Are you showing that change in your daily life? Be a living witness!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, my heart aches for the lost people in my life. I lift
them up to you, trusting in the incredible power of your resurrection.
Change their heart, Lord. And let me shine as a living light, a
testimony to your power and love.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Nothing Can Separate Us From God
Jan 20, 2012
I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love – not life or
death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not
powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! (Romans 8:38-39)
This Scripture passage is often used at funerals. It is read to proclaim in no uncertain terms that even though death can separate us from our life on earth, that not even death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Not even death will cancel the promise of God’s love granting us the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. It is a great comfort to read this at such an important time.
Today, I invite you to hear the breadth and depth of this passage that can often be missed when used only at funerals:
1. Life cannot separate us from God’s love. Nothing in living your life can separate you. No part of your sinful human living will cause God to withdraw the love of Jesus from you.
2. Angels or spirits cannot separate you from God’s love. No spiritual power is strong enough to cause God to withdraw the love of Jesus from you.
3. The present or the future cannot separate you from God’s love. Nothing that happens today or tomorrow will cause God to withdraw the love of Jesus from you.
4. Powers above and powers below cannot separate you from God’s love. No force in the entire universe can cause God to withdraw the love of Jesus from you.
Bringing It Home:
1. If you are fearful that you have done something or may do something in the future that could cause God’s love to be withdrawn from you, pray the passage above. Ask God to strengthen your faith in your time of need.
2. Get a card of encouragement for someone who is going through a time of struggle. Write the Scripture passage above on it and tell them that you are praying for them.
Prayer:
Lord God, your love is steadfast and more powerful than any force in all of creation. I thank you and praise your name that I can confidently give my life over to you. Strengthen my resolve to submit myself to you.
Amen.
This Scripture passage is often used at funerals. It is read to proclaim in no uncertain terms that even though death can separate us from our life on earth, that not even death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Not even death will cancel the promise of God’s love granting us the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. It is a great comfort to read this at such an important time.
Today, I invite you to hear the breadth and depth of this passage that can often be missed when used only at funerals:
1. Life cannot separate us from God’s love. Nothing in living your life can separate you. No part of your sinful human living will cause God to withdraw the love of Jesus from you.
2. Angels or spirits cannot separate you from God’s love. No spiritual power is strong enough to cause God to withdraw the love of Jesus from you.
3. The present or the future cannot separate you from God’s love. Nothing that happens today or tomorrow will cause God to withdraw the love of Jesus from you.
4. Powers above and powers below cannot separate you from God’s love. No force in the entire universe can cause God to withdraw the love of Jesus from you.
Bringing It Home:
1. If you are fearful that you have done something or may do something in the future that could cause God’s love to be withdrawn from you, pray the passage above. Ask God to strengthen your faith in your time of need.
2. Get a card of encouragement for someone who is going through a time of struggle. Write the Scripture passage above on it and tell them that you are praying for them.
Prayer:
Lord God, your love is steadfast and more powerful than any force in all of creation. I thank you and praise your name that I can confidently give my life over to you. Strengthen my resolve to submit myself to you.
Amen.