I’ve just finished a 6 week study with someone from our last group called “Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People” – it was awesome!  It really made me think about my own misconceptions about what God expects – how I develop my relationship with Him will be changed because of the freedom I feel after this study.  If you’d be interested in going through this study with me, let me know – I’d love to go through it again!  AND – I’ll be starting a new study on Spiritual Gifts in January – if you’re interested in joining us, let me know!
 
I am loved by God...
 
Jeremiah 31:3  The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness." 
 
Romans 8:38,39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
 
Ephesians 3:17-19 And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 
  
I John 4:16-19 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  We love because He first loved us.
 
February 21, 2011
Are You a List Maker?
Melanie Chitwood
 
“I'm a list maker. At my house you'll see a magnetic notepad on my refrigerator where I keep a running grocery list. By my bedside is a notepad for jotting down writing ideas. I have a notebook where I keep a daily to-do list and a long-term to-do list. And of course the best part of a list is checking something off when completed!
 
“For years I kept another list. It wasn't written down. Instead it was a mental running list I didn't even realize I was keeping, until I experienced a perspective-shifting situation.
 
“After my second son, Tyler, was born, I went through severe post-partum depression. It wasn't just the baby blues. It was days and days of crying, anxiety and no sleep. I had a newborn baby, a four year-old son, and a pilot husband who would soon go back to work. I was completely overwhelmed with everything. Finally, I called my doctor who prescribed medicine, but it would take a couple of weeks to work. Meanwhile, I had to figure out how to get through each day.
 
“Every morning I woke up early, prayed, and begged God to take the depression away. But the depression didn't go away. In fact it deepened as I listened to the lies depression shouted: You're a failure. What's wrong with you? Why can't you do this? You only have two children and you don't even have to work full-time. Other people go through much harder things and you can't even do this.
 
“One day when I just got sick and tired of being in such a miserable state, I yelled at God, What is this about, God? You're God. You could make this depression go away with the snap of Your fingers if You wanted to. Why won't You?
Finally, I was just still. As I sat there, I realized God wanted me to learn a life-changing truth. I had kept a mental running list of all the reasons God couldn't love me. I wasn't a good enough wife, a good enough Christian, and certainly not a good enough mother. When I was struggling with postpartum depression, I didn't feel like a good anything. So I sure didn't believe God loved me unconditionally. I believed God loved me - but I believed He'd love me more if I could get my act together.
I wonder if you're like me, keeping a running list of the reasons you mistakenly think disqualify you from God's unconditional love. Maybe like me you don't feel good enough at anything or you've struggled with depression. Maybe you have a secret that makes you feel ashamed - you've had an abortion, you've been unfaithful, you drink too much, you scream at your kids or husband. Maybe you've been divorced and that makes you feel unworthy of God's unconditional love.
 
“When I gave God my list of reasons why He couldn't love me, I finally heard God's gentle answer in reply. Well, it's a good thing My love doesn't depend on you, My child. It's a good thing My love doesn't depend on you.
You can scratch all those reasons off the list. In fact you can tear up the list. I did that when I died on the cross for you.
 
“Are you ready for a change today? Are you ready to stop beating yourself up for your flaws, shortcomings, or sins? God is not keeping a list of your mistakes, and you don't need to either. Tear up your list and don't start a new one. Choose to believe today God loves you. There is nothing you can do or not do to change His love for you.
 
“Dear Lord, thank You for not keeping a running list of my mistakes, shortcomings or sins. Help me truly believe, to the core of my being, that You love me through and through, for now and always. I don't have to help You love me by being perfect. Let today be a defining moment where I tear up my running list and receive Your unconditional love. In Jesus' Name, Amen.”
 
© 2011 by Melanie Chitwood. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
616-G Matthews-Mint Hill Road
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org
 
I think Jeremiah 31:3 speaks volumes to God’s love for us being totally about HIM and not about us.  The children of Israel had been sent into captivity for their multitude of sin – they were told that they would be there for 70 years – and that they needed to settle down and accept their punishment.  It would be REALLY easy for them to believe that God was finished with them now – they were in a foreign land, held as slaves and captives – with no hope for a return to their homeland in the foreseeable future.  If I’d been one of them I can imagine what I’d be thinking – “This is it – I’m going to die in this God-forsaken place.  My life is over.  My faith is ruined.  God doesn’t love me/us.”  A pity party – that’s what I’d throw.  BUT – Jeremiah says “NO!”  “There’s a hope and a future for you.  God has loved you since the beginning – and He hasn’t stopped – He still loves you!  He will ALWAYS love you! AND – a time is coming when He’s going to do something so radically new that you’re not going to believe it!  The hope of the WORLD rests in YOU, His Chosen People!  He’s going to make a New Covenant with you – He will write His words on your Heart – not on tablets of stone.  People will come from all over the world to see how much your God loves you!”  You see – His love for Israel is not about Israel – it’s about GOD!  He has chosen them for His own reasons and purposes.  His love for me – for you – isn’t about us – it’s about HIM!  He has chosen US for His own reasons and purposes!  SO – take heart – if you’re in the midst of a trial – or dealing with the consequences of sin and disobedience, don’t despair – don’t give up – God is still madly in love with you!
 
I’ve just finished a 6 week study with someone from our last group called “Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People” – it was awesome!  It really made me think about my own misconceptions about what God expects – how I develop my relationship with Him will be changed because of the freedom I feel after this study.  If you’d be interested in going through this study with me, let me know – I’d love to go through it again!
 
 
Sharon Pearce
International Executive Director
Silent Voices
355 K Street, Suite H
Chula Vista,  CA  91911
http://www.silentvoices.org
http://www.realchoiceschulavista.com

I am always in God's thoughts...
 
Psalms 139:17,18 How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!  Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with You. 
 
Isaiah 49:15-16 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!  See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands; your walls are ever before Me."  
 
Jeremiah 29:4-13 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon; “Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.  Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters - that you may be increased there, and not diminished.  And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace.  For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed.  For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the LORD.  For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
 
 
That Sneaking Feeling You're Being Watched
ALICIA BRUXVOORT

"For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him ..." 2 Chronicles 16:9a (NIV)
 
“Last summer, my salsa jar sprouted eyes.
 
“The googly kind, of course. So did my milk jug, tissue boxes, egg carton and toothpaste tubes.
 
“Don't worry, those wobbly watchers didn't leave me frightened or flabbergasted. After all, the strange surveillance gig was my idea.
 
“I'm the one who dug through a box of craft supplies early one morning and located a stash of googly eyes. I'm the one who snuck through the house with a glue gun and attached those wobbly watchers to anything I could find.
 
“I didn't add a pair of eyes to the salsa jar because I wanted to play a prank on my family or because I had too much time on my hands at 6 a.m. No, I raided the plastic peepers because I was tired of forgetting.
 
“I was tired of reading my Bible in the morning and going about my day as if God's promises had no impact on my hours. I was tired of forgetting that God's Word is active and alive (Hebrews 4:12). I was tired of relying on my own strength, instead of banking on His.
 
“So, when I read about God's eyes roaming the earth searching for hearts to strengthen, I wanted to remember that glorious truth. I needed to pin that promise to my soul and let it shine hope in the midst of my weariness.
 
“That's why my salsa jar sprouted eyes.
 
“The gospel is radical and ridiculous in the most marvelous of ways, and I never want to forget that. The truth of 2 Chronicles 16:9a is audacious if you think about it. ‘The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth ...’ Wow.
 
 
“We live wrapped in the warmth of God's gaze.
 
“We are watched by the King of Glory.
 
“We are strengthened by the Author of Life.
 
“Even when we fail to fix our sight on Him, God's eyes are fixed on us. And remembering that truth could change everything.
 
“If God sees us, then we're not invisible.
 
“If God sees us, then we're not invaluable.
 
“If God sees us, then we're not unknown.
 
“Those eyes aren't waiting to see us stumble. Those eyes are scanning this swiveling globe because the Creator of the galaxies wants to create something new in you and in me.
 
“He wants to infuse our tired legs with vigor.
 
“He wants to replace our whimpers with wonder.
 
“He wants to trade our powerlessness for His power.
 
“I need that truth when the kids are fighting and the bread is burning and my energy is waning fast. I need that promise when my plans have flopped and my feelings have been hurt and my intentions have been misunderstood.
 
“If God sees me, I am not forgotten.
 
“Eventually I threw out the sneaky-peaky salsa jar and the peeping peanut butter. I recycled the spying soap bottle and the gazing graham crackers, and my kids relegated our strange summer under surveillance as just another one of their mama's crazy ideas.
 
“But this morning, when I awoke feeling sapped and discouraged, I opened my Bible to Psalm 33:18 and wondered if I should go find my glue gun once again: "But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love" (NIV).
 
“After all, it never hurts to be reminded that I'm being watched.
 
“Dear Jesus, Help me remember that You long to give me strength when I am weak. Grow in me a heart that is fully committed to You, and fix my mind on Your wondrous promises today. In Jesus' Name, Amen.”
 
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 34:15, "The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry." (NIV)
Proverbs 15:3, "The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good." (NIV)
 
RELATED RESOURCES:
Could you use a reminder of God's infinite power? To help fix your eyes on God as He keeps His eye on you, you might appreciate our Prayers and Answers Journal.
Visit Alicia Bruxvoort's blog today for more encouragement and a googly-eyed giveaway.
 
REFLECT AND RESPOND:
How does knowing God wants to strengthen you, change the way you can approach a specific challenge in your life right now?
Choose one of the verses listed in today's devotion and share it with a friend who is battling discouragement or weariness. Consider delivering the good news with googly eyes!
© 2014 by Alicia Bruxvoort. All rights reserved.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
630 Team Rd., Suite 100
Matthews, NC 28105
www.Proverbs31.org
 
I’m going to have to buy some googly eyes and keep some in my purse – wouldn’t it be fun to stick a pair of eyes on the mirror with a note with Psalm 34:15 attached?  Wouldn’t that be a hoot?  What a great reminder that we are NEVER out of God’s line of sight – we are NEVER off His mind or out of His thoughts!  That brings me great comfort!  Sharon 

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​I am washed clean from my sins...
 
Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."
 
Ezekiel 36:25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols…


The Amazing Gift of Pardon
Alistair Begg – Truth for Life
February 2, 2013
Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.
Hebrews 9:22

“This is the voice of unalterable truth. In none of the Jewish ceremonies were sins even typically removed without blood-shedding. In no case, by no means can sin be pardoned without atonement. It is clear, then, that there is no hope for me outside of Christ; for there is no other blood-shedding that is worth a thought as an atonement for sin.
 
“Am I, then, believing in Him? Is the blood of His atonement truly applied to my soul? All men are on the same level in terms of their need of Him. Even if we are moral, generous, amiable, or patriotic, the rule will not be altered to make an exception for us. Sin will yield to nothing less potent than the blood of Him whom God has set forth as a propitiation. What a blessing that there is the one way of pardon! Why should we seek another?
 
“Persons of merely formal religion cannot understand how we can rejoice that all our sins are forgiven for Christ's sake. Their works and prayers and ceremonies give them very poor comfort; and their unease is no surprise, for they are neglecting the one great salvation and endeavoring to get remission without blood.
 
“My soul, sit down and recognize that a just God is bound to punish sin; then consider how that punishment all falls upon the Lord Jesus, and fall down in humble joy at the feet of Him whose blood has made atonement for you. It is useless when conscience is aroused to trust in feelings and evidences for comfort; this is a bad and sorry habit. The only cure for a guilty conscience is the sight of Jesus suffering on the cross. ‘The blood is the life,’ says the Levitical law, and let us rest assured that it is the life of faith and joy and every other holy grace.”
 
Oh! how sweet to view the flowing
Of my Savior's precious blood;
With divine assurance knowing
He has made my peace with God.
 
I’ve just finished reading through the book of Leviticus – and the one thing that really stood out to me was how much blood was shed!  It was shed daily – the Levites were up to their armpits in bleed all day long!  There were sacrifices to be made daily for the nation – and sacrifices to be made by individuals – and blood was always involved if it was for the atonement of sin.  Nothing else would do.  Even the poorest of the poor were required to provide a blood sacrifice for atonement.  It was never ending – the Israelites would have seen the consequences of sin lived out in front of them every single day.  The writer to the Hebrews (9:14) says – “how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”  “How much more!”  Jesus paid the price – made atonement – once for all – and as long as I submit myself to His Lordship, that covers me!  Hallelujah!  Are you living “under the blood?”  Have you surrendered to His Lordship?  If so, you ARE forgiven – and your sins have been washed away – never to be brought up again because of what He has done for you!