Growing in Grace

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. I will build you up again, and you. . . will be rebuilt." -Jeremiah 31:3-4 Some events in life might compare to a hammer tap; others feel like a wrecking ball. These are times when it seems the very walls and structures of life have collapsed, and nothing will ever be the same. It may be a health reversal, the loss of a child or spouse, or a sudden financial setback. How are we to live among such ruins, when everything familiar has changed? Jeremiah 31:3-4 offers us hope. God promises Israel - and us - that He will work among the ruins, and do so with loving-kindness. Life may never look as it once did, and the landscape may be changed, but if God is behind the reconstruction, He will bring beauty and purpose where you thought you would never see it again. Photo Credit Lord Jesus, help me not to spend the rest of my days looking

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." -Matthew 5:13 As followers of Jesus, we are a salty preservative in our culture, infusing godly values into life around us. We've been given the work of restraining evil and advancing good. And just as salt brings out the flavor in food, don't forget to "season" your conversations with Christ when people ask the reason for the hope that you have. Photo Credit Lord, please don't let me lose my flavor, my edge. You've called me to be salty, to have a distinctive tang and taste that stands our from the empty, tasteless values of the culture. Please don't allow the distractions and trials of my life to wash me out and dilute my testimony. Help me to be the salt You've called me to be. Photo Credit -From  A Spectacle of Glory  by Joni Eareckson Tada;

The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.   -Isaiah 32:17 The best remedy for pain is one that reduces stress and anxious feelings. Nothing quiets pain better than a body at rest and a soul at peace. God's Word says this will be the result when you pursue right living. Keep in step with the Spirit, practice genuine gratitude, keep the door to prayer cracked open, get into your Bible, and give God's love to others. In short, seek out God and His ways, and the effect will be quietness of mind, heart, body and soul. -From A Spectacle of Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada; p. 68

Paul's words seem like a sweet, cool breeze on a sweltering afternoon: "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." But what about those two wonderful, perplexing words all things ? In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul lists some of the experiences he includes under that heading. Severe floggings. Staring death in the face. Bloody lashings with a whip. Brutal beatings with rods. Terrifying shipwrecks. Danger from bandits. Heartaches over betrayals and false believers. Exposure, exhaustion, hunger, and thirst (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). And the list goes on. Most of us could say that our problems pale in light of Paul's list. Yet he could still write, "I know that in all things God works for my good." What's keeping you from believing in God's goodness right now, in the midst of your difficulties, pressures, and disappointments? Lord, I know that if You worked

I recently read Gary Thomas' book Sacred Marriage . The premise of his book is how marriage can help us to deepen our relationship with God. When I read a book like this, I like to journal about it to help me remember what I've read. Here I've written some of the points that stood out to me the most. These barely scratch the surface of what Gary Thomas included in his book, so I definitely encourage you to read it for yourself. Photo Credit Chapter 1:  Marriage is intended to make us holy more than to make us happy. Marriage can help us to grow in our service, obedience, character, pursuit and love of God. It forces us to face character issues we would never have otherwise. Marriage calls us to a new and selfless life. Photo Credit Chapter 2:  Marriage points us to true fulfillment. It helps us draw meaning, purpose and fulfillment from God. If our marriage relationship is right, we won't make severe demands on marriage asking one another to compensate for s