Girlfriends in God

[Judy Harder]

April 6, 2009
A Simple Wooden Cross
Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV).

Friend to Friend
The sea breeze blew the tangles from my knotted nerves as a choir of various birds sang revelry to greet the day.  Myrtle bushes, bursting with fuchsia blossoms added splashes of color to the sandy landscape.  Jumping fish performed acrobatic feats for an audience of One.

Perhaps my favorite place in the entire world is the beach.  God seems to speak to me through each intricately carved sea shell, soaring gull, and majestic wave.  On this particular spring morning, I had gotten up before the others stirred from their slumber, to have a cup of coffee with the Lord.  I sat rocking on the cottage porch surrounded by coastal beauty and watching the water of the lazy canal meander by.  As I talked to God and thanked Him for all the splendor of His creation, He urged me to look closely at a reflection in the water.  My eyes followed the wavy reflection to the side of the canal where there stood two pieces of weathered wood, forming a simple cross.  Upon closer inspection, I realized that this was actually one end of an old forgotten clothesline, but to me it was much more.

I knew at that moment the beams were there just for me.  The owner may have viewed them as merely part of a clothesline in disrepair but this cross was God's reminder to me that in all the majesty of His creation, the cross of two wooden beams is still the most majestic of all.  Two simple beams display to the entire world for all time the surpassing greatness of His love, the incalculable riches of His grace, and the unfathomable depth of His mercy to all who will believe.  More beautiful than any blooming flower, more melodious than any song of my feathered friends, more powerful than the surf of the sea -- the cross.

Let's Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You so much for the cross.  Through the work of Jesus on those two simple beams of wood, You have given me eternal life.  I pray I will never forget Jesus' incredible sacrifice.  Yes, the world may think the cross is foolish, but the message of the cross is the power of God.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn
What does the cross mean to you?

How would you explain that to someone who doesn't know Christ?

Why is the cross called the message of the power of God?

Have you, like me in this story, ever felt that God placed something right before you as a special gift or reminder of His presence?

More from the Girlfriends
Did you know that God is speaking all around you and in your life?  Would you like to learn more about how to hear His voice?  If so, you might enjoy Sharon's book, Becoming a Woman who Listens to God. And for more inspirational stories to spiritually jump start your day, see Extraordinary Moments with God, Sharon's beautiful daily devotional.

Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.


Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 725
Matthews, NC 28106
info@girlfriendsingod.com
www.girlfriendsingod.com

[Judy Harder]

April 7, 2009
Storms and the Cross
Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
"Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him" (NCV).

Friend To Friend
The Easter holidays mean different things to different people. To some, it is a day to gather with family and friends for a special meal. To others, it is a day of brightly colored baskets filled with colored eggs, candy and gifts.  For the fully devoted follower of Christ, it is a day of celebration, the very reality that sets Christianity apart from other religions.  We serve a living God -- not a statue or a symbol or a mere man.  However, to those without hope, dwelling in darkness and fear, facing the fiercest storms of their life, Easter shouts the promise that there is hope -- and hope has a name -- Jesus. 

I grew up in a small Texas town where tornadoes were a common occurrence.  When the clouds turned a peculiar shade of green and gusts of wind bullied their way across our little town my family would gather around the radio, waiting for news from the local weather man - hoping and praying that it was just an ugly storm headed our way.  A few times, however, we were forced to climb down into the damp, musty storm shelter buried in our back yard.  I hated those storms and with great conviction vowed that when I grew up I would live in a place that had no storms! 

We then moved to South Florida, where I was introduced to hurricanes.  I saw first hand, the devastation these monstrous storms can bring.  Hurricanes sweep brutally over their prey with a vicious strength, leaving nothing but destruction and terror behind.  Homes are reduced to useless rubble, memories are washed away and lives are often lost.

I had always thought of hurricanes as something that mankind could certainly do without but have recently learned that they are necessary phenomena in order to maintain a certain balance in nature. Scientists tell us that hurricanes are extremely valuable because they break up a large percentage of the oppressive heat that builds up at the equator.  Hurricanes are also indirectly responsible for much of the rainfall in North and South America.  Because of these findings, meteorologists no longer feel the need to use cloud-seeding techniques to prevent hurricanes from being formed.  In fact, the world of science is convinced that hurricanes actually do more good than harm.

The storms of life are much the same. Trials, pain, difficult circumstances and hard times are here to stay. We cannot stop the occurrence of storms but we can change our response to those storms.  With every storm comes the opportunity to trust God and see faith grow.  Every storm holds the promise of hope.  Now, if you are like me, when the storm hits, my natural first response is a fervent plea for deliverance.  Every day, things happen that are beyond my understanding and out of my control. I often turn to God and ask, "Why?"  What I really want to know is why me, why this, why now? 

That is where faith comes in. Faith is a natural by-product of trust and follows the choice to believe God no matter what!  He wants us to trust Him wholly, even when we do not understand and cannot explain the stormy circumstances swirling around us. When absolutely nothing makes sense and everything seems completely wrong He asks us to trust Him.  Oh, it is easy to sing praises when the seas are calm and the boat is still, but the strength of our faith is justly measured in the midst of the raging storm.  A job is lost -- a marriage is destroyed -- a child has strayed -- a dream has died. It is in those bleak, seemingly hopeless moments that the value and depth of our faith is computed. It is because of the cross and the price Jesus Christ paid there -- for you and for me -- that we can withstand any storm because of God.  Our hope is in Him.  Our gaze is on Him and our glance is on the circumstances.

A crisis always reveals what is really inside.  What life does to us depends on what life finds in us.  Anything -- any trial or pain -- that drives us to God can be counted as a blessing.  Faith sees the storm as a chance for God to work in a new way. Faith sees the darkness as an opportunity for His light to shine brighter. Faith sees pain as an opportunity for God to comfort and encourage His precious child. 

The next time the storm churns around you, step out of that rocking boat and walk by faith toward your waiting God. He is alive!

Let's Pray
Lord, I celebrate the fact that You are alive and well!  At times, my faith seems so small that Your presence and power seem far away. I confess that when a storm hits my first thought is to find a way out. Please help me to remember what You did on the cross and what You accomplished when You rose from the grave.  Please give me the faith to walk through my fear to You, trusting You alone. Help me to learn the lesson of the storm and live in the shadow of the cross. 

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn
Celebrate the life only Jesus can offer.

Choose to believe that God is in control of today. 

Determine to face your storms with faith. 

Thank God now for the trials that drive you to Him.

Read James 1:1-8.  How do these verses tell me to view trials?

Read Hebrews 11. List the rewards of faith.  How did faith influence the men and women listed in this passage?

More From The Girlfriends
God loves to see His children step out in faith, in blind trust, knowing that if He doesn't come through, they are sunk! Don't miss the message of Easter. Remember and celebrate the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Dive into the Word of God and let its power saturate your life with hope and faith.  Need help?  Enroll in Mary's weekly online bible study, Light for the Journey.

[Judy Harder]

April 8, 2009
Jesus' Scars
Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth
"After he said this, he showed them his hands and side.  The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord" (John 20:20 NIV).

Friend to Friend
It was just a few days after Easter, and I was reading about the resurrection of Jesus in the Gospel of John chapter twenty.  I had read the story many times prior, but this time God opened my eyes to see something I had never noticed before.

In my mind's eye, I saw the pre-morning mist hovering over the garden surrounding the tomb where Jesus' body had been laid three days earlier.  There amongst the dew stood Mary Magdalene, deep in sorrow and mourning over the death of her beloved Jesus.  Then...Mary hesitates...blinks, trying to readjust her eyes...and discovers the unthinkable.  The heavy stone had been rolled away from the entrance to Jesus' grave.

How could this be? Mary thought to herself. Who would have stolen his body?

"I must go and tell the others," Mary said as she dashed from the empty tomb.

"They took Him!" Mary said as she burst through the door of the room where some of the disciples were hiding.  "His body is gone!"

Without asking any questions, Peter jumped up from his sitting position on the floor and bolted out of the room.  A much younger and more agile John followed close behind, eventually passing his older friend.

"He's not here," John whispered as he peered inside the opening of the cave. "His body is gone."

A moment later, Peter arrived - stunned.

"Look," John said, to his winded friend, "over there in the corner." 

A ray of sunlight pierced the darkness like a spotlight illuminating a lone actor on the stage. At the end of the beam lay Jesus' empty burial cloths. Peter barreled past the timid John and burst into the darkened cave.  There was just enough light to see the empty burial cloths and the strips of linen that had once covered Jesus' head.

"What happened here?  What does this mean?" they mused.

"Hurry," they agreed, "let's go tell the others."

Running past Mary, Peter and John ran back to tell the other disciples of their discovery.  But Mary stayed in the garden, weeping for her beloved Jesus.

Mary knelt at the opening of the empty tomb with her hands covering her tearful eyes.  Suddenly, a beam of light caught her attention.  There, at the spot where Jesus' body had been laid, sat two glistening angels clothed in white -- one at the foot and one at the head...just like on the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies, she thought.

"Woman, why are you crying?" the angels asked.

"They have taken my Master," Mary replied through her tears. "I don't know where they have taken Him."

Hearing a rustling in the myrtle bushes behind her, Mary turned her head.  There appeared another figure as if in a dream.  It was Jesus, but Mary didn't recognize or expect Him. 

Jesus echoed the angels.  "Woman, why are you weeping?"

Mary thought the man was the Gardener.  Oh, she was not mistaken.  He was The Master Gardener. "Sir," she whimpered, "if you know where they have taken Jesus, would you please tell me so that I can take care of him?"

Then Jesus whispered one simple word.  "Mary."

At the sound of her name, Mary recognized the Lord.

After a brief conversation, Mary raced back to the disciples.  "I have seen Him!" she proclaimed, "I have seen Him!"

"Who?" they asked in confused unison.

"I have seen Jesus!  He is alive!"

Later that day, as the disillusioned band huddled in their hiding place, Jesus appeared in their midst.  He didn't knock.  He didn't open the door.  He simply appeared.

"Peace be with you," Jesus said.

But the disciples didn't recognize Him.  He looked like Jesus, talked like Jesus, but how...how could it be?

In order to convince the disciples that He was indeed the risen Christ, Jesus made a simple gesture.  He held out His hands and revealed the nail pierced hands.  Then he lifted up his tunic to reveal the scar in His sword pierced side.

It was then...that they believed.

As I read these verses, God played and replayed the frames in my mind's eye, but it was the final scene that captured my attention ..."'Peace be with you!' After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord" (John 20:19-20).

Oh God, I prayed, they didn't recognize Jesus until He showed them His scars.

Yes, my child, He seemed to say, this is what I wanted you to see. They did not recognize Jesus until He showed them His scars, and this is how others still recognize Him today...when men and women who have experienced the healing of past wounds are not ashamed to show their scars to a hurting world.

It was an epiphany or sorts - a revelation - a cataclysmic shift of thinking.

See, Jesus did not have to retain the scars of the crucifixion on His resurrected body.  He could have returned without them. After all, He is the one who put new flesh on the hands and feet of the lepers. But He chose to keep the scars, I believe, because they were precious to Him...that's how others would recognize who He was.

That is still the way that people recognize Jesus today, when we are not ashamed to show the scars in our own lives - when we reveal the wounds that are now healed and when we tell about the Healer who made it possible.

Let's Pray
Dear God, thank You that Jesus kept His scars when He rose from the dead.  I pray that I will not be ashamed of the scars in my own life, but that people will recognize the Healer in my life through my story.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

Why do you think Jesus' kept His scars when he returned from the grave?   
What do you think of when you look at the scars on your own body?  What comes to mind?   
How can you use the scars in your own life (the ones that are on your soul) to bring glory to God?   
More from the Girlfriends
Today's devotion was taken from Your Scars are Beautiful to God: Finding peace and purpose in the hurts of your past by Sharon Jaynes.  You can learn more at www.sharonjaynes.com.

Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.


Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 725
Matthews, NC 28106
info@girlfriendsingod.com
www.girlfriendsingod.com

[Judy Harder]

April 9, 2009
Worthless into Precious, Part 1
Gwen Smith

Today's Truth
"You are precious and honored in my sight..." (Isaiah 43:4a, NIV).

Friend to Friend
Last winter, I bought my daughter a really cute jacket at the mall.  It's a hoodie that's made of a cuddly fabric with cream, lavender, and mint green horizontal stripes.  The jacket zips up in the front and is well crafted, stylish, and simply adorable. 

When I bought it, I felt like the price on the tag was a fair one, so I gladly pulled out my wallet and paid the retail amount.  I was like a kid in a candy store on the way home.  I fully anticipated a shriek of happiness from my little bag of beans when I gave it to her.  Delightfully, I wasn't disappointed. Kennedy loved her new coat, and I was pleased with my purchase.  Happy dances all around...until a week later, when I saw the same jacket in the same store at a greatly reduced price.  Are you tensing up with me?  Suddenly, I felt schnookered!  Ripped off.  Taken advantage of.  As soon as I saw the red line on the price tag of the unsold coats, everything changed -- Kennedy's jacket wasn't worth what I paid for it. 

When we speak of the worth of something, we often consider it a relative term - one that has shifting factors.  For example: last week the cute jacket was thirty-nine dollars, and now it's nineteen ninety-nine.  The jacket didn't change, but its perceived worth did.

Now, consider the worth of a woman.  Are the factors that determine her value based upon variable, shifting factors or are they based upon fixed factors?  Seems to be a silly question, doesn't it?  Fixed, of course!  But, if the answer is so glaringly obvious, why do we struggle so much as women with feeling worthless?  Why do we walk around feeling like that red lined jacket?  I think it's because we often allow variable earthly factors to define our worth.

What kind of variable factors? 

There are so many reasons why women feel worthless: 

Ø      Because they've been abused (raped, molested, physically abused, verbally abused...)

Ø      Because they've been told that they're worthless (by a parent, spouse, sibling, teenage child, or another...)

Ø      Because of choices they've made (divorce, infidelity, abortion, promiscuity, eating disorders, addictions, uncontrolled anger...)

Ø      Because they've been cheated on (infidelity, internet affair, pornography...)

Ø      Because they're co-dependent (conclude their value based upon other people -- "If my husband isn't okay, I'm not okay.")

Ø      Because they don't collect a paycheck (stay at home moms that have left the work force, laid off employees, displaced employees, those on disability...)

Ø      Because they've battled an illness (unable to care for family, perform basic home duties, participate in ministry or Bible study like they once did, can't drive, cook...)

Unfortunately, the variable factors that we use to define our worth are endless. Many of us feel worthless.  Why?  We've felt ignored, invisible, insignificant, useless, undesired, ugly, unloved, or forgotten.  We girls are emotional, broken in many ways. Great portions of our identity and of our personal value are wrapped into combustible packages of emotion...how we feel about this or that.  The truth is, our worth has nothing to do with our feelings. 

Trust me!  I am not going to try to convince you that I know everything there is to know about feeling like a woman of worth.  Or about being a woman of worth. I am in the trenches with you. I struggle with normal woman things.  I don't live a fancy schmancy, rose-colored wonder-life. I hit the snooze button several times each morning.  I pack lunches for my kids. I spend countless hours of my life each year sitting in the car pool line.  It's a never-ending struggle for me to keep the laundry cleaned, and my kids often have to fish for a matching pair of socks in the clean-clothes basket.  My husband is my soul mate, but is far from perfect.  For that matter, Brad should win a lifetime achievement award for enduring the drama of me! And my kids bring me both great joy and great frustration on a daily basis. 

Is this sounding at all familiar to you? 

See -- I'm just like you, and I'm walking this faith journey right beside you.  In fact, the more I know God, the less inclined I am to pretend to have life or faith figured out.  Amen?  I'm constantly tempted to define my worth with activities, emotions, and accomplishments. I've come to realize, however, that way of thinking is a spiritual dead end road. Scripture tells us that anything we do in our own strength or of our own goodness is of no value to God.  "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6a, emphasis mine).

What I do know is this: because of Jesus Christ, I'm a woman of highest worth.  Not because of anything else.  I'm a grace girl.  Not perfect by a long stretch. I've been changed by the unconditional love of God and restored to perfect beauty through the shed blood of Jesus.  Because of love, we are His daughters, precious in His sight.  In light of this, we need to set aside feelings that diminish our value, and embrace our proper identity: child of the King of Kings.

Hear this, friend: feelings of worthlessness are from Satan himself.  It burns me up that the enemy has such a strong grip on God's daughters in this area.  We need to associate the word worthless with the word lie. That's exactly what it is, a big, fat lie!  I talk to women all the time who bend a knee to negative feelings and live defeated lives because they don't quite know how to overcome their sense of worthlessness. God wants every one of us to experience healing and have an appropriate sense of self-worth.

So let's go back to Kennedy's new coat for just a moment.  Imagine walking into God's department store.  There on the rack, you spy a coat that is just plain fabulous -- I mean, stop-you-in-your-tracks fabulous! One-size fits all, the tag reads.  Yeah, right, you whisper under your breath.  Then you flip over the price tag and it's crazy expensive. Way beyond what you could ever dream of paying...like, if you added up every dollar that ever passed through your hands -- then multiplied that by ten thousand -- that kind of expensive. Then imagine the storeowner walking over to you, slipping the coat off the rack and onto your shoulders.

"It's a perfect fit," He smiles.

"Sir," you manage with a whisper, "I could never afford such a coat.  This is meant for royalty and I'm, well, just an ordinary girl."

"Oh precious woman, this coat is made especially for you, and the price has already been paid in full."

As the owner straightens the sleeves on your arms and adjusts the collar around your neck, you notice his hands...nail pierced hands. And suddenly you realize that this is the covering you were meant to wear all along.

You see, the Bible tells us that because of what Jesus did on the cross, we can be clothed with the "robe of righteousness."  The apostle Paul tells us that when we are reconciled to God, we become His righteousness.  "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). There's no way we could ever afford or earn such a robe.  But Jesus gave His life for us - He earned it for us.  He paid the price and we receive the gift.  Why?  Because you're worth it.  You are precious and highly valuable in the eyes of the One who sees.  And you never, never, never have to worry about being on anyone's bargain rack again.

Let's Pray
Holy Father, I'm humbled at the very thought that I could be viewed as precious in Your eyes.  Thank You for taking on my sin so that I could take on your righteousness.  Please help me to see myself as You see me.  Help me to thrive in Your beauty!

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Now It's Your Turn
What came to your mind as you read today's devotion?  Grab your journal and write about it.

Are you held captive by feelings of worthlessness?  Spend a few moments in prayer and ask God to reveal truth to your heart about how He sees you.

Print or write out this verse: "I will not forget you.  Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands"  (Isaiah 49:15-16, NASB).  Set it to memory and allow it to serve as a reminder that you are precious to God.

More from the Girlfriends
Today's devotion is an excerpt from Gwen Smith's book, Broken Into Beautiful. God delights to transform lives...including your own.  In Broken Into Beautiful, Gwen Smith invites you to experience how the unconditional love of Jesus can change your life and then stand back and watch the wonder of grace at work.  He is willing to eternally forgive and forget and to transform your life into something beautiful. To order the book, please CLICK HERE.

Are you a Face Book GIG? Check out Gwen's MUSIC PAGE on FaceBook! Listen to her songs on the page, sign up to be her FB friend, leave a message on her wall, and tell your girlfriends about it! J

Gwen Smith is a speaker. worship artist, songwriter, and author. For more information, visit her website at: www.gwensmith.net.

Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.


Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 725
Matthews, NC 28106
info@girlfriendsingod.com
www.girlfriendsingod.com

[Judy Harder]

April 10, 2009
Worthless into Precious, Part 2
Gwen Smith

Today's Truth
"You are precious and honored in my sight..." (Isaiah 43:4a, NIV).

Friend to Friend
Hagar was a young Egyptian servant girl who had some serious challenges. In the Old Testament book of Genesis, chapter 16, we hear of her plight...and of her flight: 

"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, 'The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.'

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived (vv. 1-4a, NIV)."

I imagine Hagar grew up with low self-esteem. As a servant, she probably felt discarded, insignificant, and unimportant. Not only had she been sold to Abram and Sarai, but she was forced to become his wife as well. I don't know about you, but thinking about that makes my stomach do yucky flip-flops!

What do you think that conversation was like when Sarai commanded Hagar to sleep with her elderly husband? How do you think Hagar felt? I find it disturbing and unfair.

When [Hagar] knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me."

"Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her (vv. 4b-6).

I can understand from a fleshly perspective why Hagar would choose to despise Sarai. When another person wrongs us, it's difficult to choose a godly, non-sassy response. We must be careful to pray for God's perspective and power so we don't allow weeds of resentment to overtake our hearts and guide our responses.

Hagar was a maidservant, a slave, who was forced to move to a foreign land and to sleep with the husband of her mistress. Though this was a common practice in that culture, there is still great uneasiness in my heart as I read what Hagar had to endure. She was mistreated--the Bible makes that clear--and she had fair reason to run. However, God caught up with her not too far down the road.

The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert, the spring that is beside the road to Shur, and he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"

"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered (vv. 7-8).

When faced with difficult circumstances, Hagar ran away. I might have done the same thing. But when she found herself seemingly alone in the desert, God sought her out and called her by name. The God of the universe knew Hagar's name. Hagar was a slave, nobody in the eyes of society, yet our God spoke lovingly through the angel of the Lord to this hurting mother-to-be and whispered promises of blessing to her weary heart.

Then the angel of the Lord told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count" (vv. 9-10).

Stunned that the God of the universe cared to comfort her, Hagar responded by giving God a new name--El Roi, "the God Who Sees Me."  She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me" (v. 13).

God pursued a broken woman and lifted her eyes to meet His own. He saw her in spite of who she was or thought herself to be, called her by name, and ministered to her heart. My heart burns with awe at the intimate intervention and tenderness that God showed Hagar, a grieving mom-to-be in a very dark hour.

Each one of us strolls through the wilderness of life at times. Our unchanging God knows your name too. He sees you right where you are and knows the burdens of your heart. God sees each one of us just as He saw Hagar, and bids us to see ourselves through His eyes. Why would He? Because of Jesus. God sees you through the blood-stained curtain of Jesus Christ. Perfect. Forgiven. Precious.

Let's Pray
Heavenly Father, thank You for seeing me...even in the times when I feel forgotten and invisible.  Your Word says that You know my name and consider me precious.  Please speak that to my soul right now. (Pause here to listen...) I love you, Lord.  In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

Now it's Your Turn
What can you learn from Hagar's encounter with God in the desert?

Where have you come from and where are you going?  Take time to journal or contemplate a response.

So many times, we want to run from our problems and sidestep accountability. Is there a difficulty in your life that you're tempted to run away from or ignore?

More from the Girlfriends
Hey friend!  I co-wrote a song that coordinates perfectly with this devotional message and I'd love to share it with you. To hear "The One Who Sees Me," turn up your speakers and CLICK HERE. Blessings!

Today's devotion is an excerpt from Gwen Smith's new book, Broken Into Beautiful.  To order your copy, or to find out more about Gwen's ministry, visit her website at www.gwensmith.net.   

Are you a Face Book GIG? Check out Gwen's MUSIC PAGE on FaceBook! Listen to her songs on the page, sign up to be her FB friend, leave a message on her wall, and tell your girlfriends about it! :-)

[Judy Harder]

April 13, 2009
God Pursues Us
Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
Romans 5:8 "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners" (NLT).

Friend To Friend
Jesus was on his way to Galilee from Judea.  In Jesus' day, the Jews hated the Samaritans and would never purposely travel through their land.  There were other roads, better and safer roads Jesus could have taken and usually did take -- but not today.  Today, he had a divine appointment.  Today he chose to go through the region of Samaria and he chose to go through Sychar, the small village where a certain woman lived. Meeting this woman was no accident on the part of Jesus Christ.  With great determination and forethought, he planned a divine interruption in her life, an interlude in which His love and forgiveness met her at the point of her greatest need.  He planned to set her free.

Little is known about this woman and what we do know is not good.  She was immoral and spiritually ignorant, an outcast despised by the Jews and even by her own people.  She was very popular with the men of the village who bought her to satisfy their own physical pleasure and then tossed her aside like a broken, damaged and used doll.  I am certain this woman had no illusions about the fact that she meant absolutely nothing to these men.  In the beginning, she may have convinced herself that they cared for her and perhaps even loved her, but I imagine that illusion was short-lived.  In fact, while studying her life, I have many times wondered if there had ever been a man in her life that she could love or trust.  I do not know what drove this woman to such an empty and futile existence, but I do know as far as Jesus was concerned, that old life was over!  It did not matter to Him.  He looked at this woman through eyes of healing and forgiveness and saw His precious child.  He just loved her -- right where she was and just as she was.  It is very clear in this scriptural account that this woman at the well was extremely important to Jesus.   He recognized her worth. 

The life of this woman reminds me of the little boy who built a wooden boat. For hours he worked, whittling and carving, until it was exactly as he had dreamed it would be.  After sanding and painting the small boat, the little boy raced outside to the nearby river where the launch of his cherished creation would take place. It was beautiful. Every day, the young captain sailed his boat up and down the lazy river, his active imagination weaving tales of pirates and treasures, mermaids and sea monsters, every story ending with the return of his seaworthy vessel.  Then one day, after a torrential rain, the little boy sailed his boat on the burgeoning stream.  Too late, he realized that the swift current was taking his boat out of reach.  He frantically tried to retrieve the boat, but it was moving too fast and he ran out of shoreline.  The boat was lost.  Brokenhearted, he stood on the bank of the river, staring into the fading light as his precious boat sailed away from him.  When darkness came, the brokenhearted boy turned and slowly walked away. 

Several days later, he was on his way home from school when he passed the toy store.  There in the window was his boat!   Someone had found it!   Dropping his backpack, the boy slammed through the door of the toy store and with an anxious heart, the little boy told the owner that the boat in the window belonged to him. But the owner was not convinced and told the boy he would have to pay for the boat.  "Can you please, please hold it for me?" the little boy begged.  "Just until the store closes today," the owner replied.  Frantic, but determined to have his boat, the little boy ran home, grabbed his piggy bank and bolted back to the store.  Minutes later, he walked out of the toy store, the boat securely in his hands.  "You are twice mine, little boat," the boy whispered, "once because I made you and once because I bought you."

Just as Jesus came looking for the Samaritan woman, He comes looking for you, willing to step right into the mess of your life with the gift of healing love and life-changing restoration in His hands.  The price Jesus paid was enormous but he gladly paid that price to buy back what He had created.  Like this woman at the well, we are important because God made us and because God pursues us.   What hope we find in Paul's words written in the book of Romans 5:8, "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners" (NLT).

Let's Pray
Father, thank You for loving me just as I am and for being willing to send Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for me on the cross -- paying for my sin in full.  I celebrate the forgiveness I find in You.  Your grace and mercy overwhelm me, Lord.  I realize that no one loves me like You do and that I am indispensable to no one but You.  Please help me live in the shadow of the cross and in the light of an empty tomb. 

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn
Read the following verses and answer each question: 

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." 
            What must we do in order to receive God's gift of forgiveness?   
1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
            This verse was written to believers.  What does it tell you about sin and the confession of sin? 
2 Chronicles 7:14 "If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
            What four steps does God ask us to take as we pray?
More From The Girlfriends
Forgiveness is powerful and life-changing.  To experience the life God wants us to have, we must learn how to forgive others and how to ask others for forgiveness.  Forgiveness is not an emotion or feeling, nor does it depend upon the response of the person you are forgiving.  Forgiveness is a deliberate choice, an independent act between you and God - and forgiveness is hard!  In fact, it is impossible -- outside the power of God at work in us.  Check out The Power of Forgiveness, a message that will teach you how to process pain and hurt, let go of it and forgive.  It is available as a CD or MP3.  My weekly online bible study, Light for the Journey, will help you to learn God's Word and show you how to grow in your faith.

Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.


Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 725
Matthews, NC 28106
info@girlfriendsingod.com
www.girlfriendsingod.com

[Judy Harder]

April 14, 2009
The Redemption Center
Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit" (Galatians 3:13, 14 NIV). 

Friend to Friend
If I think about it long enough, I can almost taste the sickly sweet glue on the tip of my tongue. Yes, the childhood ritual of licking and sticking S & H Green Stamps into books is forever glued in my memory's scrapbook.

When I was a little girl, my mother did her grocery shopping at White's Supermarket on the corner of Tarboro Street and Pearl.  Oh sure, there were other grocery stores around, but White's gave out S & H Green Stamps with every purchase.  On shopping days, I watched as the cashier rang up my mom's purchases, pulling a lever with each entry.  My mom's eyes lit up every time she heard the cha-ching, knowing that meant more stamps.  When the total was tallied, the cash register spit out a stream of stamps, both large and small.  We never put the stamps in books right away.  Mom stuffed them in a brown paper bag and waited until we could make a whole day of it.

About every six months, mom pulled a brown bag swollen with S & H Green Stamps down from a shelf.  She spilled its contents on a table and announced, "OK Sharon, it's time to paste the stamps."

For hours, it was lick, stick, lick, stick, lick, stick.  Large stamps represented dollars spent and only three filled a page.  Small stamps represented cents spent and 30 filled a page.  I like doing the dollars.

After six months of collecting stamps and six hours of pasting them in the books, my mom and I excitedly drove down to the S & H Green Stamp Redemption Center.  With arms heavy laden, we plopped our days work on the clerk's desk.

"Whatcha goina get?" I'd ask as we strolled up and down the aisles of house wares.

"I don't know, honey," my mom would reply.  "But it'll be something good."

After much consternation, mom would decide on a treasure such as an electric can opener, or a steam iron, or a shiny set of stainless steel mixing bowls.  Oh, it was an exciting day to make a trip to the S & H Green Stamp Redemption Center and trade in our stamps for a special prize.

Have you ever noticed there are some Christianese words we repeat often, but have difficulty explaining?  I think redemption is one of those words.  But as a child, because of my visits to the S & H redemption center, I understood "redemption."  To me, it meant to trade something in for something else, to take my stamps and trade them in (redeem them) for a prize -- for something valuable.  And that's exactly what it means.

Jesus Christ traded in His life to redeem mine. Listen to what these two passages have to say:

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit (Galatians 3:13,14 NIV).  For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect  (I Peter 1:18,19 NIV).

Jesus traded in His life so that I could receive mine.  To Him, I was the prize -- a treasure. But that's not all.  He's made it possible for me to do a little bit of trading as well.  I've traded in confusion for the mind of Christ, filthy rags for a robe of righteousness, bondage for freedom, bitterness for forgiveness, darkness for light, condemnation for acceptance, spiritual poverty for abundance and the list goes on and on. He even gave me (and you) the Holy Spirit as a down payment for more that is yet to come. What an abundance of treasures -- much more valuable than an electric can opener or set of mixing bowls.

Let's Pray
Dear Lord, thank You for redeeming me! I have traded in my mourning for laughter, my weeping for rejoicing, my sickness for healing, my guilt for freedom, my sin for righteousness, my fear for faith, my weakness for Your strength, my insecurity for Your boldness, my inadequacies for Your supply.  What a deal!

In Jesus' Name, the One Who made it all possible,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn
Do you need to do a little trading of your own?  Do you need to make a trip to God's redemption center?

What would you like to trade in today?  Make a list.

More From The Girlfriends
Today's devotion was adapted from Becoming a Woman who Listens to God.  If you love stories such as these, then you would love Sharon's daily devotion book, Extraordinary Moments with God.  It is a beautiful storehouse of inspiration to give you a spiritual quick start for each day.  And, if you would like to learn more about how to hear God's voice in your everyday life, check out Becoming a Woman who Listens to God.

Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.


Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 725
Matthews, NC 28106
info@girlfriendsingod.com
www.girlfriendsingod.com

[Judy Harder]

April 15, 2009
God's Transforming Love
Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
"But anyone who does not love does not know God -- for God is love.  God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.  This is real love.  It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins."  (1 John 4:8-10 NLT)

Friend to Friend
For several years, we lived in the mountains of North Carolina where woodworking is a common hobby and a unique art.  When time permits, I love to browse through the old-world country stores filled with quaint and unusual treasures, run by some of the most interesting people I have ever met.

Several years ago, we were on vacation and I was in search of a treasure.  Taking an unmarked dirt road, I decided it was time for an adventure.  I swerved and crept my way up the mountain until, and rounding a hairpin turn, I spotted an old log cabin tucked way back in some trees.

A bearded man sat on the porch, rocking and whittling, a pile of wooden logs by his side.  There on the rickety porch railing was a large collection of beautifully carved wooden dogs.  With a wave of his hand, the man motioned for me to join him, the only invitation I needed.  I parked the car, grabbed my purse and headed for those wooden dogs.  "Look all ya want," the man invited.  "And if you need to, you can ask a question."  I had only one.  "How in the world do you carve these beautiful dogs out of those ordinary pieces of wood?" I asked.  "Well, Missy, it's pretty simple.  I just take me a piece of wood and cut away everything that doesn't look like a dog." 

God changes lives in much the same way.  His love slowly, patiently uses the circumstances and relationships of life to cut away everything that doesn't look like His child.  Some of us need extra work but can rest in the truth that if He is the One doing the cutting, the results will be beautiful. 

The woman at the well was in desperate need of someone who could change her life. "She said to Jesus, 'You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman.  Why are you asking me for a drink?'  Jesus replied, 'If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.'  'But sir, you don't have a rope or a bucket,' she said, 'and this is a very deep well.  Where would you get this living water?' Jesus replied, 'People soon become thirsty again after drinking this water.  But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether.  It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life.'  'Please, sir,' the woman said, 'Give me some of that water!  Then I'll never be thirsty again, and I won't have to come here to haul water."  (John 4:9-15 NLT)

The living water Jesus described is God's unconditional love, a love that was completely foreign to the Samaritan woman.  She had spent her whole life going from man to man, desperately searching for someone who would really love her.  Notice that she came to the well at noontime, the hottest hour of the day, to draw her water.  All of the other women came in the morning or evening in order to avoid the brutal heat, but she came alone, I believe, to avoid their condemning eyes and sarcastic whispers.  I can only imagine the loneliness she must have been feeling that day as she made her way to the well.  Then she spotted Jesus -- sitting at the well, waiting for someone.  The minute she saw Him she knew that He had come for her, His eyes filled with something that she did not quite recognize.  It was unconditional love that reached out through her sin and drew her to Him, tearing down the guilt and stripping away the shame that had become such a familiar part of her being.  It was the unfailing love for which we all thirst that compelled her to come.  Real love, God's love, with no conditions, no hidden clauses and no strings attached.  Scripture tells us God is not just loving or able to dispense love, but is the very definition and substance of love itself.  When we know Him, we know love.  "But anyone who does not love does not know God -- for God is love.  God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.  This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins."  (1 John 4:8-10 NLT)

Like this woman, we cannot give what we do not have.  We are incapable of giving real love until we have received real love.  It is only in a personal encounter with God that we can experience a love so powerful that it reveals the very person of God to us.  We must understand and remember that God does not love us because we are lovable and deserve to be loved.  He loves us simply because He is love -- and He cannot help Himself! 

Let's Pray
Father, thank You for the love You have given me.  I admit that I don't always understand the way Your love works but I know I can trust You to work in my life for my good.  I want to experience Your love in a new way and then learn how to share that love with others.  I submit myself to You, Lord.  Please love through me.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

Now It's Your Turn
Read the following thoughts.  Beside each one, write your own definition and thoughts. 

We call it mercy - it is God's forgiving love.______________________________

We call it fate - it is God's caring love.__________________________________

We call it kindness - it is God's accepting love.___________________________

We call it death - it is God's proven love.________________________________

We call it the plan of God - it is God's perfect love.________________________

We call it heaven - it is God's rewarding love.____________________________

We call it eternity - it is God's unending love. ____________________________

More From The Girlfriends
One of the most staggering truths of God in my life is the fact that He loves me.  He knows me, knows everything about me ... and still loves me.  His love for me is not changed or affected by what I do or don't do.  He loves me ... period!  I encourage you to re-visit the time when you first realized how much Jesus loves you.  If you don't know Him, we would love to pray for you and encourage you on that journey.  Love That Never Fails is my story of how God's love transformed my life.  It is available in both CD and MP3 download.

Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.


Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 725
Matthews, NC 28106
info@girlfriendsingod.com
www.girlfriendsingod.com

[Judy Harder]

April 16, 2009
Jumping to Conclusions
Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth
"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32)

Friend to Friend
I read a bumper sticker once that read, "If mother's place is in the home, why am I always in the car?"  Welcome to the new millennium where the car is indeed the moving extension of the home.  Whether it's a mother running carpool, a business woman sitting in commuter traffic, or a senior citizen volunteering in the community, the fact is, we live much of our lives in the car.   That means God is in the car with us and speaks to its mobile inhabitants. One such "moving" experience taught me about the importance of not jumping to conclusions.

John 8:32 is one of my favorite Bible verses.  So much so, that I had the fine people at the license plate bureau make me a personalized plate that read just that - JOHN 8:32.   The verse reads, "Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free."

My good friend Mari noticed my license plate for the first time as we passed one day on the highway, and made a mental note to look up the verse when she arrived home.  After she found the verse, she spent some time meditating and wondering why in the world I would put that verse on my license plate. She looked again to see if she was missing some deep meaning. Maybe it was a joke.

Mari gave me a call and asked, "What possessed you to put a Bible verse about pigs on your license plate?"

"What are you talking about, Mari?"

"You know.  You have Luke 8:32 on your license plate."

The problem was, Mari had remembered the verse as Luke 8:32, not John 8:32.  That verse read, "Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons entreated him to permit them to enter the swine.  And He gave them permission."  Can't you see it now, bumper stickers that read, "When pigs flew, Luke 8:32." Or, a Chick-fil-A billboard with Luke 8:32 written in the bottom right hand corner with a pig saying "Eat More Chicken."

After I set Mari straight, telling her that she had the right verse but the wrong book, we had a good chuckle.  However, it was a "moving" experience for me.  The next time I question someone's motives or actions, I need to remember that I usually don't have all the facts.  I might have the right chapter and even the right verse, but I may be in the wrong book altogether. And that can make the difference between demon possessed pigs and the truth that will set you free.

Let's Pray
Dear Lord, help me to not jump to conclusions and make quick judgments.  Help me always to realize that I don't have all the facts when it comes to another person's attitude, actions and reactions.  Give me a gracious and loving spirit that always thinks the best of others and closed lips when I don't.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen

Now It's Your Turn 

Think of a time when you jumped to a conclusion and it turned out to be completely wrong.   
How would it have been better to wait until you had all the facts?   
What emotions could have been avoided if you had waited to get the facts correct?

More from the Girlfriends
Today's fun devotion was taken from Sharon's Daily Devotion book, Extraordinary Moments with God.  To learn more, see www.sharonjaynes.com .And if you have had a God-moment where He taught you a life lesson, we'd love to hear it.  Just visit www.sharonjaynes.com and follow the links to Extraordinary Moments with God.

Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.


Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 725
Matthews, NC 28106
info@girlfriendsingod.com
www.girlfriendsingod.com

[Judy Harder]

April 17, 2009
Unbelievable Love
Cindi Wood

Today's Truth
"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!"  1 John 3:1 (NKJV)

Friend to Friend 
Last week our boys came home. They are grown, married, and live hours away from us, so it was a BIG DEAL that they were coming home for the weekend.  The entire week before, I was busy preparing their rooms, shopping for little surprises, baking their favorite foods, and just pretty much consumed with the thought that we'd all be together having fun and just hanging out for an entire weekend.  And that, we did!  We bowled, ate out, ate in, stayed up late, played games, and sat in the den talking and laughing.  For two and a half days, our entire purpose for being seemed to be enjoying each other's company.  As we locked hands in prayer before they headed back home to their wives, my heart was about to burst with the wonder of love.  Through blurred vision, their dad and I watched them drive away.  "It's hard to believe how much I love them so deeply, so unconditionally, just deep down in the core of my being," I said.

Then God spoke softly to my heart.  "That's how I love you, but more!"

It really is hard for us to believe God loves us unconditionally, isn't it?  How can a perfect and holy God love someone like me?  I am learning a valuable and life-changing truth.  God does not love us because He is so lovable, friend.  He loves us because He is love!

Today, celebrate the fact that you are a child of God, a daughter of the King -- and you are loved.

Let's Pray
O Father, I just can't get my mind around Your love.  As deep as my love is for my boys, it's unfathomable to me that Your love is deeper.  But I know it is. You love me -- even me, with all my junk, my failures, my sins, and my messes.  You love me deeply, unconditionally, and from the core of Your being.  You are God.  You are love.  And Lord, my heart bursts with love for You.  Thank You, oh thank You!

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn
Precious friend, it's important that you accept the reality of God's love - for YOU!  You may feel unlovable, unworthy, unclean, and undeserving -- but that does not negate His love.  He loves you because you are His creation.  Right now, you may pray this simple prayer to God your Creator.  Dear God, I don't understand how you could love me, but I accept the fact that You do.  Teach me more about Your love so that I may love others in the way You love me.

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

More From The Girls
When you invite Jesus Christ into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior, God your Creator also becomes God your Heavenly Father.  I invite you to visit www.frazzledfemale.com to learn more about the wonder of God's love.  To learn how to begin your personal walk with Jesus as your Savior, click below.

Seeking God?
Click here to find out more about
how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.


Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 725
Matthews, NC 28106
info@girlfriendsingod.com
www.girlfriendsingod.com