Girlfriends in God

[Judy Harder]

October 29, 2009
Time - Friend or Foe
Part 2
Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
Ephesians 5:15-16 "See then that you walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time" (NIV).

Friend To Friend
Time management is a dreaded and often ignored spiritual discipline. We choose where to invest our time, carefully planning our daily agenda but fail to schedule the most important activity of all, spending time with God. Discipline carves out time to sit at His feet.  I am, by no means, an expert in the area of discipline, but I do want to share some simple ideas that work for me.

Prepare

Just as we budget our money, we must budget your time.  Every day, we are presented with twenty-four hours, and every day we must choose to either spend those hours or to invest them.  Every Sunday afternoon, I do two things - write a weekly column and plan the week ahead.  I assign tasks to each day and prioritize those tasks in order of importance.  That's the easy part.  The hard part is sticking to the plan, but getting a head start offers a greater chance for success.  Schedule one day a week to plan.  The preparation will pay off.

Eliminate

Once a month, have a family "spring cleaning". Go out to dinner, and together, eliminate anything that is hurting your family.  Make a purposeful plan for adding only those activities that will strengthen each member of your family.

Prioritize

Learn to leave the "lesser" things undone.  This lesson is especially hard for me because I actually believe I can do it all!  The key to godly discipline and right priorities is learning what my "all" is, and doing all of that!  My trusty "Superwoman" cape is never far away.  Admittedly, it is a constant battle for me to ignore the presence of that cape, choosing to embrace and employ God's priorities - not mine.  But it is definitely a battle worth fighting.  Families, marriage, and souls are on the line.  A right perspective is the direct result of godly discipline.  In order to have right priorities, we must have right perspectives.  Godly discipline brings a holy scrutiny to priorities and perspectives.  Does it really matter?  Is it eternal?  Will it impact lives for God? 

Delegate

When it comes to family, include every family member in the work and include every family member in the play. The concept of "team" is essential to every successful family. A chore is not just a random assignment. It says, "You are an important part of this team and this family. We need you." 

Simplify

Give up on perfection. It is meant for heaven...not earth. I love the Amish saying, "The further we get from simple things, the further we get from God."  Jesus was born in sparse simplicity, a manger instead of a mansion. His teachings were simple enough for a child to understand.  A simple but stunning truth is His message. We often overlook profound simplicity in search of hollow complexity, foolishly thinking that bigger is always better.  When it comes to investing time, we need to employ simple godly discipline.

Yield 

When our children were small, I did not travel and speak as often as I did when they were older. I really tried to make my greatest mission field my home, my marriage and my children - easy words to write, but hard words to live.  It does not matter how much I do or how successful I am in ministry.  If home and family are left with only the scraps of my time, energy, and emotions, I am walking in sin and disobedience. 

One of the greatest challenges in my life is to achieve and maintain a disciplined balance.  I am not certain why balance is so hard to achieve, but one reason stands out from the rest - self.  If "self" were a coin, one side of that coin would be pride.  Earning the favor of God, proving my worth and longing for success feed that pride. The opposite side of the coin is insecurity.  Believing the lies of the enemy, measuring my worth by what I do instead of whose I am, longing for man's applause and earth's acclaim can be counted on to fuel the sadistic fires of insecurity. 

Both pride and insecurity are sin.  Both are a preoccupation with self.  Godly discipline draws attention to God and away from self, to His work and away from human effort, leaving the glory where it belongs - at His feet alone.

The most effective life is a disciplined life.  Discipline builds upon discipline, each success encouraging another. Make the commitment to cultivate the disciplines of godliness, then pick a corner of your life and begin.  Discipline does not come naturally or easily.  We will surely fail but we can always begin again.  Join me today in a new commitment to choosing to seek, apply and relish godly discipline. 

"A man may be consecrated, dedicated and devoted but of little value if undisciplined."
(Hudson Taylor)

Let's Pray
Father, please forgive me for the lack of godly discipline in my life.  Make me stronger, Lord.  Empower me to live a life that pleases You.  I surrender my agenda, my schedule to You and ask You to arrange it according to Your plan.  Please help me to hear Your voice above all others and to become a godly woman of discipline. 

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn 

Identify the area of your life where discipline is most needed.   
How has a lack of discipline in this area impacted your life?   
Surrender this undisciplined part of your life to God right now. 

Read and memorize 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" (NIV).  How can this verse help you make and keep a new commitment to godly discipline in your life?

More From The Girlfriends
I honestly did not want to write this devotion and tried to talk the Father out of my doing so.  You see, while I hate the very word "discipline", most people would describe me as a disciplined woman.  If they only knew!  Discipline is a constant battle for me - in every area of life - but especially when it comes to time management. Just when I think I have it mastered, everything falls apart.  I want to be a champion for God but I have to admit that I am often a miserable failure when it comes to discipline. Sound familiar?  My only hope - and your only hope - is God and His power at work in us.  Need help?  Me, too!

With the holidays just around the corner, my thoughts immediately turn to family, friends and time. I really want this holiday season to be meaningful and as stress-free as possible! So I am getting ready now!

Mary has two NEW E-Book Bible Studies available!  I Need a Friend and Time: Friend or Foe? (from which today's devotion was taken). These studies are perfect for personal or small group study.  Each study is presented in an attractive PDF format, is easy to download and copy on your home computer and includes a helpful study guide as well.

Need gift ideas?  This year, why not give gifts that are life-changing?  Enroll a friend or family member in Mary's weekly online bible study, Light for the Journey.  The current topic is 7 Habits of a Powerful Life. 

Browse through Mary's online store for that perfect gift of encouragement - a book, CD, MP3 download, E-Bible Study and special gift items.

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]

October 30, 2009
The Broken Way
Gwen Smith

Today's Truth
"Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today ... the LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still'" (Exodus 14:13-14, NIV).

Friend To Friend
While at a recent football game in which my son, Preston, was playing, I had a moving conversation with another team mom. It was the first time we'd ever dialoged beyond socially expected niceties. Between cheers that went up to our football-playing boys, she stumbled upon the fact that I was in ministry and was excited to share about how God has intimately drawn her heart to his over the past five years. How He met her where she was. Ministered to her through the hands of others. How He sparked life into her soul through His Son Jesus Christ. She was radiant. She spoke with excitement. Joy in every sentence. Praise on her tongue for the God who gives her strength and life. She told me of her grueling battle with an aggressive form of breast cancer.

She was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 35 - as a wife and mother to three small children. Initially, she was angry with God for allowing a disease to ravage her body, furious that her husband and children might have to live without her. Though she fought to understand the "why" of it all, she confidently testified how God used the pain-filled journey on the broken road of cancer to lead her to saving Grace. She is now grateful for the broken way that God breathed new life into her soul as she battled death in her body. As she spoke, the troubles of my life faded to a humble corner of my heart. Her words reminded me that God really can and should be glorified through each hard place we find ourselves in.

Life is filled with challenges. The struggles we endure often leave our hearts breaking and our minds aching for reprieve. I've not battled cancer, but I have experienced my fair share of times when I've been caught between faith and a hard place, just like her.  As a wife, mother, daughter, and friend, I've learned that hard times are inevitable and that they hurt. 

Toward the end of our conversation about her cancer and faith, my new friend confided that fear still tries to invade her days. She said that she constantly has to choose faith and to trust God instead of dwelling on the possibilities of another future diagnoses. Every one of us doubts at times. We all fail to trust. Scripture assures us that even when we are faithless, God remains faithful. As we walk broken paths that challenge our faith, the truth remains that God does deliver in and through the pain. Though there are struggles that we might take to the grave with us, God is still good. Each hard place is an opportunity for Jesus to show His power in and through our lives.

When we find ourselves on the broken way, we often feel like we are wandering in the wilderness. In Exodus 13:17-14:31, we see a dreary desert drama of the Israelites. Stop here to read the full account now if you can.

"When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea." (Exodus 13:17-18a, NIV)

As God moved through the leadership of Moses to bring His people from captivity to freedom, from poverty to inheritance, the Israelites were not led the easy way. They didn't get to take the paved road - even though it was shorter. They had to walk through the desert. God led them the harder way because He knew it was best for them in the long run. Sometimes we are led the harder way too. The broken way. Even though our minds conceive an easier solution, He knows what is unknown to us, He sees what is unseen to us, and His ways are trustworthy and best.

"By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people" (Exodus 17:21-22, NIV).

"Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left" (Exodus 14:19-22, NIV).

God has given us his Holy Spirit to lead us by day and by night; to be our Strength, our Power, and our Direction in the deserts of life. Just as God made a way for the Israelites when they called on Him as they faced a seemingly impossible Red Sea situation, He will make a way for you. Call on His name. Trust His plan. Reach for His hand.

Let's Pray
Dear Lord, forgive me for the times when I try to navigate the deep waters of life on my own. When my heart is heavy with burdens, please give me Your strength and remind my soul to trust You. I need Your guidance and power today.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn
Do you feel like God has led you through the desert?

Do you trust that He can and will make a way for your Red Seas to be parted when you call on Him?

Grab a journal (if you're a journal girl). Spend a few moments contemplating the circumstances of your harder way. Then lift your eyes from your situation to your Savior. Call on God, and say to your soul: "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today...the LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."" (Exodus 14:13-14, NIV)

More From The Girlfriends
I've seen it in my own life. God delights to deliver us from our hard places in and through the pain. Hang in there, friend. He knows each tear you've cried and He has never left your side. In the words of a beloved hymn by Helen Lemmel, "Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."

WALKING ON THE BROKEN WAY? God delights to heal and transform lives ... including your own.  In her book, Broken Into Beautiful, Gwen Smith invites you to experience how the unconditional love of Jesus can change your life and bring strength and healing to your heart.  He can transform your life into something beautiful. To order Gwen's book, Broken Into Beautiful, please CLICK HERE. 

GOT FACEBOOK? Stop by Gwen's Facebook Music Page at www.Facebook.com/GwenSmithMusic. While you're there, be sure to listen to a few songs, leave a message on her wall, and add her as a friend!

GOT A HEART FOR WORSHIP? Download Gwen's live worship CD, Unsearchable, from iTunes, or order the CD from the store on her website.

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]

November 2, 2009
Just Because You're Mine
Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).

Friend To Friend
Anabel Gillham was a woman who loved God, but had trouble accepting that God could love her.  Sure, she knew the Bible verses that talked of God's unconditional love for her, and yet she knew herself, and doubted a God who knew her innermost thoughts would approve or her.

The root of her problem was how she saw God and how she believed God saw her. She knew what kind of God He was.  She read, Exodus 34:6, "Then the LORD passed by in front of him [Moses] and proclaimed, 'The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving kindness and truth...", but she believed she had to earn that love. She believed she had to be good enough to deserve it.  Then God used a very special person to help Annabel understand the depths of God's love for her - her second child, Mason David Gillham, who was profoundly retarded.  Let's let Anabel tell you her story.

Mace could sing one song with great gusto, just one: "Jesus Loves Me."  He would throw his head back and hold on to the first "Yes" in the chorus just as long as he could, and then he would get tickled and almost fall out of his chair.  I can still hear him giggle when I think back on those days that seem so distant and so far away.  How poignant that memory is to me.

I never doubted for a moment that Jesus loved that profoundly retarded little boy.  It didn't matter that he would never sit with the kids in the back of the church and on a certain special night walk down the aisle, take the pastor by the hand, and invite Jesus into his heart.  It was entirely irrelevant that he could not quote a single verse of Scripture, that he would never go to high school, or that he would never be a dad.  I knew that Jesus loved Mason.

What I could not comprehend, what I could not accept, was that Jesus could love Mason's mother, Anabel.  You see, I believed that in order for a person to accept me, to love me, I had to perform for him.  My standard for getting love was performance-based, so I "performed" constantly, perfectly.  In fact, I did not allow anyone to see me when I was not performing perfectly.  I never had any close friends because I was convinced that if a person ever really got to know me, she wouldn't like me.

I carried this belief into my relationship with God, and as I began to study the Bible, I found, to my horror, that He knew my every thought, let alone everything I said or did (Psalm 139:1-4).  I was standing "bare and wide open to the all-seeing eyes of our living God" (Hebrews 4:13), TLB.  What did that mean to me?  That meant that He really knew me, that He saw me when I wasn't performing well.  Based on what I perceived as my responsibility to perform in order to receive acceptance, I concluded without a doubt that He could not possibly love me, that He could never like what He saw.

Mace could never have performed for our love, or for anyone's love, but oh, how we loved him.  His condition deteriorated to such a degree - and so rapidly - that we had to institutionalize him when he was very young, so we enrolled him in the Enid State School for Mentally Handicapped Children.  We drove regularly the 120 miles to see him, but on this particular weekend, he was at home for a visit.  He had been with us since Thursday evening, and it was now Saturday afternoon.  As soon as the dinner dishes were done, I would gather his things together and take him back to his house.  I had done this many times before - and it was never easy - but today God had something in mind that would change my life forever.

As I was washing the dishes, Mason was sitting in his chair watching me, or at least he was looking at me.  That's when it began.  My emotions were spinning, my stomach started tumbling, and the familiar sickening thoughts of just a little while, I'm going to start packing Mason's toys and his clothes, and take him away again.  I can't do that.  I simply cannot do it.  I stopped washing the dishes and got down on my knees in front of Mace.  I took his dirty little hands in mine and tried so desperately to reach him.

"Mason, I love you.  I love you.  If only you could understand how much I love you."

He just stared.  He couldn't understand; he didn't comprehend.  I stood up and started on the dishes again, but that didn't last long.  This sense of urgency - almost a panic - came over me, and once more I dried my hands and knelt in front of my precious little boy.

"My dear Mason, if only you could say to me, 'I love you, Mother.'  I need that, Mace."

Nothing.

I stood up to the sink again. More dishes, more washing, more crying - and thoughts, foreign to my way of thinking, began filtering into my conscious awareness.  I believe God spoke to me that day, and this is what He said: "Anabel, you don't look at your son and turn away in disgust because he's sitting there with saliva drooling out of his mouth; you don't shake your head, repulsed because he has dinner all over his shirt or because he's sitting in a dirty, smelly diaper when he ought to be able to take care of himself.  Anabel, you don't reject Mason because all of the dreams you had for him have been destroyed.  You don't reject him because he doesn't perform for you.  You love him, Anabel, just because he is yours.  Mason doesn't willfully reject your love, but you willfully reject Mine.  I love you, Anabel, not because you're neat or attractive, or because you do things well, not because you perform for Me but just because you're Mine." (Anabel Gillham, The Confident Woman: Knowing Who Your Are in Christ, (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1993), 26-29)

Hearing Anabel's story transformed my thinking about God's love for me.  For years, I lived as though I had to be "good enough" for God to love me.  I understood that salvation was a gift of grace - a free gift from God that I did not earn - but somewhere I began believing the lie that I had to perform properly to keep the gift.  I feared if I was not good enough, He would take it back.  But that is a lie.

I am enough...because Jesus lives in me and the Holy Spirit works through me.  And friend, so are you.

Let's Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for loving me just the way I am.  I thank You that I don't have to earn Your love, but receive it as a free gift that You lavish on me!  And God, I thank You that nothing can separate me from Your love.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

Look up the following verses and note what you learn about God's love for you.

Psalm 52:8 
Romans 8:38-39 
Ephesians 2:4-5 
1 John 4:10 
1 John 4:16

Did Annabel's story touch your heart today?  If so, I'd love to hear about it.  You can share your thoughts on today's devotion at www.sharonjaynes.com/blog .

More From The Girlfriends
Today's devotion was taken from Sharon's book, I'm Not Good Enough...and Other Lies Women Tell Themselves.  If you would like to learn more about how to begin seeing yourself as God sees you, then this is the book for you!

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]

November 3, 2009 

Give Thanks 

Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
"No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."  (NLT)

Friend To Friend
The fourth-grader rose from his desk and walked slowly to the front of the classroom to deliver a report concerning the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday. With Thanksgiving just days away, the classroom was buzzing with excitement. The teacher shared the eagerness of her students and felt that she had done an adequate job of encouraging each child to focus on the true meaning of the holiday. Those hopes were soundly dashed against the words of the young speaker. 

"The pilgrims came here seeking freedom of ... you know what. When they landed, they gave thanks to ... you know who. Because of these brave people, we can celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday and our freedom to worship every Sunday ... you know where."

We laugh at the thought of leaving God's name out of this childish writing but, in fact, many of us are just as guilty of leaving Him out of our daily walk - especially when it comes to giving thanks. While Thanksgiving does remind us to stop and give thanks, Thanksgiving is not just a national holiday to be celebrated for a few hours each November. Learning to live in the gear of perpetual thanksgiving is a life changing discipline. Giving thanks should be a natural characteristic and innate practice of every believer.  It is thanking God for all that He has done as well as for all He is presently doing and going to do in the future. Thanksgiving heightens our awareness of His presence and thrives on an active, living faith - a faith that is not ashamed to boldly act or afraid to speak out even in the face of doubt.

The book of James tells us, "When you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the sin" (NLT).

Learning to be thankful - even when we cannot see, hear or understand what God is doing or how He is working - is authentic thanksgiving and the direct result of a living, active and personal faith in God. We often say that we need more faith in order to be more thankful. I don't think so!  We operate in faith every single day. We flip a switch believing in faith that light will appear. We turn a key believing in faith that a car will start.  We even go to a doctor we hardly know who scribbles an impossible - to - read prescription which we promptly take to a pharmacist we have never seen.  This unknown druggist proceeds to fill the prescription, giving us a medicine with a name we cannot even pronounce.  And we take it - all in blind faith!  Amazing! 

I believe that instead of pleading for more faith, we need to exercise the faith we already possess.  As we continually step out in faith, not only will that faith grow stronger, but we will begin to trust God more, naturally developing an attitude of thanks. Faith does not believe that God can or will act.  Faith believes that God is answering as we pray. And that truth, my friend, will send us to our knees in praise and thanksgiving. 

Don't leave God out of your Thanksgiving celebration. Instead, realize that He is the very reason you can experience abundant and eternal life. Do not let the day pass without finding a few moments to be alone, thanking Him for His magnificent bounty in our hearts and in our lives. 

Let's Pray
Father, my faith seems so small and weak. I confess that I have allowed fear to invade my heart and mind. Right now, I choose against that fear and step out in faith, thanking You for what You have done in my life, for what You are going to do today and in every tomorrow of my life.  Make me aware of Your presence today and give me the courage to share with others what You have done for me. 

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Now it's Your Turn

Examine your life for evidences of faith at work. 
Would you consider your heart attitude to be one of praise and thanks?  Why?  Why not? 
What changes do you need to make in order to cultivate a thankful heart? 
What is the importance of thanksgiving as it relates to faith?

More From The Girlfriends 

With the holidays just around the corner, my thoughts immediately turn to family, friends and time. I really want this holiday season to be meaningful and as stress-free as possible! So I am starting early! Join me in a new commitment to keeping God at the center of every celebration to come.

Mary has two NEW E-Book Bible Studies available!  I Need a Friend and Time: Friend or Foe?  These studies are perfect for personal or small group study.  Each study is presented in an attractive PDF format, is easy to download and copy on your home computer and includes a helpful study guide as well.

Need gift ideas?  This year, why not give gifts that are life-changing?  Enroll a friend or family member in Mary's weekly online bible study, Light for the Journey.  The current topic is 7 Habits of a Powerful Life. 

Browse through Mary's online store for that perfect gift of encouragement - a book, CD, MP3 download, E-Bible Study and special gift items.

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

[Judy Harder]

November 4, 2009 

Retraining our Reflexes 

Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth
Paul wrote: "Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you" (Philippians 4:9 NIV).

Friend To Friend
It was hot.  The traffic was heavy.  I was young and distracted.

I was driving alone in the flow of traffic traveling to and from the North Carolina coast.  I was in the group headed for home.  The July traffic was bumper to bumper with everyone going faster than the posted speed limit.  I had other things on my mind besides maneuvering in traffic and was paying little attention to the cars around me. 

Traveling sixty miles per hour in my sporty two-tone Pontiac Sunbird, I felt my front right tire slip off of the asphalt and onto the gravel shoulder of the road.  In a flood of panic, I heard the voice of my Driver's Ed teacher from four years before, "If you run off the road, do not, and I repeat, do not jerk you car back on the road.  Slow down to a stop and guide the car back onto the road gently."

My mind knew the rule. I was even repeating, "Do not jerk the car. Do not jerk the car."  Then I promptly... jerked the car. I pulled the steering wheel to the left, jerked the car onto the road, and lost control.  First the Sunbird flew across two lanes of traffic to the left and then, after overcorrecting again, she flew back off the road to the right.  As if in slow motion, my car began a descent down an embankment.  The weight of the car became unbalanced and began to roll.  As the car somersaulted down the embankment, my body tossed and tumbled like a rag doll, bouncing around the car's interior.  I did not have on a seatbelt.  When the car landed upside down at the bottom of the embankment, I was sitting on the ceiling of the passenger's side. 

Travelers watched with mouths aghast as the scenario played out before them. You can imagine how amazed they were to see me crawl out of the car's opened window without a scratch.  I knew, without a doubt, that I should not have lived through that accident.  It was only by the grace of God that I survived.

Thinking back on that event, I am reminded how powerful reflexes are. When the car veered off the road, I knew what to do, but I did the opposite.  I knew not to jerk the steering wheel, but I did it regardless. 

When it comes to changing the way we speak, we may have some very powerful reflexes to overcome.  The Bible tells us that when we come to Christ, we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).  However, no one pushes the delete button to erase the old habits patterns that have been formed over time.  That comes with practice, training and reprogramming.

I want to encourage you not to get discouraged if you make a mistake and use your words in a negative way from time to time.  Satan would like nothing better than for you to simply give up on using your words for good.  But even Jesus knew that sometimes a temple has to be cleaned out more than once.

Shortly after Jesus' first miracle at the wedding of Canaan, he traveled to Capernaum with his mother, brothers, and disciples.  It was almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went up to Jerusalem to worship.  As he approached the temple, Jesus heard the bleating of sheep, smelled the stench of the cattle, and saw the gypsy-like haggling and exchanging of coins.  The temple had become a free-for-all rather than a house of prayer.

"So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and over-turned their tables.  To those who sold doves he said, 'Get these out of here!  How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!'" (John 2:15-16)

Yes, Jesus cleaned out the temple that day, but it wasn't long before the money changers began to creep back in with their wares. I imagine it all began with one man setting up his table.  Then another and another until the carnival-type atmosphere once again polluted God's house.

This incident recorded in John chapter two occurred at the beginning of Jesus' earthly ministry.  But we see a similar scene toward the end.  It was just a few days before Jesus' arrest and crucifixion.  He rode into town on a donkey as the crowd spread their cloaks on the road.  "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!" they shouted as Jesus passed by.

Once Jesus arrived in Jerusalem, He headed straight for the temple area to worship. Once again He was met with the mayhem and stench of the money changers and the animals they sold for temple sacrifices.  As He had done three years prior, Jesus began driving out the money changers with their doves, sheep, and cattle scampering behind. "My house will be a house of prayer" Jesus proclaimed, "but you have made it a den of robbers!"

In the New Testament, God calls us temples of the living God (1 Corinthians 3:16).  Just as Jesus cleaned the temple at the beginning and the end of his earthly ministry, so we may need to clean out our temples many times.  Yes, we make a clean sweep of the sin in our lives on the day we accept Jesus as our Savior, but eventually, those bad habits tend to creep back in if the temple is left unattended.  So check up on yourself often.  Pay attention to your words and determine if you need a spring cleaning to keep the temple pure.

Psychologists tell us that it takes twenty-one days to establish a new habit. Here's an idea, for twenty-one days, put five pennies in your left pocket.  Each time you say an encouraging word to someone, move a penny to the right pocket.  Make it your goal to move all the pennies from the left to the right and deposit encouraging words to those you come in contact with each day.  You'll be doing more than moving pennies.  You'll be investing in another's soul.

James wrote, "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless" (James 1:26).  Although James uses the analogy of a horse when teaching on the tongue, he's not horsing around when it comes to the impact it has on those around us. Let's reign in our words and gallop on down the path to changing the way we speak.

Let's Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, I know it will take practice for me to tame my tongue.  And while James said it is impossible for man to tame the tongue, Your word also tells us that nothing is impossible for God.  So today, God, I'm asking You to tame my tongue.  I commit to participate and practice, as You provide the power.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn
Go back and read today's truth.  What did Paul tell us to do?

What is the result of practicing what the Bible teaches?

The verses that precede Philippians 4:9 are some of my favorite.  Pull out your Bible and look up Philippians 4:8 and use this as a guide to what you think about today.

Have a comment about today's devotion? I'd love to hear it.  Just log onto www.sharonjaynes.com/blog

More From The Girlfriends
Today's devotion is taken from Sharon's book, The Power of a Woman's Words.  If you would like to learn more about how to tame the tongue and use your words to speak life into those around you, this is the book for you.  It also comes with a companion Bible study guide to use in a group or just on your own.

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]

November 5, 2009 

Are You Ready for the Holidays? 

Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
Luke 2:16-20 (NIV) "So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen which were just as they had been told."

Friend To Friend
Are you ready for the holidays? For some people, that question spurs exciting thoughts of beautifully decorated tables filled with scrumptious meals, festive shopping trips, extended family time, brightly wrapped gifts under a tree ... the "Walton" kind of holiday. For others, the holiday season is a very difficult and dark time that is to be endured rather than enjoyed. According to the American Institute of Stress, more than 110 million Americans take medication for stress-related causes each week. During the holiday season, another one million people battle what experts refer to as the "holiday blues." I am very familiar with depression and the pain it holds and must constantly battle to stay out of that pit. 

Depression is an emotional, mental, physical and spiritual disorder. Something is out of balance. We have buried some pain instead of confronting it. We have misplaced our trust and sought help from impotent sources. In order to deal with depression, we must first come to a place of total and complete surrender to God and His plan of healing - even if we cannot see or do not understand that plan. The bottom line of God's heart toward His children is always restoration and healing.   

While I am not a big fan of television, I do enjoy watching a few select home improvement shows. On a recent program, an interior decorator and home owner were discussing a list of changes that needed to be made in order to update the home. "First, we have to do something about those windows," the decorator announced.  I was surprised that she had listed this task first - until I saw the house. The existing glass was not only an ugly shade of gold but was thick and chunky as well. The windows let in no light and made it virtually impossible to see in or out. The result was a dark, isolated home. The distressed homeowner protested, "But I like my privacy. And if I thought anyone could see in, I would feel totally exposed." When it comes to dealing with depression, many people feel the same way. 

We construct walls over which no one can climb because the cost of friendship is too high or too risky. We fill the windows of our soul with emotional excuses in order to avoid dealing with pain. The result is darkness, loneliness and missed opportunities for restoration. We don't want to understand depression or find the treasures of that darkness; we simply want to be rid of it. Many people try to understand and deal with depression on a surface level - refusing to face painful experiences, difficult relationships and, in general, the broken places where darkness lives. We look for the nearest exit, hoping to bypass transparency because the price is just too much to pay. Emotional integrity is an essential step to recognizing, understanding and dealing with depression. We must be real before we can be right, and until we are willing to risk being transparent, we can neither understand nor effectively deal with depression during the holidays or any other time of the year.     

The holidays seem to tug at the masks we carefully hold in place and push the emotional buttons we desperately try to hide. The arrival of family members can resurrect painful issues that have never really been resolved. Financial pressure opens up like a sink hole waiting to steal our joy and destroy our peace.  Schedules demand every ounce of energy and false expectations leave us empty and hollow. Before we realize it, the dark, slimy pit swallows us. It is not supposed to be that way, girlfriend! Now is the time to do something about it!

Thanksgiving can be a time of praise if we choose to focus on the victories and joys we have experienced during the year and then find ways to share that victory and joy with others. Christmas can be a true celebration of fresh starts and new beginnings, if we choose to focus on a tiny baby born in a manger, come to save us and give us true life. And a new year? What a great opportunity to start over! The darkness can be destroyed if we choose to face and deal with whatever it holds. Right now, get ready for the holidays by choosing an attitude of joy, by focusing your mind on the things of heaven - not earth, and by fixing your heart on Jesus Christ. 

Let's Pray
Father, I want this holiday season to one that is filled with light instead of darkness. Please help me discard my emotional masks and be real before You as well as with my family and friends. Give me the courage to be obedient to You in every holiday setting. Give me eyes to see those You bring into my life that need my encouragement because they are on the same journey. Make me a peacemaker, Lord. Father, prepare and enable me to make this holiday season an offering of praise to You. 

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn
Take a few moments to re-visit the holiday season of 2008.

What was the best part of those holidays for you?  Why? 
List three changes you would like to make this year. 
What is the first step you need to take to make those changes happen?

Read Luke 2:1-16. Answer the following questions after reading the Christmas story.


What was the attitude of Mary and Joseph as they traveled to Bethlehem? 
How did the shepherds react to the news of Jesus' birth?  What did they do? 
How would you describe the emotions and thoughts of Mary?  How can your choice to "ponder" on the miracles of Jesus' birth change your perspective through all of the approaching holidays?

Write a letter of commitment to Jesus, asking Him to empower the choices you have made concerning this holiday season.  Make a step-by-step plan or a list of "dos" and "don'ts" that will help you experience the best holiday season of your life.  Include your family in making this plan and make the commitment to hold each other accountable.

More From Your Girlfriends
Can you believe the holidays are already here?  I have been on a diligent search this year - to discover the secrets of having the best and most Christ-centered holidays of my life. I am excited about my MP3, How to Have a Joy-Filled Christmas, and believe it will help you learn how to prevent and control holiday stress and how to give God the gifts He wants to receive from us.  Want to know how to give ten wonderful gifts without spending a dime?  Check out my MP3, Giving the Perfect Gift.

Mary also has two NEW E-Book Bible Studies available!  I Need a Friend and Time: Friend or Foe? These studies are perfect for personal or small group study. Each study is presented in an attractive PDF format, is easy to download and copy on your home computer and includes a helpful study guide as well.

Need gift ideas? This year, why not give gifts that are life-changing?  Enroll a friend or family member in Mary's weekly online bible study, Light for the Journey.  Browse through Mary's online store for that perfect gift of encouragement - a book, CD, MP3 download, E-Bible Study and special gift items.  And be sure to check out the NEW MP3s now available!

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]

November 6, 2009 

Broken Into Beautiful 

Gwen Smith

Today's Truth
"Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame." Psalm 34:5

Friend to Friend
I remember the phone call to my college boyfriend. Through sobs, I managed to tell him I was pregnant. There was a long pause on the other end of the phone ... and then came the speed round of questions and comments: "What are we going to do? Do you think we should get married? Oh, my gosh ... Oh, my gosh...what are we going to do? Do you want to have this baby? What are we going to do? What about volleyball? What will your parents say? What will my parents say? Oh, my gosh!"

Like trapped animals, we were frantically looking for a way out. Then we made our decision. We would take care of it. It wasn't time for us to have a baby yet.

God wasn't consulted. He wasn't invited into our decision.

Adam and Eve hid in the garden after eating the forbidden fruit. My boyfriend and I hid from God and did what we considered to be our only option. We made a plan. He would pick me up and take me to a clinic that I read about in the yellow pages.

When the day came, we drove in icy silence. I was Fort Knox. No one was going to break through the emotional walls I had constructed for protection.

You see there was never a moment that I believed having an abortion was the right thing to do.  I only stubbornly and naively believed that my choice was the only ladder to grab out of the horrible pit I had dug for myself. 

I was wrong.  Dead wrong. 

There, in the sterile room of that stale clinic, I used an alias. I wasn't Gwen. My charts did not say that I was Gwen, the girl who was raised by good parents, the girl who was raised in the Word of God to know right from wrong. The counselor I had met with said that using my name could have made me feel uncomfortable with the "harmless and legal procedure" I was having done that day. Nobody else needed to know. I was anonymous.

It was my secret. A secret of chains that bound me in silence for the ensuing fifteen years - a secret kept because I mistakenly assumed that no one else could handle the ugly truth of my sinfulness with grace and forgiveness. I was a Christian girl. Christians don't get pregnant when they aren't married, and Christians don't have abortions, right? It was all too scandalous, and I was crazy afraid of the consequences.

Most of that day was a blur. It was a dark, cold January day. Though the clinic was lit with bright fluorescent lights, the flame of dignity and hope in my heart had grown dim. I blocked out all the voices in my head as they contested what I was doing. I was desperate and scared.

I was Peter. Simon Peter was a fisherman Jesus had called to be a fisher of men. His relationship with Christ was passionate and intimate, but far from perfect. He was a disciple, one of Jesus' closest friends. Jesus called Peter "the rock," and he would eventually go on to build the foundation of the Christian church.

But before he did, the Bible shows us, in Luke 22:54-60, that the night Jesus was arrested, Peter "followed at a distance," sat in a courtyard with enemies of Jesus, and denied the Lord he loved three times. Remarkably, Jesus knew Peter would betray Him, yet still extended advanced mercy as He said to him, "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22:32).

I imagine that when Peter betrayed Jesus on that long, dark night preceding the crucifixion, he must have felt a physical illness and emotional angst similar to the one that shattered my life the day I said yes to death and betrayed my Lord. Luke 22:62 tells us that after he had disowned Jesus three times, Peter "went outside and wept bitterly."

Peter knew Jesus, yet still betrayed Him.
He loved Jesus.
I knew Jesus, yet still betrayed Him.
I loved Jesus too.

But that love was tucked into the icy trunk of my heart on that snowy winter afternoon.

For weeks following my abortion, I went through each day under a dark cloud of despair. I couldn't reconcile what I had done with who I was, and who I was supposed to be. My heart was broken. I felt hopeless and was horribly ashamed. I hated what I had done, and I hated myself for doing it. I was responsible for the death of my baby. It was my fault. I knew it, and it haunted me.

Voices of accusation used to scream in my head. They shouted things like: Murderer! Baby killer!  Hypocrite! You can never tell a soul about this! Condemnation kept me shackled. Without realizing it, I was a captive to my own acceptance of those words. I was guilty. A wretch. No excuses. My heart was paralyzed by death. Words just can't express the depth of anguish my soul experienced.

The dark days turned into weeks, which turned into months. Although I could turn on the fake charm like water from a faucet...oh, how my plastic smile served me well in those days...I was dying inside! At night, my pillow soaked up rivers of tears. I would lie awake, wondering if my baby was a boy or girl, or if my baby had felt any pain as she was being sucked from my body.

I wept. I wept for both my baby and for myself. It was necessary. It felt right to cry. And though the tears helped my soul grieve, none were as healing as the ones I cried to Jesus when I finally turned back to Him.

Like Peter after the rooster crowed, I wept bitterly at the feet of Jesus in raw repentance. Then, as the psalmist did, I "waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God" (Psalm 40:1-3).  Although I didn't deserve His mercy, Jesus forgave me. My forgiveness was immediate and complete, but the healing took time.  He gave me a new song. 

Hallelujah! I've been forgiven and transformed by the unconditional love of God. I was dead in my sins, but am now alive in Christ! I am free and it is my privilege to encourage you towards that same freedom in Christ. God longs for you to experience His perfect healing and hope too - no matter what you've done, no matter where you've been, no matter what has left you broken.

What's your story? Jesus came that we would have life abundantly (John 10:10). Not because of anything that we have done to deserve it, but because of what He has done.  His grace is sufficient. The guilt, pain, and shame of our pasts tell us we are disqualified to move on, to serve God, to be free, and to know peace. But to believe this lie is to believe that your sin is outside the scope of God's grace. Nothing could be further from the truth. You have purpose in this life. And though you may have gone through a season of hurt, rejection, or pain, God can and will pick you up and place you back on track. I'm living proof.

There is no condemnation for those in Christ. While the enemy loves to cast false guilt, our Lord loves to extend grace and forgiveness, which is the remedy that restores all your broken pieces. Don't hold onto those pieces. Don't hide them behind a plastic smile. Bring them into the light, lay them at the feet of Jesus, and let go. Allow your wounds to be healed today.

Let's Pray
Holy Father, today I come to You with the broken pieces in my life that I have been hesitant to deal with.  Take my hand and lead as I walk past my fears and doubts to the refuge of Your forgiving arms. Please take what is broken and transform it into beautiful.  Please free me from the lies that have me shackled in silence and that keep me from believing that Your forgiveness can be mine.  Help me to trust that You can redeem and restore every area of my life.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn
Ask yourself these questions: 


What secrets or lies am I allowing to hold me captive? 
How could God use my story for His glory? 
Am I willing to share my experiences and failures for the transformation power of Christ to be seen by others?

Then, read Luke 7:36-50. Consider the secrets in your life. Place them at the feet of Jesus, repent and pray that God will forgive you, restore you and reveal to you how those secrets can be used for His good. Step out of the darkness of secrecy and into the light of unconcealed freedom. Share your story with a close friend. Allow God to use your life for His purposes...the good, the bad and the ugly. 

More From The Girlfriends
Ok...take a deep breath with me! Some of you may feel disturbed that a locked door in your heart has been nudged open this morning. I also know that 30-40% of you that are reading this devotion share my experience of abortion. There is healing and forgiveness for you, too. Through the help of my local Pregnancy Care Center, I went through a post-abortive Bible study that helped me to know complete healing. If you have not taken that step toward healing, I encourage you to contact the Abortion Recovery CARE line at 1-866-4-My-Recovery (1-866-469-7326) - visit www.abortionrecovery.org - or call your local Pregnancy Care Center today to sign up for a post-abortive Bible study or retreat.

Portions of today's devotion are taken from Gwen's book, Broken Into Beautiful.  Her full testimony is featured in the book, along with Scriptural truths and stories of how God has brought restoration the hearts of many other women who had painful life wounds. God delights to transform lives ... including your own. Experience God's healing and hope in your life today as you read Broken Into Beautiful! To order the book online, please CLICK HERE. 

CLICK HERE to listen to the song Broken Into Beautiful.

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]

November 9, 2009 

I'm not_______ enough. 

Sharon Jaynes

Today's Truth
"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you" (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Friend To Friend
I'm not _____________ enough. You can fill that blank in with smart, talented, gifted, spiritual, or any number of positive attributes.  But the root source of each one of those lies is "I'm not good enough." It is one of the enemy's favorite weapons and he uses it to keep God's children in bondage to feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy. The bottom line is that the enemy wants you to believe that you are "not enough." Period. But you are enough. You are enough and have been equipped and empowered to do everything that God has called you to do.

It seems the message of "I'm not good enough to earn my way to heaven on my own," has been transformed into I'm not good enough...period. God created man and woman and said, "It is good." We are so valuable to God that He gave His only Son to restore our brokenness.

To be honest, I could have been the poster child for this lie. If feeling inadequate was an Olympic event, I would have been on the Wheaties box. It was the undercurrent of my entire existence until I finally realized who I was in Christ. Bible teacher Beth Moore said, "In the dead of the night when insecurities crawl on us like fleas, all of us have terrifying bouts of insecurity and panics of insignificance. Our human natures pitifully fall to the temptation to pull out the tape measure and gauge ourselves against people who seem more gifted and anointed by God."  That was me.

Many women are living in silent defeat, comparing themselves to other women who are living in secret defeat. I'm not a good mother. I'm not a good wife.  I'm not a good Christian. I'm not a good witness. I'm not a good housekeeper. I'm not a good decorator. I'm not a good cook. I'm not a good....  Women are caught in a cycle of the "I'm not good enough." One by one the petals fall from the beautiful flower God created us to be.  Like ticker tape, our fragmented pieces of confidence litter the streets like the Macy's parade passing by.

Unfortunately, I wasted many precious years held captive by the enemy's lies before I held up my chained hands to God and said, "I'm ready for you to set me free."

Consider this:

Jacob was a liar.

Moses was a stutterer.

Gideon was a coward.

David was an adulterer.

Rahab was a prostitute.

Esther was an orphan.

Balaam's donkey was...well, a donkey.

And yet God used each one of them to impact His kingdom. 

God doesn't call us because we are particularly gifted or talented. He uses us because we are obedient and dependent on Him. He doesn't call the qualified - He qualifies the called.

The truth is, if you have experienced new birth in Christ, when God looks at you, He sees Jesus.  And friend, Jesus is good enough.

Let's Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You today. Because of Jesus Christ and His work of redemption in me, I am deeply loved, completely forgiven, fully pleasing and totally accepted by You.  Because of Jesus Christ in me, I am equipped and empowered to do all that You have called me to do. Now, LORD, help me act like it.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

Go back to that first sentence in today's devotion.  What would you put in that blank?
Is that the truth? 
What do you think God would say to you about what you have written in that blank?
I'd love to hear your comments about today's devotion at www.sharonjaynes.com/blog

More From The Girlfriends
Are you ready to begin walking in the truth rather than stumbling over the lies?  Are you ready to begin seeing yourself as God sees you?  Then you'll want to read Sharon's new book, I'm Not Good Enough...and Other Lies Women Tell Themselves.  Visit her website to read an excerpt. But be warned. This book could change your life! 

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]

November 10, 2009 

Guarding Greed 

Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
Philippians 4:12-13 "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."

Friend To Friend
I have seen the movie, "Guarding Tess", several times. Even though I know the plot well, it draws me in every time I watch it. The unending quest of Nicholas Cage to control "Tess" is hilarious and all but impossible. My ability to control greed is a lot like that.

As the holidays approach, stores exhibit displays of Thanksgiving and Christmas at the same time. I find myself thinking about the "stuff" of the holidays, instead of giving thanks and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. I have decided to take charge of my focus this holiday season ... and guard greed.

After the Saturday night worship service, Dan was in his usual spot, down front, talking with those who had made a decision for Christ that night and meeting first time visitors to Flamingo Road Church. As I looked over the crowd gathered around my husband, I noticed Jenna, the five-year-old daughter of our worship leader, sitting on the edge of the platform, patiently waiting for Dan. After several minutes, Jenna was obviously tired of waiting, spotted me sitting on the first row and evidently decided I would have to do.

Jumping off of the stage, she headed straight for me, grinning and pointing to her mouth. "Mimi, guess what? I lost a tooth!" Carefully examining the illustrious gap, I exclaimed, "That's great, Jenna! The tooth fairy will definitely come tonight!" A mischievous grin spread across her face as she responded, "Oh, he already came last night and brought me $5.00. So, my mom took me to the mall today and I bought lots of stuff!" Tooth loss has definitely evolved over the years. "That's wonderful, Jenna," I exclaimed, giving her a big hug. She did not hug me back and, in fact, seemed disappointed. I was confused and obviously missing some important point. Jenna's next words explained it all, "Yes, but Pastor Dan always gives me money when I lose a tooth." Ah, the truth comes out! 

Reaching for my purse, I pulled out a dollar and pressed it into Jenna's outstretched hand. With longing in her eyes, Jenna gazed at the money and softly said, "I wish this dollar was really $5.00 so I could go back to the mall and buy more stuff." And there you have the very heart of man.

What happens when we live as if He is not enough and He is not all we want? Greed happens. And stress always tags along with greed. 

Stress is a deadly disease that can wreak havoc in our lives - especially around the holidays. The frightening reality is that stress seems to run rampant, unchecked and in epidemic proportions through our relationships, our job, our home and every part of who we are. It does not have to be that way. In fact, a stress-riddled existence has never been and will never be part of God's plan for His children. No, but that would be Satan's plan for us because he knows that stress is a powerful tool through which he can work.  Stress is his invitation to set up shop in our lives. 

Stress management begins in a personal relationship with God. Without Him, we are in eternal trouble. A little girl ended her bedtime prayer with "Dear God, I need you to please take care of mommy, take care of daddy, take care of my sister and my brother and please, please God, take care of yourself because if you don't, we're all sunk. Amen!" I could not have said it better myself.

Let's Pray
Father, I choose today to celebrate the true meaning of Thanksgiving and Christmas instead of being stressed-out and caught up in the "stuff" of the holidays. Please help me focus on what is important and discard what is not. Give me eyes to see the needs around me and then help me find a way to meet those needs. Guard my heart against greed and an ungrateful attitude. 

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

Take the time to be alone and plan your holiday attitudes. Just as you plan meals, parties, gift-giving, and every part of the coming holidays, you can plan your attitude. Choose joy! Choose contentment! Choose to focus on God and His goodness to us and keep your heart focused on gratitude. Make a list of your blessings and keep that list with you during the holidays.  Refer to it often and set your heart on peace. 

More From The Girlfriends
Stress happens but we do not have to allow stress to control us. Most people who know me would describe my life journey as one of constantly dealing with stressful situations. I have often compared my life to a perpetual helicopter landing!  "Escaping the Stress Trap" is my story and it is probably a whole lot like yours. Check it out!

Don't miss the Holiday Sales Event going on right now in Mary's online store. You will also find new E-Book Bible Studies and MP3 downloads just out! Want to get on track in your daily bible study? Take a look at Mary's weekly online bible study, Light for the Journey.

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]

November 11, 2009   

The Great Adventure

Gwen Smith

Today's Truth

1 Corinthians 13:12-13 "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Friend To Friend

A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching the next Sunday evening on "The Love of God." As the shadows fell and the light faded from the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lit a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First, he illuminated the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the spear wound, and finally the two feet. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say.

God loves us perfectly. The greatest call in our lives is to love God in return. God doesn't just call us to receive His love. He also wants us to respond to it - to experience it - to be transformed and restored by it.

Have you ever read that children's book, Going on a Bear Hunt? When my kids were little we wore out the board book we owned. It's about a family who goes on an adventure together and faces obstacle after obstacle. Each time they face a new challenge, they determine that they "Can't go over it. Can't go under it. Can't go around it" so they "have to go through it!"

The great adventure of life is our pilgrimage to God's heart. When you place your faith in Christ, you become a child of the Heavenly Father who will never leave your side. He loves you with a stubborn love! In every case, without exception, you cannot escape, or be separated from His love. You can ignore it, doubt it, and question it but you can't be separated from it. Not if you are His.

When the psalmist experienced trouble, he prayed, "When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul" (Psalm 94:18-19).

Has your foot slipped lately? Are you anxious or fearful about anything? The psalmist found strength and support and joy in God's love. You can too. When we lay down our fear and anxiety before the Lord, His perfect love drives the fear away and breathes joy into our souls. God wants to give you a greater joy.

Take a moment to center your heart, soul, and mind on Christ right now. Worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Adore Him. Praise Him. Pray that He will help you live the great adventure of your faith today.

Let's Pray

Holy Father, You are my greatest adventure. Your love is beyond what I can imagine or comprehend. Thank you for loving me ... in spite of me. Please remove anything in my heart that keeps me from fully embracing Your love today.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

Our life song should be a love song. Many of us sing that tune regularly, but let's choose this day to turn up the volume on our love for God. Sing or contemplate the lyrics of this hymn as part of your response:

The Love of God

Frederick Lehman

The love of God is greater far

Than tongue or pen can ever tell;

It goes beyond the highest star,

And reaches to the lowest hell;

The guilty pair, bowed down with care,

God gave His Son to win;

His erring child He reconciled,

And pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure

The saints' and angels' song.

When years of time shall pass away,

And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,

When men, who here refuse to pray,

On rocks and hills and mountains call,

God's love so sure, shall still endure,

All measureless and strong;

Redeeming grace to Adam's race—

The saints' and angels' song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above,

Would drain the ocean dry.

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Though stretched from sky to sky.


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

More From The Girlfriends

Has God ever called you to do something for which you felt terribly unqualified? I've been there. On many days I'm still there! When He led me to write a book, I thought it was just plumb crazy. BUT GOD faithfully provided material for each chapter. Today's devotion is an excerpt from my book, Broken Into Beautiful, that is published by Harvest House Publishers. To order the book, please CLICK HERE.

Gwen recorded a modern version of "The Love of God" on her Unsearchable CD. Download Gwen's live worship CD, Unsearchable, from iTunes, or order the CD from the store on her website.

If you don't have the resources to invest in your worship library right now, listen to Gwen's music FREE on her MUSIC FACEBOOK PAGE: http://www.facebook.com/GwenSmithMusic.

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Girlfriends in God
P.O. Box 725
Matthews, NC 28106
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