Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

Gone Fishing
by Ryan Duncan

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." – Mark 1:17

When I was younger, my father used to take me fishing up north at a place called Basswood Lake. I wasn't a huge fan of these fishing trips at first. On some visits the sky would pour down freezing rain, and I'd be forced to sit shivering in our boat, my numb hands glued to my fishing pole. Other times it was sweltering hot, and I'd bake under the merciless sun as a giant cloud of black gnats swarmed around my head. And I haven't even mentioned the fishing in general.

I never had the patience to sit quietly in a boat hour after hour, jigging a line and hoping some fish found my bait appealing. Occasionally I did get a bite from a bass or northern pike, but more often than not the fish broke my line during the struggle.

I'm making these trips sound like a complete nightmare, but gradually I began to enjoy them. I got better at fishing and started reeling in more fish than I lost. I developed some patience, and began enjoying the moment instead of buzzing with agitation. And as my skin got a little tougher, the irregular weather didn't bother me as much.

Not long after one of these trips, I overheard my father talking with his friend, Doug Dunham. As I listened, the conversation shifted from fishing to Christ's call to service, and a new understanding of Matthew 4 dawned on me:

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. – Matthew 4:18-22

I don't think it's a coincidence that Jesus promised to make his disciples "Fishers of Men." Sharing the gospel and fishing have a lot in common. Both require patience, the willingness to invest your time into a single purpose. Both take endurance, the ability to weather the bad days. Both involve strength, so you can fight for your goal when necessary.

But most of all, you can neither fish nor witness without grace. Because when you finally do land The Big One, you need to understand it's not yours to keep or glory in, and humbly set it free.

I'm very grateful for all those fishing trips with my father; they taught me a lot about life.

Intersecting Faith and Life

Are you prepared to be a fisher of men? Review your strengths and consider how you're being called to use them for the glory of God.

Further Reading

Matthew 5 

[Judy Harder]

A Time of Confession
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.-1 John 1:9, NIV

One of the things I have come to appreciate more and more in a liturgical church service each week is the time of confession.

In this week's time of "Public Confession of Sin," we recited the following:

O living God, I bless You that I see the worst of my heart as well as the best of it, that I can sorrow for those sins that carry me from You, that it is Your deep and dear mercy to show me my sin so that I may return, pray and live. My sin is to look on my faults and be discouraged, or look on my good and be puffed up. I fall short of Your glory every day by spending hours unprofitably, by thinking that the things I do are good, when they are not done to Your end, nor spring from the rules of Your Word. My sin is to fear what never will be; I forget to submit to Your will, and fail to be quiet there. Help me to see that although I am in the wilderness it is not all briars and barrenness. I have bread from heaven, stream from the rock, light by day, fire by night, Your dwelling place and Your mercy seat.

The last two lines of this confession brought a lump to my throat and really caught my attention when reciting it along with others in the congregation.

... although I am in the wilderness it is not all briars and barrenness.

It's not? Yes! Praise God, it's not. Take a look around your wilderness right now. And I'll stop and take a look around mine, too. What do you see?

I have bread from heaven, stream from the rock, light by day, fire by night, Your dwelling place and Your mercy seat.

After a week of feeling like I was trapped in the briars and the barrenness of my life, I had a lightbulb moment when reading through the Truth of what I do have—no matter my circumstances or what the world may be telling me. And I was convicted all over again of a poor attitude and a life not being lived in right response to our God. I silently acknowledged what was being revealed to me: my sinfulness.

Confession will do that for you. It shines the light on what is really going on in our hearts and what is Truth in our lives. And hopefully, if we are in step with the Holy Spirit, we will have already been convicted of what we are bringing to God when we come to a time of confession.

I know that in the past week, there were several times where I felt the pangs of conviction in my own heart. I had either said something, thought something or done something that I knew was not pleasing to the Lord. And instantly, every time, I was reminded of that in my spirit.

While it's good that I was convicted and knew that something was not right in my heart, I needed to take the next step and confess my sins to the Lord so that I could be reconciled and grow deeper in my relationship with him.

It is hard to experience the stench of our hearts. But when you and I confess our sins, we are cleansed and we are restored. Let's aim to do that today, so that we may be forgiven, so that we may be a fragrant offering, so that we may enjoy fellowship and a right relationship with our Father in heaven.

Intersecting Faith & Life:  To quote a Scottish proverb: "Open confession is good for the soul." When is the last time you confessed your sins to the Lord?

Further Reading:

Psalm 51, NIV

Psalm 103, NIV

"Hosanna"
Words & Lyrics: Brooke Fraser
Performed by: Christy Nockels, Life Light Up (2009)

[Judy Harder]

The Faith for Big Prayers
by Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

"Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven" -- Daniel 10:12

One Sunday morning shortly after my husband proposed, I remember singing at church on a fairly unremarkable Sunday. I don't recall the sermon or anything else that day, but I do remember one of the praise songs - "Blessed Be the Name of the Lord." The song personalizes Israel's trials in the wilderness and the abundant streams of the promise land for the believer's life today, directing her to sing praise no matter the circumstances:

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
'Lord, blessed be Your name!'

Sitting in church that day, I momentarily stopped singing. After dating this guy for almost four years, I finally had a ring on my finger. I finally had a token that what I longed for so hopefully was coming. The slightest hint that the world could be otherwise - and I could still praise God - baffled me at that moment. My selfish heart did not have the faith to pray that prayer, not at that moment.

Recently, I encountered another prayer that I couldn't quite pray:

"God, I'm asking for two things before I die; don't refuse me - Banish lies from my lips and liars from my presence. Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little. If I'm too full, I might get independent, saying, 'God? Who needs him?' If I'm poor, I might steal and dishonor the name of my God." (Proverbs 7b-9, The Message)

Few of us have trouble asking God to keep us out of poverty. But asking God to keep us from being too comfortable? I'm too American to pray that without hesitation. By contrast, consider the boldness of these people:

Hannah, the formerly barren woman who gave birth to the prophet Samuel - "And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."  (1 Samuel 1:11)

The psalmist who wanted nothing hidden from God - "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." (Psalm 139:23)

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego before being thrown into the fiery furnace - "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." (Daniel 3:17-18)

Jesus Christ, who would later use this verse in the Garden of Gethsemane - "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)

Do we have the kind of faith that can pray hard verses like these and mean them? It's easy to pray for blessings, wisdom, health, and the "joy of the Lord." Those prayers make our lives better, we think, and don't require a sacrifice or change of plans. When we come across difficult verses, however, we so easily shy away. Why?

Sometimes my response is too much like Ahaz's, who was offered a sign from the Lord as evidence of Isaiah's prophecy. Instead, Ahaz proudly said, "I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test." He deluded himself. He passed off his lack of faith for his unwillingness to "test" God. Instead of praising his decision, Isaiah announced that he - and God - were about out of patience.

Contrast this to the apostle James, who urged the church to ask with abandon so that they could see God at work. But he gave them this warning: "But 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 wind"  (James 1:6).

Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you avoiding a difficult prayer? What's your reason? Disbelief that God will really answer? Refusal to acknowledge God's imminence? Fear that God will upset your apple cart? Ask yourself what's holding you back. Let's pray for humility and understanding, and the rest will

[Judy Harder]

Beach Lessons
Katherine Britton, Crosswalk.com News & Culture Editor

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven – for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." – Luke 7:47, ESV

How do you explain to a child that's never been to the ocean what waves are like? You might fill a bathtub with water and splash it back and forth. That could teach action of waves – but what about the look? You might take the child to a nearby river with a few rapids, and show them how the foam collects at the bottom of a fall "like on top of a wave." You might show them a 4x6 inch photograph. You might try to show them what waves sound like with a conch shell. But what about their vast dimensions along the shore? What about their unending nature? What about the undercurrent of a wave going back to sea?

No substitute can convey the scale and true nature of waves continually breaking on the shore. No analogies or to-scale models prepare children for their first trip to the beach. They can't grasp the greatness until they've seen it for themselves.

Have you seen the greatness of God's forgiveness yet?

No measure of teaching, preaching, and analogizing can make us really grasp what God's forgiveness means. Even after we reach adulthood, we're still creatures of experience. It takes a firsthand experience – recognition of how vast our sins really are – before we can appreciate how vast God's mercy is to cover them.

Jesus gave Simon the Pharisee the example of two men who owed another money – one owed him five hundred days' wages, one owing him fifty. The moneylender forgives both debts, but, as Simon empathizes, the one forgiven the larger sum has a greater reason to love the one who cancelled his debt. But all Simon heard were the Jesus's words. He failed to realize what a vast stretch of sand he stood on, and what a great tide it would take to overtake all of those grains of sand. As a result, it's the woman Jesus recognizes for her great love of her Savior.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Is it possible that we can extend love and forgiveness if we don't understand how much Christ has shown us? Take your own "beach trip" and survey the vastness of God's incredible forgiveness that covers incredible sin.

[Judy Harder]

My Conversation with a Hedge
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor

He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding.
The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor comes humility.
Proverbs 15:32-33

Every summer, my wife and kids leave me for two-to-three weeks to visit all of her relatives in Texas while I stay home and work. For the first day or two that they're gone, I enjoy my freedom from some of my responsibilities. After that, though, I tend to go a little crazy. I find myself wandering around the house, or doing "improvement" projects I have no business tackling. Making up song lyrics. Or having conversations with inanimate objects.

A couple years ago, in the middle of their trip, I was trimming the bushes beneath our front windows. The three on the right side of the stoop grow more uniformly than the three on the left. On the left, the one closest to the stairs is healthiest, while the other two, thanks to heavier afternoon shade, don't do as well. Oh, it's hard to tell, because I keep them pruned so that they "grow together" in the middle and stay squared off on the tops and corners. But obviously, the two weaker bushes suffer the pruning less frequently, because I let them grow out to fill in the gaps.

As I was working, their healthier sibling, I imagined, began to speak to me. Or to whine is more like it...

Hey! What gives?

Nothing, my good man. Just time for your monthly trimming.

But why? I'm not doing anything wrong. Just sitting here minding my own business. Doing good, doing what I'm supposed to do. And here you come...

Well, just sit still, please. Trust me, I have a purpose here.

Really? Well forgive me for asking, but why doesn't that purpose seem to apply to my lazy, stunted brethren here? All this time and barely a scratch. Maybe a nip, a cut. Nothing lost, no pain.

You're not happy with how you look? Where you're situated?

I'm fine. But that's just it. I don't deserve this cutting and trimming.

You think you planted yourself in this primo spot?

Never really thought about it. I just want to know why you're taking so much away from me and nothing from them.

I told you I have a purpose. You can't see what I can see. In fact, you can't see much at all. You're completely rooted in place. But I've seen all around you and through you, and have since you were planted.

But it hurts. I don't like losing things.

Never having them in the first place, and never really growing, that's not much good either. I have to give extra care and attention to those others. I can only hope it brings them up to the same level of maturity as you...

Hmmph.

I finished trimming up the hedges, and went my way, unsure I had gotten through. But when I stood back, I beheld something beautiful. I could only hope those under my care understood, had not despised their discipline, and opted to forsake impractical, joyless comparison.

Intersecting Faith & Life: The next time you feel like others aren't being as challenged as you are, or like the Lord is picking on you unfairly, consider that you can't see all the perspectives or purposes of the Lord, not in your life and especially not in the lives of others. The Lord loves you enough to discipline you, and he knows you're healthy and with enough green growth to handle His pruning.

Further Reading

John 15
Pruning Your Vineyard

[Judy Harder]

God's Good Grace
by Ryan Duncan, Editor at The Fish.com

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

I was driving back to my apartment when I came to a stop sign on the side of the road. Now, I knew this area didn't get much traffic, and I was in a big hurry to be home. So instead of coming to a complete stop, I made a quick glance to make sure there were no cars coming... and coasted through to the next street. That's when I looked in my rearview mirror and saw there was a car behind me, specifically a white car with spinning lights and the word "police" stamped across it. In that moment I knew I had to be the dumbest driver in the history of automobiles. Sure enough, the lights went on and I got pulled over.

After the officer had taken my license and registration, I sat in my car feeling like an idiot. All I'd needed to do was stop for a full second and I wouldn't be in this mess. I attempted to calculate the cost of the ticket, and which part of my budget I'd have to slash in order to pay it. I suspected it would be the grocery section, and that I'd be eating a lot of ramen noodles in the following week. Instead, the officer walked back to my car, handed me my license, and said, "I'll just give you a warning this time. Drive safely." I was floored.

When I think about the relief that came over me in that moment, I begin to truly understand how much grace God has shown me in my life. Running a stop sign has been the least of my sins. It's very humbling to look through the darker moments of your life and realize God has forgiven you if you've asked him to. Christians can get so lost in the concept of grace that we forget what it's like to really experience it, to feel the weight of guilt and shame – and sometimes even consequence – suddenly lifted from our shoulders. With Grace, you immediately get a clean slate, every mistake from the past is gone, and once you've experienced that you begin to understand the power that lies in verses like John 1:17:

"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."

Intersecting Faith and Life

This day, extend the same grace toward others that God extended to you.

Further Reading

Ephesians 1:7-8         

[Judy Harder]

People Who Need People
Laura MacCorkle, Crosswalk.com Senior Editor

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -Philippians 2:5-11, NIV

Strange but true, the words of the 1964 Barbara Streisand hit, "People" was wafting through my mind this past week.

Now I'm not a huge lover of Babs, but I do appreciate the way she infuses her songs with such emotion. You can't listen without feeling what she's singing—she's that good in connecting with others through song.

As I was thinking about the "people who need people" message, my mind was drawn to Scripture and how the Gospel is really about people in fellowship with their Creator and others. People need God, and we also need ... people!

No greater example of a person who needed people—and was someone other people desperately needed—is Jesus. As I flipped through the pages of Matthew to refresh myseIf on how Jesus purposefully sought to connect with people, I was reminded of how our Savior's ministry was always focused on doing the will of the Father while reaching others ...

Jesus went in search of people. The Son of Man came to earth to connect with people. And, as in the case of Peter's sick mother or the ruler whose daughter died, he went into their homes and then healed them. It all started with the calling of the first disciples in Matthew 4. He went to where they were, identified them and one-by-one invited them to follow him.

Jesus always shared Truth.Jesus didn't mess around. The time he spent with others was meaningful. His words were substantive and reached into people's lives to comfort and convict. Like the crowds in Matthew 7, people were always riveted and some (maybe not the Pharisees) wanted more. Everyone who took his words to heart was changed.

Jesus knew his audience. If you know Jesus, then you know he spoke in parables when teaching crowds. As with the stories of the mustard seed or the workers in the vineyard, Jesus knew the crowds needed something a little simpler at first which would effectively illustrate Truth. Since we're all at different stages in our spiritual growth, it's important to meet people where they are on their faith journeys as well, as we share from the Word.

Jesus made himself available.I'm sure Jesus got tired of being around people, just like we do from time to time. Ministry can be very draining. But the bulk of Jesus' ministry shows that he was often surrounded by others as he went from town to town. This was his calling. And this is our example to follow as God equips us—and empowers us by the Holy Spirit—to do his will.

Jesus established a support system.Jesus didn't have 1,000 disciples; he only had 12. And likewise we need a close network of people who we can regularly be in touch with for prayer and support. Jesus also saved his most intimate, revealing conversations for the disciples. And then he invited them to join his personal ministry as he delegated responsibility in reaching others. The feeding of the five thousand in Matthew 14 is a great example of this; Jesus gave bread to the disciples, and they were then called to give it to others.

Jesus had alone time but was still available. Sometimes we can go overboard in being available to others. We need some quiet time to recharge and be with the Father. Jesus was no different. He may have gone away for a solitary moment from time to time, but his whereabouts were still known (by the disciples, as well as sometimes the crowds) in case he was needed.

Jesus reached out even in his darkest hour. While in agony and hanging on the cross, Jesus was between two thieves. Matthew 27 notes this, but Luke shares even further how Jesus (Luke 23:43) forgave one of these men who asked him to "remember me when you come into your kingdom." "I tell you the truth," Jesus responded. "Today you will be with me in paradise." What a wonderful example of our Savior, understanding and experiencing the pain of separation from God, yet still reaching out,comforting, and bringing people to the Father!

Yes, Jesus is a tough act for any of us to follow. But following his example doesn't mean we have to be perfect as Jesus was. It just means we have to try ... being people who need people.

Intersecting Faith & Life: John 1:14 says that "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." How are others seeing this "glory of the One and Only" in you today as you dwell among them?

Further Reading:

Mark 12:30-31, NIV

Phil. 2:3-4, NIV

1 Peter 4:10, NIV

[Judy Harder]

'I Thank God for You'
by Anna Kuta, News and Culture Editor at Crosswalk.com

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:3-6).

We all know people who are a blessing to us. Whether it's a family member, your lifelong best friend, a coworker, the sweet lady who sits in the pew behind you every Sunday, or an old friend you can always pick right back up with no matter how many months it's been, each of us has people in our lives that we are so thankful for.

We get so caught up in day-to-day busyness sometimes that we forget to thank God for all the things He has blessed us with. Instead of focusing on the goodness the Lord has shown us, we complain about the minor thing that goes wrong. Instead of being grateful for the multitude of people who encourage us and make us smile, we get so hung up on the one person who did us wrong that it sours our whole outlook. I'll be the first to admit I'm guilty of this all too often – especially when it comes to taking for granted all the wonderful people who have impacted my life.

Here at the beginning of his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul presents a great example for us to follow when it comes to the people in our lives who are special to us. "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you," Paul begins. He goes on to tell the recipients of his letter how he prays for them, and then gives an encouraging word about God's work in them. How often do we take the time to tell people how much they mean to us – especially fellow Christians with whom we share, as Paul says, "fellowship in the gospel"? I know I don't do that nearly as often as I should. As Paul models here, we should let the people we thank God for know that we do. And what better way to do that than by telling them today?

Intersecting Faith & Life

Right now, thank God for several people you know who are a blessing to you. Ask the Lord to bless them and encourage them – and then take a minute to let them know personally.

Further Reading

Romans 1:8

Psalm 13:6

Hebrews 13:15

[Judy Harder]

'I Thank God for You'
by Anna Kuta, News and Culture Editor at Crosswalk.com

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:3-6).

We all know people who are a blessing to us. Whether it's a family member, your lifelong best friend, a coworker, the sweet lady who sits in the pew behind you every Sunday, or an old friend you can always pick right back up with no matter how many months it's been, each of us has people in our lives that we are so thankful for.

We get so caught up in day-to-day busyness sometimes that we forget to thank God for all the things He has blessed us with. Instead of focusing on the goodness the Lord has shown us, we complain about the minor thing that goes wrong. Instead of being grateful for the multitude of people who encourage us and make us smile, we get so hung up on the one person who did us wrong that it sours our whole outlook. I'll be the first to admit I'm guilty of this all too often – especially when it comes to taking for granted all the wonderful people who have impacted my life.

Here at the beginning of his letter to the church at Philippi, Paul presents a great example for us to follow when it comes to the people in our lives who are special to us. "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you," Paul begins. He goes on to tell the recipients of his letter how he prays for them, and then gives an encouraging word about God's work in them. How often do we take the time to tell people how much they mean to us – especially fellow Christians with whom we share, as Paul says, "fellowship in the gospel"? I know I don't do that nearly as often as I should. As Paul models here, we should let the people we thank God for know that we do. And what better way to do that than by telling them today?

Intersecting Faith & Life

Right now, thank God for several people you know who are a blessing to you. Ask the Lord to bless them and encourage them – and then take a minute to let them know personally.

Further Reading

Romans 1:8

Psalm 13:6

Hebrews 13:15

[Judy Harder]

Seeking God for the Right Reasons
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  Philippians 1: 21

I ran across an article years ago that really touched me. In her piece "A Change of Plans," Lindsy Pike details the excruciating decision to call off her wedding to a man she loved dearly. Reflecting on the mix of pain and peace that comes with any situation where we must give up something precious, Pike rewinds a few centuries to Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac:

"God promised to give Abraham a son and finally, after years of waiting, God came through, with Isaac. Why in the world would God ask Abraham to give up that gift? In my opinion, it is for the same reason He asked me to call off my wedding. God wants us to love Him more than we love His promises. The minute we get those out of order, He readjusts us."

While we don't fully know the mind of God in Abraham's situation, Pike's simple thought sheds light on a struggle I think all of us encounter at some time in our lives – the struggle to love God above everything else, even His blessings. God wants us to love Him because of who He is, not what He can give us. Yet, how often do we confuse our love of God's promises with love of Him? How often do we see Him as the divine blessing machine, ready to dole out happiness on our terms? The popularity of "prosperity theology" reveals how easy it is for believers to twist love of God into the pursuit of earthly happiness.

To be honest, it's not just greed that gets in the way of loving God. It's also a limited understanding of who God is. I used to wonder how some Christians could sit for over an hour praying. Is God really that interesting? I'd wonder. This type of thinking reveals a fundamental flaw in how I perceived God, and I think that flaw is what keeps many from coming to Christ in the first place. It's easy to see Him as limited like we are limited. It's easy to forget that God is truly our all in all. As C.S. Lewis once said, "God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing."

Still, had I not gone through a similar situation, I might not have believed Pike's sincerity when she says: "I am thankful for His grace that saved me from ruining my life by pursuing my dream."

In a "reach for the stars, be anything you can be" culture, the idea that pursuing any dream could ruin my life seems foreign. The more I think about it, though, the more I see that living outside God's will – even if it is for a "good reason" – is a recipe for failure.

Yet, when we give up our dreams for something greater - for Someone greater than ourselves - we begin to see we can trust God no matter what. We find solace in the incredible peace that comes with knowing that even if life here includes sorrow or dreams unfulfilled, there is a God that transcends not only all that's missing in this life, but also all the good this life has to offer.

Intersecting Faith & Life: This week, do something for God without expecting any reward or blessing in return.

Further Reading

John 16: 33
Author Debunks Prosperity Gospel Myth