“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭63:1-8‬

“I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8.

I believe the emphasis here is placed on ‘set’ and ‘always.’ God is always by our side, but we may be very far away from Him! Even though He is near, if we are to have a clear and unobscured view of Him, we need continual effort in order to keep Him in our sight. ‘I have set the Lord’-He PERMITS me to put out my hand, as it were, and station Him where I want Him, that I may always have Him in my sight, and be able to look at Him and be calm and blessed.

You cannot do that, if you let the world, and wealth, and business, and anxieties, and ambitions, and cares, and sorrows, and duties, and family responsibilities, crowd Him out of your minds and hearts.

The heavens declare the glory of God, but how many of us ever take time to even look up to see it? God is blazing there in front of us, but unless we “set him in front of us”, we shall never see Him. You have to look, by a conscious effort, over and away from the things that are ‘seen and temporal’ if you want to see the things that are ‘unseen and eternal.’

The heart must be pure, and the heart must be still, and the mind must be detached from earth, and glued to Heaven, and the glasses of the telescope must be thoroughly cleansed from dust, if we are to be blessed with the vision of God continuously before our face.

Though it takes effort on our part, it is only through his power that this can be done. “Lord, capture my heart so that I can have the blessing of setting You, and You only, before me!”

Retail stores are full of items with price tags. They set a value on the item being offered for sale. But before these items were ever offered to the public, the company had to actually determine the value first. Then the price would be set.

Likewise, to our Heavenly Father, we are not without price. A price on us was determined, set, and paid…

“For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” I Corinthians 6:20

We were bought at a price. The bible is clear about the price Jesus paid for you and me…

“… Be shepherds of God’s church. He bought it with his own blood.”

Acts 20:28

You and I are the purchased possessions of Jesus. His precious blood was spilled for us so that our lives could be redeemed from sin and death. He purchased us so that our lives could be filled with HIS LIFE and PURPOSE. What amazing love from the Father, that He would determine such a value for us!

Gold and silver couldn’t do it. The most valuable things of this world were not sufficient to compare with us, or to define our worth and value. Much like gold sets the standard here on earth to define value, the blood of Christ is the heavenly standard which sets our value…

“knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” I Peter 1:18-19

If God has set such a price on His Church – His Bride – His people – such love demands our full and complete embrace of such a value. We demonstrate this by believing and receiving it, and daily and intentionally aligning our own estimation of our value with the eternal price Jesus paid. We reject any other thought that dares to undervalue us. What else could compete with the precious blood of Christ?

From a devotional by Kirk Henderson

One of the most powerful statements Jesus ever made is found in John 7:29:

“But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.” (John 7:29 NKJV)

Jesus knew who he was, to whom he belongs, and who had sent Him. This verse resonates with a sense of security, identity, and confidence that only is found in our Heavenly Father. It was because of this deep conviction that Jesus was able to fulfill His purpose undeterred by the things of this world.

How tragic it is that we as Christians underestimate our eternal worth and value as children of God at times. We too are from Him, known by Him, and loved by Him. How often do we trade this powerful truth away for temporal indulgences?

We have lapses – this distorted view of our value as God’s precious son or daughter. A legitimate need presents itself – a need for love, security, provision, finances, success. This is the point where we settle. We make a deal with ourselves. We talk ourselves into a much lesser version of happiness and contentment. The result can bring disappointment and heartbreak – regret and remorse for not realizing we traded God’s best for something far less valuable.

We all have desires and needs. And God wants to fulfill every desire of our heart…

“May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, And fulfill all your purpose.”

Psalms 20:4

However, we have to understand our worth and value as children of God. We have to trust in God’s timing and faithfulness in those moments when the needs of our flesh are crying out to be met. He is strong and able to provide anything we need. We need not trade away our privilege to walk with Christ, and our preferred future, for a temporal and momentary fix for a legitimate need of life. May we always trust in Him. May we always remember who we are – and Whose we are. God’s best will surely come as we wait on Him!

~ From a devotional from Kirk Henderson

We’ve all seen the acronym “WWJD”, which means “What Would Jesus Do”. I’d like to shift our thoughts from what He would do, to what He did do for us at the cross, and how it impacts our lives and our personal view of ourselves.

One of the most common ailments of the human condition is that of poor self-concept. For a Christian, this can truly be a most difficult weight to bear. How is it that someone can be fully devoted to God, and yet still endure a skewed and low image of oneself?

It’s primarily because we don’t have a revelation of first, what Jesus has done for us, and second, how His sacrifice has changed who we are and our relationship with God. Let’s look at some of the biblical truths…

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

Ephesians 2:13

We were all born into sin – alienated from God – undeserving of His grace. But because of the shedding of Christ’s blood, we are no longer separated from God. Jesus’ blood brings us near to Him. When God our Father sees us, He doesn’t see the sinful person we used to be – He sees us clothed in righteousness because of what Christ did for us…

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

II Corinthians 5:21

Jesus became sin – paid the penalty for sin, which was death. Those who believe in Him and accept this free gift of salvation through His sacrifice are made new.

If we know this, then where does this truth position us with God? Where do we stand with Him? This is truly the most important question, because THAT WHICH GOD SAYS ABOUT US is our standard. What God thinks of us sets the course for how we should view ourselves. It’s what TRULY defines us…

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” I John 3:1

We are His precious sons and daughters. This is the fullest expression of His great love for us. Since this is His summation of our relationship with Him, do we dare to believe it?

~ Kirk Henderson

“The remedy for discouragement is the Word of God. When you feed your heart and mind with its truth, you regain your perspective and find renewed strength.”

Warren Wiersbe

“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 8:32

“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

Mark 8:34

Something must happen to us for us to be willing to take up our cross. Notice that Jesus introduces here a new self. If I deny myself, there is the “me” who is denying myself, and there is the “me” who is being denied. There is a denying self, and a denied self.⁣

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What’s the difference? When the old, denied self looks at the opposition, shame, suffering, and death Jesus calls for, it says, “No! I will not do that!” That old self loves human approval, honor, comfort, and life more than it loves Jesus.⁣

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But the new, denying self says to the old, world-loving self, “You are not in charge any longer. I love Jesus more than human approval, honor, comfort, and life. So, I am ready to endure opposition, shame, suffering, and death. There is more gain in following Jesus, even with suffering, than there is in walking away from him, even with ten thousand earthly benefits.” That’s the way the new self talks.⁣

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That’s the command in Mark 8:34 (and in Matthew 16:24 and Luke 9:23!): You are a new self. Act like it. Deny the old, comfort-craving self and embrace the superior joy of knowing Jesus, no matter how high the cost on this earth.⁣  -John Piper

“A man is not established by wickedness, But the root of the righteous cannot be moved.” Proverbs 12:3

“Those who are planted in the house of the LORD Shall flourish in the courts of our God.” Psalms 92:13

When our roots run deep in our connection to God, His word, and His people, we are in a way, unmovable- unshakeable. The offenses, tests, trials, and storms of life cannot derail us, deter us, or disengage us from God’s faithfulness and love. We are tethered deeply to our God as we nurture these roots that keep us grounded in Him. It’s our job to stay connected to Christian brothers and sisters who help us grow in our faith – to be diligent to allow God’s word to go deep into our hearts and change us – to pray fervently and expectantly to our Father for wisdom and direction.

Nurturing these roots strengthens our faith and guards us against the winds of adversity. The deeper our roots go in our Christian faith, the less vulnerable we are to the things and people in life that try to shake us, intimidate us, and scare us away from that which we know is true…

“He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” Psalms 112:7

~ Kirk Henderson

Does life feel futile? Doesn’t have to.

Do some of your failures seem fatal? They aren’t.

And your death. Does the grave appear to be the final stop? According to Christ, your death is just the start of the something great.

There is a truth greater than all the losses and sorrows of life. And it can be discovered in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Through his death, your life has purpose and meaning. You are forgiven and loved by a Savior who died for you. And an empty tomb proclaims that death does not have the final word.

“Peace where there should be pain. Confidence in the midst of crisis. Hope defying despair. Does death have the last word? I can see Jesus wink as he gives the answer, Not on your life.”

~ Max Lucado

“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2

“And this is what he promised us — eternal life.” 1 John 2:25

“Then he said to them all, ‘If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.’” Luke 9:23-24

As creatures of comfort we try to avoid pain whenever possible—physically and emotionally. We cling to what’s secure, safe and feels good in our circumstances and relationships, naturally seeking to protect ourselves. But if we hold ourselves too tightly, we keep ourselves from following God with our whole hearts.

God often asks us to get out of our comfort spots and set ourselves aside for his glory. He wants us to trust him, but we can only do that when we let go and obey.

In His crucifixion, Jesus subjected himself to public mockery, severe beatings, and one of the most horrific deaths the world has ever come up with. As the Son of God, he didn’t have to endure anything; he wasn’t a prisoner of the Roman soldiers any more than he allowed himself to be. Even in those last excruciating hours nailed to the cross, he could have opted out. But Jesus understood his suffering was not about him; it was the only way to restore sinners like you and me to our loving heavenly Father.

God doesn’t force us to follow him either. He doesn’t put the cross on us, but asks us to pick it up willingly. Our decision will cost us something; there’s heavy lifting, rejection, and personal interruptions. Actually, it will cost us everything. The only way to get the life we work so hard to protect is to give it back to God and trust him to take care of it.

Do we have it in us to publically align ourselves with him no matter what the rest of the world thinks? Do we have it in us to follow Jesus’ example and submit ourselves to God even when it gets tough?

Ask God to give you the courage, strength, and endurance to follow him every day. No matter how tough the obstacles, how long the dark night, how our plans might be disrupted, may we never forget real life starts when we give ourselves to him.

From a devotional by Tommy Woodard and Eddie James