The Riches of God's Grace

Scripture Focus:

Ephesians 1:3-14
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the
riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding” (Ephesians
1:7-8).
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It's a treasure far beyond human power to describe, God's gift of redemption. It's yours
because Jesus bought it for you with His blood. With redemption came full forgiveness of your
sins, freedom from guilt and hopelessness, the privilege of adoption as God's own child, and
the availability to you of all spiritual blessings.

This treasure is yours, not because you did anything to deserve it, but because of God's
immense love for you. He gave His own eternal life to you the moment you placed your faith
in His Son. As you reached out your hand to Him, He bestowed on you riches beyond
measure. Opening His loving heart to you, He placed heavenly blessings at your disposal.
Paul gave us an amazing word picture of His generosity, “He who did not spare his own Son,
but gave him up for us all -- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all
things?” (Romans 8:32) All this is yours because of God's grace. And He waits to make this
real in your daily experience.

INSIGHT: Do you long to be set free from your old life? Ask God to open your heart to grasp
fully the riches He has bestowed on you.

Take Off Your Mask

Scripture Focus:

1 John 1:1-7
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
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Suppose you have a bank account with a limitless balance. That defies the imagination,
doesn't it? But suppose you have needs and do not use your money to take care of them.
Instead, you say, “I'm just fine. There's no reason to make a withdrawal.” That defies the
imagination even further!

In His grace, God has made available to you unlimited spiritual riches. They are yours, but
only if you tap those resources. This is what John is getting at in our Scripture for today.
Whenever you admit to having a need and are open about it with God, then you are walking
“in the light” with Him and you are tapping those resources. Your fellowship is clear because
you are not trying to conceal anything from Him.

There’s a kind of false security in wearing a mask to conceal our needs, but our pretense is a
prison. The only real security comes when we remove the mask and acknowledge our need -
”Yes, Lord, I have sinned. I'm at the end of my resources.” Then God sets us free so we can
walk in the light with Him.

INSIGHT: The moment you remove your mask and are honest with God, He moves in to
cleanse you and bring you back to the blessed closeness of fellowship with Him.

Continuous Cleansing
Scripture Focus:

1 John 1:8-10
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves. . . . If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).
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My friend bought a condominium at a fantastic price. Its owner was eager to get rid of it.
Irresponsible tenants had left the place a filthy, stinking mess! With uncompromising zeal, my
friend removed the rubbish, tore up the carpet, scrubbed floors, walls, and ceilings. Then she
decorated it to her taste and moved in.

She had given it a revolutionary cleansing. Never again would it return to its former state. Her
radical cleansing changed the character of the rooms and allowed her to display her artistry.
But since then, she has made many cleanups. She regularly removes garbage, vacuums her
floors, and dusts furniture.

This is a picture of you as a Christian. When you accepted Christ as Savior, you received a
cleansing from your sin and guilt that was so radical that God declared you a new creation.
But daily cleanups are needed if you are to live in close fellowship with Him. God has
promised this through the blood of Christ.

INSIGHT: To enjoy continuous cleansing, you need to seek it - not just once but over and over
- whenever God points out to you a sin of attitude or action.

You Can Know

Scripture Focus:

1 John 4
“We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. . . . If
anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the son of God, God lives in him and he in God” (1 John
4:13,15).
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Jim watched as God answered his friends' prayers. He saw how God provided for their
needs. Then he looked at his own life. Where was God answering prayer for him? Why was
God not providing for his urgent needs?

Had God abandoned him? Where was proof that God was on his side? Even more
frightening, where was the evidence that he was even a child of God?

Jim fell into despair. Friends prayed for him. “Lord, please surround Jim with Your love and
care. Confirm to him that he is Your child.” Instead, the Holy Spirit opened his eyes to see that
when he received Christ as Savior, God performed the miracle of new birth. As the Spirit
confirmed this in Jim's heart, the matter was settled - not based on Jim's feelings but rather
on God's unchanging Word.

Jim was set free to anchor his hopes in God and to rely on His love. In time, Jim's face
showed that a change had come. He knew with a quiet assurance that he was God's child.

INSIGHT: Have you placed your trust in Christ alone for your salvation? You can know beyond
any doubt that you are a child of God. Rely on His unchanging love today..

Set Free
Scripture Focus:
Romans 8:1-11
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through
Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans
8:1-2).
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Our society loves to recognize achievement. Whether it is in the areas of education, fitness
and sports, the arts, or financial investment, we applaud those who are making it big.

Even in our spiritual lives we often are pressured to achieve. We feel the need to do more for
God, give more, pray more, live a more perfect life. In honest moments, we have to admit that
we simply do not have what it takes to live at the high standard we desire. Old habits are hard
to break. New goals are impossible to achieve.

God has good news for you. Your spiritual vitality does not depend on your constant efforts
any more than your salvation depended on your work. The Holy Spirit, who infused you with
God's eternal life, continues to live and work in you. He sets you free from the nagging
demands of the old life and releases you to live daily under His control (v. 9). God knows you
can never live for Him in your own power, so He promises to equip you to do whatever He
asks of you.

INSIGHT: You've been set free from futile self-efforts. God will support you when you're weak.
His wisdom is available when you're confused. His hand will guide you.

Seeing God
Scripture Focus:

Psalm 63
“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” (Psalm 63:2-3).
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David is in big trouble. As God's anointed king, he should be secure on his throne in
Jerusalem, but he isn't. He is fleeing for his life because his son Prince Absalom has
conspired to take that throne from him (2 Samuel 15).

Hiding in the wilderness of Judah, David pours out his soul to God in a psalm that is so
beautiful that early church fathers said that no day should pass without Christians gathering to
sing it! It is remarkable that in his song David does not hint at self-pity, nor does he ask for
safety.
David’s heart has been captured by a vision. He has seen God, and that puts everything in
his life in perspective. Much as his body craves water in the heat of the desert, his heart
craves God. He confirms that he will worship with all his being right there in his place of
hiding. “Your love is better than life,” he says, “and I will not let anything separate me from
You.” Relying on God's ever-present help, he says, “I sing in the shadow of your wings”
(Psalm 63:7).

INSIGHT: Your vision of God shapes your response to events in your life. Ask God to open
your heart's eyes to see Him and your ears to hear His voice.

Commitment to Jesus Christ

Scripture Focus:

Colossians 1:3-23
“All things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold
together. . . . So that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:16-18).
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To keep the vision of God fresh in your life, you need to be set free to keep your priorities
under His control. God planned for His Son to have the supremacy in all things. This means
that your Number One priority needs to be Jesus Christ. God wants His Son to be first in
every department of your life.

About 100 years ago, Bishop Handley Moule began each day by confirming that Jesus Christ
came first in his life. He called it his morning act of faith:

“I believe on the name of the Son of God; therefore, I am in Him, having redemption through
His blood, and life by His Spirit; and He is in me, and all fullness is in Him.

To Him I belong by purchase, conquest, and self-surrender; to me He belongs for all my

hourly need. There is no cloud between my Lord and me; there is no difficulty inward or
outward, that He is not ready to meet in me today.

The Lord is my Keeper. Amen.”

INSIGHT: For Bishop Moule it was “all of me for all of Christ,” and his spiritual vision burned
brightly. How is your vision today?
Commitment to Believers
Scripture Focus:

1 John 3:11-24
“This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. . . . And this
is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as
he commanded us” (1 John 3:11,23).
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The church program was well organized. Pages of computer printouts identified every
meeting scheduled for the week. The budget provided generously for all needs of equipment
and supplies. God's people worked tirelessly to keep the program going. But when all the
equipment was put back in place and the staff had cleaned the building, one fact emerged.
What had carried God's work through the week was not organization. It was not money or
media. It was the deep commitment that God's people had for each other.

Small groups met regularly for Bible study and prayer. Church members called each other to
give support and encouragement. When there were needs, they came with food and clothing.
If the building had burned to the ground, the church would still have been there, because the
church is God's people in action!

Do you want to see God? Give yourself first to Him and then to His people. Be available to
listen, share, pray, and love.

INSIGHT: God's plan for believers is “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children
and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us” (Ephesians 5:1-2).

Commitment to the World

Scripture Focus:

Philippians 2:12-18
“It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. . . . You shine
like lights in the universe as you hold out the word of life” (Philippians 2:13, 15-16).
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Go out on a clear night and look up. Set against the black expanse, stars glimmer in their
silent witness to the Creator who set each in place. Similarly, Christians shine like stars in a
dark world. Each believer has been given a place in which to bear witness to the Lord.

Perhaps you’ve been discouraged at times, thinking that you contribute little to Christ's work.
Other Christians have more powerful testimonies. They have impressive talents and gifts to
use in winning the world to Christ. But Christ has not called us to impress the world - He asks
only that we shine in it.

Then He does the rest, for the work of winning the world is beyond our power. The god of this
world has blinded the minds of nonbelievers so that they can't even see the light of the
Gospel. Only when God breaks through does that heavenly light penetrate their inner
darkness. Your part is to be faithful in keeping your testimony bright, being available for
whatever the Lord asks, praying that He will use your love and witness to win others to Him.

INSIGHT: Ask the Lord to fill your heart with joy and expectancy that He will use your life to
bring light to someone who does not know Him.

Dream Big
Scripture Focus:

1 Chronicles 4:9-10
“Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, `Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!
Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain’” (1
Chronicles 4:10).
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Neighbors looking at young Jabez could have shaken their heads and sighed. “Some people
just don’t have a chance in life.”

Imagine your mother giving you a name that would remind everyone throughout your life that
you were a pain to her. Imagine growing up with that kind of psychological handicap. But
Jabez was not held back. He dreamed and took his dream to God.

“Oh, that You would bless me,” he prayed, “and enlarge my territory!” God granted his
unselfish request, and Bible scholars tell us that the village named after Jabez was celebrated
as the home of scribes. Jabez had a dream. He longed for God's blessing, and he received it.

Do you have a dream? Dare to dream big! Do you long for God to bless you and use you?
Take your request to Him. Don't let your inadequacies or past failures hold you back. Ask God
to do something new, something large for you. Then watch for His blessing.

INSIGHT: Cooperate with what God does in your life. Expect Him to work out something good
in you and through you.

Building Treasures
Scripture Focus:

Matthew 6:19-34
“Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where
thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”
(Matthew 6:20-21).
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She tossed her head as she complained, “I get tired of hearing that I'm supposed to be a
pilgrim on earth and that heaven is my real home. I want to make the best I can of life. I
expect God to help me be a success.”

My young friend had high ambitions for herself and her husband. When I last heard from her,
things were going according to her plan. Her husband was assistant to the president of a
large college.

Jesus gave His secret of success. If we rely on money and status for our security, we may get
what we want, but at best it is only temporary. We leave it all behind when God calls us home.
If we want real security, we have it by storing our treasures where they last forever - in
heaven.

In speaking of treasures, Jesus does not speak in terms of quantity. We think of large
amounts of money, but Jesus speaks of attitudes. Some of the happiest people I've known
have had very little money, but their joy in giving to God was abounding. They were building
treasures in heaven.

INSIGHT: Ask God to help you look at treasures from His perspective. Then build where
treasures last forever.

Giving Joyfully
Scripture Focus:
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
“God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that
you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
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Gene is an abounding Christian. She lives each day with her hands spread out to receive
from God what she needs and to make available whatever He wants her to use in His service.
Everything she has is His: her time, her possessions, her talents, her sparkling personality.

One evening she knocked at my door and handed me some freshly picked fruit. She had just
received it as a gift and was cheerfully passing it on to me. Another evening she brought her
guitar so she could sing a song that had blessed her heart that day. Her giving is irrepressible!

Gene has learned that to reap a bountiful harvest, we need to sow generously. God's grace of
cheerful giving is so active in her life that she abounds in every good work, reaching out to
extend the ministry to others.

When God measures our material worth, He does not evaluate how much we have stored
away for ourselves but our attitude in making available to Him whatever He has given us.

INSIGHT: When God's grace is abounding in us, we have all we need to do the good works
He wants us to do, and we find our joy in being a channel of His grace to others.

Finding Fulfillment
Scripture Focus:

Revelation 5:6-14
“In a loud voice they sang: `Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth
and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!'“ (Revelation 5:12).
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What would it take to bring you a sense of fulfillment? A new home or car? A longed-for trip to
visit loved ones? Restored physical strength?

Now, what would it lead you to say, “I was born for this”? Reaching a goal that somehow has
eluded you? Being recognized for some achievement? Finding someone who truly
understood you? All these things could bring pleasure and even a deep level of satisfaction,
but each would leave you wanting more.

Obviously, this is not a new thought. St. Augustine expressed it clearly 300 years after Jesus'
birth. “Thou hast formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.”
After trying to find himself in all that Rome had to offer, Augustine discovered that the secret
to fulfillment did not lie within himself and his desires or achievements. It lay in his relationship
with his Creator.

God made us for Himself. We enter into our purpose for being when we bow before Him in
humble, adoring worship.

INSIGHT: In God's presence we find fulfillment. The stress of needing to impress, to achieve,
to make it on our own, disappears. God becomes all we need.

Jesus Christ Is Lord

Scripture Focus:

Philippians 2:1-11
“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 2:10-11).
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Worship is not some order of service you follow on Sunday morning, though that is part of it.
Worship involves your heart, mind, emotions, will, and it is a conscious action directed to the
Lord.

Our Scripture for today puts it in perspective. By nature, our lives are full of personal ambition,
pride, and rivalry. It is an alien outlook to put the interests of others ahead of our own. Jesus
Christ came to live out the attitudes of humility and obedience to God. Setting aside His
heaven-endowed rights, He came to serve, to give Himself away to an unworthy human race,
and to die as a criminal.

But that’s not the end! God has exalted His Son, made Him the focal point of our love and
worship. Jesus Christ is Lord by God's decree, and we can acknowledge it daily by our heart's
decree.

We do it as we present ourselves to Him with our love and worship. We do it as we offer

ourselves to the world around us, becoming servants who have given up self-centered
ambition and pride in order to live as Jesus lived among us.

INSIGHT: We will become like Jesus as we hunger for Him and as we make Him Lord in our
everyday affairs.
Exalting God with Praise
Scripture Focus:

Psalm 95
“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us
come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song” (Psalm 95:1-2).
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Nick was middle-aged before he entered a church. After his first visit, he shared his
impressions. “What stands out to me is how those people love to sing! I've had voice training,”
he went on to explain, “but I suddenly realized that I've had no real reason to sing. Those
people have a reason!”

Yes, indeed they do. Worship involves communicating with God. When we come into His
presence we come to address Him with our thanksgiving and praise - not for what He has
done for us but for who He is. Singing is a natural way to express our hearts. Earth's most
beautiful music is only a hint of the new song we will sing in heaven.

Nick was drawn back to the church for the right reason. Though he enjoyed the music, he
returned because he sensed that the singing was not a performance for the benefit of the
people seated in the pews - it was addressed to God.

God desires your worship today. He beckons you to draw near because He finds pleasure in
your coming into His presence.

INSIGHT: Will you satisfy God's heart by giving Him your worship? Will you approach Him
with your praise and thanksgiving?

Total Communication
Scripture Focus:

Psalm 139
“O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. . . . . You perceive my thoughts from afar.
. .Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord” (Psalm 139:1,3-4).
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Reading in the Psalms is almost like looking into David's heart and seeing how his life is
linked with God in constant communication.

He starts his day with the Lord. “In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I
lay my requests before you and wait in expectation” (5:3). He ends his day with the Lord. “I
will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the
Lord always before me” (16:7-8).

He turns to the Lord in time of distress. “I am worn out from groaning; all night long I flood my
bed with weeping” (6:6). And he acknowledges the Lord's faithfulness. “The Lord is a refuge
for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. . . . You, Lord, have never forsaken those
who seek You” (9:9-10).

David saw that all his life, from conception to the grave, was from God to be lived in His
loving, caring, presence. Every conscious minute could be in communication with Him.

INSIGHT: David enjoyed living in total communication with God. Trust Him to set you free
from all that preoccupies you so that you can enjoy the same privilege.

Prayer Pattern
Scripture Focus:

Matthew 6:5-15
“When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.
Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matthew 6:6).
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The disciples, impressed by the way Jesus talked with His Father, asked Him to teach them to
pray. In answer, Jesus gave a pattern or an outline for our prayer that we too can follow.

“Our Father in heaven” - We recognize who God is and how we are related to Him. He is our
Father.

“Hallowed be your name” - We worship and adore God.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” - We line ourselves up with
God's program for now and for eternity.

“Give us today our daily bread” - We trust Him to meet our personal needs and the needs of
others in His family.
“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” - We keep short accounts with
God and people, and seek to have right relationships.

“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” - We ask God to steer us away
from places where in our weakness we would stumble, where in our dullness we would not
discern danger.

INSIGHT: Your Heavenly Father can teach you how to take Jesus' prayer pattern and weave it
into your conversations with Him.

Your Father Knows

Scripture Focus:

Matthew 6:25-34
“Do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we
wear?'. . . Your heavenly Father knows that you need them” (Matthew 6:31-32).
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In Jesus' life there was never a time when it was not convenient to pray. He talked with His
Father on all occasions: early in the morning before beginning His day, late at night when His
work was done, and throughout the hours between.

His days were filled with the pressure of crowds that demanded His attention and begged to
see His miracles. Throughout His ministry He did not enjoy the security of a home, a loving
and supportive family, or a steady income. Still, He lived without showing frustration or
anxiety. He never worried about His physical needs, where He would stay, what He would
wear, or what He would eat.

In our Scripture for today, Jesus tells us how we can avoid being overly concerned about our
daily needs. As we learn to commit those needs to our Heavenly Father we will see how He
cares for us. He shows us how to seek Him first and put His interests ahead of our own self-
centered concerns. Then we are free to enjoy the good gifts He sends us.

INSIGHT: Take your needs to God in prayer and enjoy His goodness as He supplies your
daily needs.
Freedom from Anxiety
Scripture Focus:

Philippians 4:4-7
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6).
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I don't remember her name, but I will never forget the impact she had on me. Fresh out of
college, she was on her way to Christian service in Nepal. Before leaving, though, she was
assigned to work for several weeks in the kitchen of the Christian organization where I
worked.

What impressed me about this young woman was her commitment to live in communication
with her Heavenly Father. She didn't talk about her prayer life - she lived it. She was not filled
with her own needs, though she had many. Her family had rejected her when she became a
Christian. She needed money for her travel expenses and her support while living overseas.
These needs she simply committed to her Heavenly Father and then extended her requests
to include the concerns of others.

Because she spoke constantly with her Heavenly Father, He had her ear as well. She was
free of anxiety. We were blessed to see how God worked things out in her life, providing for
her and using her to extend His kingdom in the lives of others.

INSIGHT: Take advantage of your privilege of talking with your Heavenly Father about
everything through this day.

Part of the Family

Scripture Focus:

Ephesians 4:1-6
“There is one body and one Spirit . . . one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father
of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).
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You came into God's family alone, as you placed your faith in Christ. Nobody else could do
that for you. But you do not live in God's family alone. You have brothers and sisters all over
the world!

You may feel compatible with some members of God's family. They're just like you. But there
may be others who make you feel uncomfortable. Some members may seem to be so strong
that they don't need you, while others are so weak that you are embarrassed to call them
family members.

Human families have strong and weak members. Caring parents try to relate to each child's
unique needs. It gives them pleasure to see their children maturing and learning to care for
each other.

Since God is the Father of all who truly believe in His Son, it gives Him pleasure to see us
treating other believers as family members, recognizing that we all have the same Father. Are
you having fellowship with the family regularly? How are you serving the needs of your
brothers and sisters? Are you using your gifts to build them up in the faith?

INSIGHT: You can give joy to your Heavenly Father in the way you relate to your brothers and
sisters in Christ.

The Measure of Your Love

Scripture Focus:

1 John 4:7-21
“Anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has
not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother”
(1 John 4:20-21).
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Listen to the songs you sing and the Scriptures you quote. Oh, how you love God! But how
much do you love him? People may measure your love by what you say, but God uses a
different gauge. He says that the measure of your love for Him is precisely the measure of
your love for your brothers and sisters. It's as simple as that. We cannot say we love God and
shrink back from His children. We cannot say we love God and withhold our time and energy
and money when other believers have needs. We cannot say we love God and write people
off as unworthy of our friendship and caring. We cannot say we love God and neglect to build
an immature family member in the faith.

God has given you gifts to invest in the lives of people. You can pray. You can encourage and
expect the best. You can write a note or make a phone call. You can loan a book that has
blessed you or pass along a Bible promise that has strengthened you in a time of trouble. You
can give of your resources and take the first step in building a friendship.

INSIGHT: God has given you a practical way of proving your love for Him: fill your day with
expressions of love for His children.
Each One Reach One
Scripture Focus:

Romans 1:8-17
“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone
who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Romans 1:16).
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Paul had been trained to follow God's laws scrupulously in order to build up his standing
before God. Then he saw the light. As he placed his trust in Jesus' righteousness and His
sacrifice for his sins, Paul was set free of the burden of sins, free of the burden to try to make
do on his own righteousness, free to enjoy his vast spiritual wealth in Christ.

Paul viewed his freedom in a special way. He said, “Though I am free and belong to no man, I
make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible” (1 Corinthians 9:19). Paul
deliberately wrapped his life around the needs of others. He did not flaunt his rights as an
apostle. He did not beg others to support him. He did not demand special treatment as “one
of the greats” in the church.

God has given you freedom from your burden of sin, freedom from the endless pressure to try
to build up your own righteousness. While you enjoy that freedom, ask the Lord to help you
reach out to others, one at a time, to seek to win them to Christ.

INSIGHT: Ask God to help you use the privilege He has given you of seeking to win others to
Christ.

Widening the Circle

Scripture Focus:

2 Corinthians 5:14-21
“Christ's love compels us. . . . And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for
themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
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God's supply of love never runs short. He loves you so completely that he could not love you
with any greater degree of love. You have it all! And so does every person in the world.

When you accepted Jesus’ death for you and were born into God's family, He implanted His
love within you. Whenever His love is allowed to be active in your life, you find yourself loving
others. You simply can't withhold it. And one way this love is expressed is in your involvement
in widening the circle of God's family.

The happiest and most fulfilled people in the world today are those whose hearts have
become clear channels of God's love. They are exuberant as they discover ways to
communicate the Gospel wherever they go. They are Christ's ambassadors speaking on His
behalf, serving others as He would serve, and expressing love as He would.

Becoming an ambassador for Christ is not a mission limited to a privileged few. God can use
you to widen the circle of His family.

INSIGHT: You can become Christ's representative in your interests, in your prayers, in your
giving, in your personal involvement with others.

Searching the Scriptures

Scripture Focus:

Psalm 19:7-11
“The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statues of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart” (Psalm
19:7-8).
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When John stood up to give a testimony, we all sat up and listened expectantly. There was
little about his appearance or manner that attracted our attention. He worked in a factory, and
no matter how hard he scrubbed his hands, he always held his Bible with blackened fingers.
Though he was approaching retirement, he still worked overtime in order to make ends meet.
Many Sundays he could not conceal the deep weariness he was feeling.

Yet our memories of John are of a man rich in wisdom and alive with an inner quickening that
only God can give. His face glowed as he shared what the Lord was teaching him.

John had little education, but he determined to master one Book. His well-worn Bible was
always at hand. He read it at home early in the morning, on the bus as he commuted to work,
during his lunch hour when he could share it with fellow workers, and again as he fell asleep
at night. Everything John needed to get through the complexities of life he found in his Bible.
God's Word never failed him.

INSIGHT: God has given His Word so that we can discover Him and His ways, and receive
the nourishment we need to live in close communication with Him.

Feeding on the Word

Scripture Focus:

Psalm 1
“His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a
tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not
wither” (Psalm 1:2-3).
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God's Word is so rich in wisdom that you could become a walking encyclopedia of Bible
information and still miss what God has for you. Unlike any other book, the Bible is life-giving.
God wants it to nourish your inner person. The psalmist illustrates this truth from the world of
nature.

In a time of drought, vegetation wilts, but not the tree that has its roots fed by a stream. Its
leaves stay green, and its fruit grows lush. Similarly, the person who is fed by God's Word
stays fresh and renewed even in times of difficulty.

The secret of feeding on God’s Word lies in finding our delight in it. We develop an appetite
for it by tasting it, letting it nourish us, and then by establishing a plan for feeding on it. But
there's more. The psalmist calls it meditating, which in the original means “talking with
himself.” Carry a morsel of Scripture in your heart and mind. Reflect on it as you drive, wait for
an appointment, or do routine chores. Notice how it increasingly sustains and delights you.
Then you'll find yourself hungry for more.

INSIGHT: Commit to a new diet. Wean yourself away from the junk food you've been feeding
your mind. Create an appetite for God's Word.

Number One Priority

Scripture Focus:
Hebrews 11
“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe
that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
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Gold! Word spread like a prairie fire across our land. Men left homes and jobs to go West in
the hopes of finding their fortunes. The idea of sacrifice did not cross their minds. They were
out for something they did not want to miss, and no price was too great to pay. Yet each was
gambling everything he had, for no one could be sure his search would pay off in wealth.
In contrast, we are on a quest that is guaranteed by God Himself. He promises to reward
each person who earnestly seeks Him. Hebrews 11 is a Hall of Fame of Old Testament
people whose search paid off. From a human point of view many were failures. They were
often violently mistreated by others, and died without seeing God's promise completely
fulfilled. But their faith was in a Person who cannot break His word. Take Moses, for example.
He gave up what he could see - wealth and prestige in Egypt - for what he could not see. With
his heart's perception he looked ahead to his reward, and for that he had 20/20 vision.

INSIGHT: Is seeking after God your Number One priority? You cannot fail in that quest. He
promises to be found by you when you seek Him with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13-14).

Patience, Please!
Scripture Focus:

Hebrews 12:1-13
“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run
with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1-
2).
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A rosebud is often used as a symbol of a new life. We place it on the pulpit to announce the
safe arrival of a baby. We'd be foolish to pry open the tender petals to try to see what the full
flower would be like. Yet we may look at our spiritual lives and try to hurry the process of
becoming mature.

We need the attitude of a runner who patiently puts one foot in front of the other, continuing
the race no matter how long it seems or how discouraged he feels. Some new believers seem
to become mature Christians overnight, but most of us grow over a lifetime. We set aside a
weight of sin and make good progress. Then we become entangled and fall down. That's not
the end! We get up and start running again. We keep on keeping on.
If we look at the path behind us, we may feel we have made little progress. But our job is to
look at the goal by fixing our eyes on Jesus. He set the pace for us in the race He ran. He
knows the hard places, and He trains us in love so that we can make it triumphantly.

INSIGHT: You may not look like a winner today, but don't give up. Run the race with patience
as the Lord trains you to run one step at a time.

Staying Power
Scripture Focus:

Ephesians 3:14-21
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to
his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus”
(Ephesians 3:20-21).
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No Olympic trainer can prepare you for your spiritual race. The demands of this race defy
your best human powers. Though God asks you to do the impossible, He doesn't leave you
without the resources you need.

To prepare you to run the race, God gives you more than a technique, more than a regime of
exercises and diet. He gives you a Person - His Holy Spirit. That's why Paul could tell the
Ephesian believers, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power
through his Spirit in your inner being” (v. 16).

As the Holy Spirit works in you, Christ dwells in your heart. You grow in love, and experience
the power that puts you in touch with God (vv. 17-19). You say this is beyond you? So it is, but
it is not beyond God. His power is not limited, nor are His resources. Where are you in your
spiritual race today? With the Spirit's help you can remove the obstacles that lie in your path
and destroy the silken threads that threaten to entangle you.

INSIGHT: God's Holy Spirit can provide you with staying power so you can keep running the
race. Trust Him today.

Step Out
Scripture Focus:

Hebrews 11
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what
the ancients were commended for. . . . Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews
11:1, 6).
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Let's look at God's Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11. The people there had in common their
Number One priority. They were earnest in seeking God. They had something else in
common: there's not one couch potato among them! They had faith. Now this calls for
stepping out and taking action.

Abel offered a sacrifice. Enoch acted in ways that pleased God. Noah built an ark. Abraham
packed up his belongings and left home without knowing where God was leading him. He
became a father by faith when he was long past age. He also laid his son on an altar. Isaac
and later Jacob called on God to bless their sons. Joseph gave instructions for his burial in
the land of promise. Moses' parents defied the king and hid their son. Moses chose to give up
the security of Pharaoh's palace and became leader of a nation of slaves.

The list of faith’s heroes goes on. God’s definition of faith has not changed. We too are
continually renewed and invigorated as we exercise faith.

INSIGHT: For us today, as in Bible times, having faith means stepping out, believing God's
promise, and acting on it.

Keep in Touch
Scripture Focus:

John 7:37-43
“On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, `If anyone is
thirsty, let him come to me and drink'“ (John 7:37).
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Hudson Taylor, pioneer missionary in China, learned the secret of spiritual fitness. It did not
come so much from building strength as from admitting need.

In a time of incredible difficulty he wrote to his coworkers about a secret he had learned from
Jesus' promise in our passage today. “Who does not thirst? Who has not mind-thirsts or
heart-thirsts, soul-thirsts or body-thirsts? Well, no matter which, or whether I have them all -
`Come unto me and' remain thirsty? Ah no! `Come unto Me and drink.'“ What, can Jesus meet
my need? Yes, and more than meet it. No matter how intricate my path, how difficult my
service; no matter how sad my bereavement, how far away my loved ones; no matter how
helpless I am, how deep are my soul-yearnings - Jesus can meet all, all, and more than
meet.”

God gave us His Holy Spirit so we can keep in touch. Since all our spiritual vitality comes
from our complete dependency on Him, He wants us to keep coming for whatever we need.

INSIGHT: God planned for us to keep in touch and to depend on Him for our every need. We
can never wear out our welcome.

Set Free - for What?

Scripture Focus:

Ephesians 2:1-10
“It is by grace you have been saved, through faith. . . . For we are God's workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”
(Ephesians 2:8,10).
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Paul gives us a dismal picture of the state into which we were born. He shows us as being
entrapped by sin, compelled to gratify our desires through thoughts and actions that alienated
us from God. So hopeless was our condition that we were dead! (v. 1) Because God loved us
and was “rich in mercy” toward us (v. 4), He poured out His grace on us and rescued us. He
set us free - but for what?

God, Creator of the Universe, has recreated us in Christ and has crafted us individually so
that we are each uniquely designed to “do good works, which God prepared in advance for us
to do” (v. 10). He is active in our world today, working out His purposes, and you and I can
have a vital part in His plans. He has a job for each of us that is designed just for us.

As we commit ourselves to Him, we discover that He never wastes our time or resources.
Everything in our lives can contribute in some way to fulfilling His plan. Linked intimately to
Christ, we are free to experience the greatest fulfillment possible in life. No wonder we will
spend eternity praising Him.

INSIGHT: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory” (Ephesians 3:20-21).