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| Hi there, child of the King!
It’s the last week of the year . . .
I wanted to share another YouTube video with you this week. This one’s from Louie Giglio, the founder of the Passion Movement for college students, and the pastor of Passion City Church here in Atlanta, Georgia. This sermon snippet focuses on the beautiful reality that God holds everything—including us—together. Literally. I hope it blesses you like it did me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpI4
Does it not just blow your mind about how intricate our God is? Lord God, You are just so beautiful!! It’s such an honor to be held together and to be loved by You!
Well, this last week of 2009 contains a devo about a pretty amazing reality—in Jesus, God made Himself approachable. Not a single person—even the biggest outcasts of society—were scared to approach Jesus when He was on earth. They weren’t afraid that He would turn Him away. There was something about Him that gave them that assurance. And it’s the same with you. You can always, always come to Jesus. He will never turn you away.
As you look forward to 2010, it’s my prayer that you will keep pressing in to know this amazing God more. He loves you so, so much, and is so, so good. He is worth every bit of your heart and your pursuit.
Have a great week, much-loved one!
Laurin
Here’s this week’s devo:
“He’s just a carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas” (Matthew 13:55 NLT).
[READ] Jesus had an average, common name, a name that a bunch of people would have had in His day—a name like John or Chad or Joe today. Although He had every right to, He didn’t go by “His High Holiness, Creator of the Universe, Angel Army Captain.” He could have, but He didn’t.
God actually instructed Joseph to give Jesus His common name: “[Mary] will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus” (Matthew 1:21).
Jesus wasn’t attractive either. He wouldn’t turn any heads if He passed by (Isaiah 53:2). But that’s the way God wanted it to be. It made Him approachable.
Jesus was God. He was the Head of the Angel Armies, the Possessor of All Authority, the King of All the Universe. At the sound of His voice the sea would grow calm. He had the power of life and death. But even though He was all of those things, not a single person was afraid to come to Him. The Bible records that there were people who made fun of Him (Matthew 27:27-31). There were people who completely didn’t understand who He was (Matthew 13:53-58). There were people who hated Him (John 15:22-25). There were people who stood in awe of Him (Mark 2:12; Luke 19:8). But not one single person was afraid to come to Him.
The hemorrhaging woman reached out to touch Him. The blind man yelled for healing. The 10 lepers, considered untouchable, ran up to Him. Children crawled in His lap. The cast-aside, the overlooked, the contagiously sick, the despicable—they all came to Him. And Jesus welcomed them all.
God was approachable.
[MORE] God wasn't only approachable, but there wasn’t a single person who came to Him fearing that they would be rejected. Not one. Even people we would consider the “greatest” of sinners—prostitutes, thieves, criminals given the death sentence—they came to Jesus. There was just something so inviting about Jesus that everyone knew He wouldn’t turn them away.
Let that sink in. Jesus turned no one away. Keep that in mind the next time you feel like you’ve sinned too much to come into God’s presence. Remember that when you don’t feel worthy to approach Him. Remember that when your view of yourself is so low that you just don’t think anyone would ever want you.
No one who came to Jesus was rejected. Not a single person. And you will never be either.
[LIVE] “The son reflects God’s own glory, and everything about him represents God exactly” (Hebrews 1:3 NLT). Jesus never rejected anyone, so God never will either. Never fear coming close to God. He loves, loves, loves you. Have you sinned? Come to Him—He wants to remove that stain and heal you. Are you feeling low? Come to Him. He wants to fill you up with His love and whisper how amazing He thinks you are. Are you intimidated by Him? Don’t be. Yes, He is God, but He wants you to come close. He has invited you to. Just come.
[NXT LVL] Read Luke 7:36-50—the story of the immoral woman who wasn’t afraid to approach Jesus. And listen to “O Come Let Us Adore Him” from Shane and Shane’s album Glory in the Highest.
For more devos like this, or to subscribe to YW Magazine, check out YW’s website: www.ywspace.org. | | |
| Hi there child of the King!
Well, it’s only a few days away from Christmas. And I hope that in the midst of all of the Christmas-ing you’ve really had an opportunity to sit and ponder the incredible event of love that we’re celebrating. God loves you with a love that would knock you to your knees if you could experience it fully, friend. That’s why He came to earth.
I share this YouTube video every year, but it both makes my heart sing and reminds me of what’s true. It’s Linus telling us about the true meaning of Christmas from The Charlie Brown Christmas, and I hope it speaks to you like it does to me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA
May your soul feel its worth this week, and this Christmas season, much-loved one.
Have a merry, merry Christmas!
Laurin
Here’s this week’s devo (well, column):
Heartfelt Christmas
By Laurin Makohon
Recently I’ve been walking one of my closest friends through a massive “I-feel-like-I’ve-been-kicked-in-the-gut” heartbreak. She’s one of the most wonderful, captivating people I know—she’s winsome, she’s witty, she’s kind. She sees life in this amazingly beautiful way, and my life is so much richer by her view of things. She absolutely adored this boy, but yet, to the shock of us all, after a few months shy of a year, he chose to walk away. My theory is that he missed really, truly seeing her heart. Sure, they talked and spent time together, but he didn’t have the ability to see the depth of her, the beauty, the richness. He just missed her.
And it has shaken her to her core. We’ve spent hours and hours grieving. She says that the ache feels like a black hole that threatens to swallow her up, and that it is, at times, almost unbearable. It has been tough for her to get out of bed and face each day. While walking her through this I’ve become convinced that putting your heart out there for someone that you love and having that person reject you is the worst ache ever.
But keeping in step with her sweet personality, while my friend’s grief is dark and sad and mournful, it has cast a beautiful light on Christmas. It has helped me see Christmas in an entirely new way.
When Jesus came to earth, the God of the universe put Himself out there. He made Himself vulnerable to our rejection. His arrival and His life on earth announced to the world: “Here I am. This is Me. This is My heart. This is what moves Me to tears, what lights Me up with passion, what motivates Me to My core. I am here because I love you. Deeply. Will you love Me?”
It’s true that God’s arrival on earth was a much-needed rescue. His death and resurrection was our only hope against the curse of death that our sin had placed us under. It’s true that Jesus came to show us who God is and what He’s like. And it’s true that Jesus’ arrival on earth was an invasion of the rightful King against the un-kingdom. It was all of those things. But it was also a gesture of complete vulnerability motivated by a deep, deep love. In a way, Jesus coming to earth was God making this statement: “I am God. Here’s My heart. And I’m hoping that you will love Me.”
What a great risk! God the all-powerful, God the invincible, made Himself vulnerable. His great love for us couldn’t keep Him away. The more deeply He loves us, the more He opens Himself up for rejection. And people do reject Him—He feels all that my friend has been feeling, and far more because His love is so infinite. Yet He pressed on and came anyway—for those of us that would turn toward Him, those of us who would say yes. What a fearless, relentless pursuit.
My prayer is that this Christmas, you’ll get a clearer glimpse of the deep, deep love that God has for you. My prayer is that His love for you will sink down into your heart—into those empty places where no other love can reach. Because God’s love for you is an I’m-coming-after-you love. It’s a nothing-will-keep-me-from-you love. It’s never-ending, soul-transforming, wound-healing, insecurity-melting love. The God of the universe who is completely whole in and of Himself and who has no need for anything, put His heart on the line for you. He came after you. He pressed through all obstacles. Because you are that worth it to Him.
For more stuff like this, or to subscribe to YW Magazine, check out YW’s website: www.ywspace.org. | | |
| Hey there child of the King!
The event we’re looking at this week has been one of the most meaningful scenes in all of Scripture for me. I’m going to let the scene speak for itself, but please do ponder the Truth in this week’s devo. When you are hurting and sad, you are not alone. Your God is in your pain with you. God is not a God that is far off, He is not a God that watches from far away while you hurt. No, not at all. He enters in. And not only that, He hurts with you.
Be comforted, friend. God is never distant and detached from you. Never.
Have a great week, beloved one!
Laurin
Here’s this week’s devo:
God is all-knowing. He is all-powerful. He knows how everything is going to turn out. So there is no need for Him to invest His heart in us, for our lives affect the way He feels. He could stay distant and detached. But that’s not who He is.
[READ] Lazarus, Jesus’ good friend, was sick. After word reached Jesus of Lazarus’ illness, Jesus decided to go to Judea, even though many people there wanted to kill Him. Before He left, He told His disciples that Lazarus had already died but that He was going to raise him from the dead: “ 'Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up’ ” (John 11:11). The disciples didn’t understand, “so then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him’ ” (John 11:14-15).
When Mary, Lazarus’ sister and His good friend, saw Jesus, “she fell at his feet and said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’
“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked.
“ ‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied.
“Jesus wept” (John 11:32-35).
Jesus knew that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. He said so twice (John 11:4, 11). But even though He knew that Lazarus would live again, He was deeply troubled. Why? Because His friend, Mary, and the people who were with her, were hurting.
God can defeat anything. Nothing can beat Him or has the capability to injure Him. He is invincible. Yet when His friends hurt, He hurt. His tears mirrored theirs.
[THINK] God notices you. He cares about you deeply. When you’re hurting, He hurts too. He’s not detached and distant from you, He’s the very opposite—He chooses to invest His heart in His relationship with you. He is moved by you. He loves you so much and you are so valuable to Him. “Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny, can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31 NLT).
This is what your God is like.
[LIVE] Have you ever been walking through a hard time and had a friend cry with you about what you’re going through? Sometimes that’s the most meaningful gift they can give. It means that they see your pain. It means that they love you so much that it hurts them to see you hurting.
When life is hard and you are hurting, and someone cries and hurts with you, you are seeing the face of Jesus. The next time you’re in pain, spend some time with your Savior. Use your imagination and picture Him sitting with you. Ask Him to show you how He feels about what you’re going through. The truth of the situation is that His tears mingle with yours. And not only will He sit with you in your pain, but He’ll comfort you in the deepest part of your heart. He is your truest Friend.
[NXT LVL] Read 2 Corinthians 1:3.
For more devos like this, or to subscribe to YW Magazine, check out YW’s website: www.ywspace.org. | | |
| Hi there! Welcome to November and to the JESUS issue of YW! Yup, this entire issue is about Jesus!! Sooo . . . . why did we write an entire issue about Jesus? Here’s a roundabout answer. In A. W. Tozer’s incredible book, The Knowledge of the Holy, he wrote that “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” What we think about God is a massive, massive part of how we view ourselves and our world. Of course, God knew that. And of course, He wanted us to have an accurate understanding of who He is. So He came to earth to show us. Jesus was a personal tour guide of God—of Himself. Jesus is a BIG part of what should come into our minds when we think about God. That was God’s intention. That’s a lot of why He came. Sometimes we don’t make the connection that Jesus is God. We don’t connect that His responses in situations are the way that God responds in those situations, that what He said is what God said. We don’t make the connection that although God is invisible, Jesus made Him visible. But we so need to!! The reality is this: Because Jesus came, we don’t have to wonder what God is like anymore. This month, be really intentional about making the connection that how Jesus acted and responded in the situations we’re going to read about is how He responds to similar situations in your life. This week, we’re looking at how Jesus wants to set you free. What areas do you want freedom in? Trust and know that He wants to set you free! Have a great week, child of the King! Laurin
Here's this week's devo: JESUS—GOD—WANTED PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE FREEDOM. HE HATED ANYTHING THAT ROBBED THEM OF THE PEACE AND JOY OF LIVING FREE. THINGS LIKE DISEASE. GUILT. SIN. DEATH. PEOPLE WERE ENSLAVED. JESUS KNEW THAT. SO HE CAME TO BREAK THEIR CHAINS. [READ] One day at the temple, Jesus was called upon to read the Scriptures. In Jesus’ day, and still today, Jews read Scripture on a set yearly schedule—so the Scripture passages that Jesus read in the temple that day were no coincidence. He opened the scroll of Isaiah that had been handed to Him and read: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke 4:18-19). The scene was probably pretty normal until Jesus sat down and said this: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).
[THINK] Jesus declared that He was the Freer of prisoners, the Sight-Giver of the blind, and the Releaser of the oppressed. But He also said a phrase that we might miss, but it would have caught the ear of the Jews in the temple. It’s the phrase that He would “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Jesus was referring to the Year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25. God had told His people that they were to rest and be refreshed every seventh day on the Sabbath. More than that, every seventh year they were to take a sabbatical and let their land rest from planting crops. That seventh year they wouldn’t plant or harvest, but would eat from the plenty God had given them from the previous six years. God wanted His people to receive refreshment from Him every seven years. And then, even beyond that, after seven cycles of years, or 49 years, God wanted His people to declare a Year of Jubilee. “Sanctify the fiftieth year; make it a holy year. Proclaim freedom all over the land to everyone who lives in it—a Jubilee for you” (Leviticus 25:10 MSG). During the Year of Jubilee, God’s people were to release all captives, they were to forgive all debts, they were to return all property to its original owner, and they were not to plant or harvest. They were to rest. It was a full year of ultimate celebration. Family members returned home; the burden of debts were removed, never to be brought back again. But the Israelites were never able to practice the Year of Jubilee. The people just couldn’t bring themselves to release their slaves, to release their land, or to release their debtors. Sadly, Israel never once celebrated a Year of Jubilee.
[LIVE] Isaiah had foretold that God would send Someone to declare a Year of Jubilee—a year of celebration and freedom. But it would involve an even better celebration than just freeing a slave or releasing land. It would involve freeing people from fear, from guilt, from captivity to Satan, and from the stain of sin. To the paralytic, Jesus said: “Get up, take your mat and go home” (Mark 2:11). To the blind man, He said: “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you” (Luke 18:42). To the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years, He said: “Take heart, daughter . . . your faith has healed you” (Matthew 9:22). To the sinful woman who anointed His feet with perfume: “Your sins are forgiven. . . . Go in peace” (Luke 7:48. 50). Jesus gave sight to the blind. He released the oppressed. He freed the captives. Declare the Year of Jubilee—freedom has come!
[NXT LVL] Read more about the Year of Jubilee that God gave to His people in Leviticus 25. | | |
| Hey there, child of the King!
Here’s a sobering thought about sin. Think of your biggest regrets that you have in your life . . . the event/decision that you wish you had an eraser to wipe out. Most likely, sin was involved there. Most likely you stepped outside of what God wanted for you and sin killed you in some way. Yeah. Sin is no good. No good at all.
Soooo . . . let’s roundkick sin in the face, sucker punch it in the gut, and give it a noogie. As citizens of God’s Kingdom, sin has no place here.
Have a great week, child of the King!
Laurin
Here’s this week’s devo:
Sin doesn’t always appear twisted or dark. In fact, it can deceptively seem like just the opposite.
[READ] Sin often looks appealing. That’s because Satan, also known as an angel of light, intentionally wraps sin in a pretty package.
Talking about someone with our friends may seem like harmless fun. We may think, “What they don’t know won’t hurt them.” But it does. Gossip can harm a person’s reputation, one of their most precious possessions. “What dainty morsels rumors are—but they sink deep into one’s heart” (Proverbs 18:8 NLT).
Speaking unkindly to someone—especially when we’re angry with them—can feel satisfying. But speaking hurtful words is like sticking a knife in someone’s soul. “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose” (Proverbs 18:21 MSG).
Sex and sexual acts outside of marriage may seem fun. But they cause distrust in relationships, put a barrier between us and God, and destroy our soul. “The man who commits adultery is an utter fool, for he destroys his own soul" (Proverbs 6:32 NLT). "Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18 NLT).
Pursuing money and possessions may seem like we’re moving up in the world, but it can shift our perspective from heavenly things, rob us of eternal treasures, and come between us and God. “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Luke 16:13 NLT).
Like a fish chasing a shiny lure, Satan makes sin seem appealing, even though it’s deadly. And while sin seems fun, it actually steals life from us. Jesus said He came to give us life, but Satan’s intentions are sick and sinister. “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10 NLT).
[THINK] Think about your biggest regrets. Chances are you bought into what Satan was selling through sin, and it hurt you. You probably weren’t motivated by doing something wrong. You might’ve gossiped because you wanted to win the approval of others. You might’ve sinned sexually because you thought it would enhance a relationship. You might’ve started drinking to have fun. But the sin killed you. Or it killed a relationship. And it killed your connection with God. Our biggest regrets usually happen when we step outside of what God wants for us.
[LIVE] In the situations you regret the most, what did sin cost you? What did it steal from you? A relationship? Sexual purity? Confidence in yourself? What died in you? Your connection with God? Your trust in people?
Let the effects of sin cause you to hate it. Think of what you’ve lost and let it sicken you.
Hate sin. It is killing you. And be assured, God hates it too.
[NXT LVL] Jesus used some gory, grotesque words when He talked about sin because sin is sickening. Read Matthew 18:6-9.
For more devos like this, or to subscribe to YW Magazine, check out YW Magazine’s website: www.ywspace.org. | | |
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