Hey there!

Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding. When you do something for someone else, don’t call attention to yourself. You’ve seen them in action, I’m sure—‘playactors’ I call them—treating prayer meeting and street corner alike as a stage, acting compassionate as long as someone is watching, playing to the crowds. They get applause, true, but that’s all they get. When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks. Just do it—quietly and unobtrusively. That is the way your God, who conceived you in love, working behind the scenes, helps you out. Matthew 6:1-4 (MSG)

My relationship with Jesus isn’t about the hype, the trends or the social invitations. I’ve been there, I’ve been swept up in the nonsense. I’ve been pursued when I was in leadership, and forgotten by the very same people when I wasn’t. I’m too old to pretend that faith is about the performance, and too involved in His persona to live the ‘do to get’ lifestyle. I’ve been saved long enough to know that kissing the falsehoods and idolatries of Christianity goodbye is what is best for me. I don’t need the masks, the deceptions or the ‘hi how are you’ repetitions… I just need reality, truth and Jesus.

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God “gets” you. He “gets” every other person on this earth. He even understands the people who don’t understand you. He even knows why they don’t understand you and He’s working in their lives in ways that you can’t even understand. That’s how deep God’s love goes ⠀ And the very hairs on your head are all numbered… - Luke 12:7 ⠀ The reason this is so important is because we often get discouraged when others don’t “get” us. ⠀ Maybe you’ve felt misunderstood by family members and loved ones. ⠀ Perhaps you interviewed with a company, but no matter how much enthusiasm and skill you exhibited, they seemed to look right through you. ⠀ Maybe you thought you had something special with someone, but they randomly stopped texting or wanting to hang out. ⠀ Perhaps you were in a relationship with someone who only cared about what you could offer physically or emotionally, but wasn’t interested in respecting what God was doing in your life. ⠀ No matter how many of these kind of experiences you’ve had, remember that if God is truly going to be first in your life, you must consider His thoughts about you first. You must look to Him for affirmation and assurance before you look anywhere else. This is what will help you remain secure when you’ve been misunderstood, looked over, or ignored. Of course, in a perfect world, people would be understanding of one another and you would never have to deal with this, but we don’t live in a perfect world. However, God’s’ perfect love is still powerful enough to cover every ounce of imperfection on this earth. ⠀ So you can talk to Him about everything. Talk to Him about every single thing that other people don’t seem to understand about you because He does. If you’re struggling with trusting Him in this, the best way to deal with it is still, to talk to Him! So don’t get so worried about who’s not getting you or what you’re going through. Other people can be very valuable in our lives, but God still knows all and is still in full control! ⠀ Written by @morganhnichols for #TheDevoCo

Lysa Terkeurst (via god-breathed)

The God we know when we are at the mountaintops of our faith, is the same God that holds us together when we’re clumsily making our way through narrow valleys. Trust Him, love.

If God can bring blessing from the broken body of Jesus and glory from something that’s as obscene as the cross, He can bring blessing from my problems and my pain and my unanswered prayer. I just have to trust Him. - Anne Graham Lotz #WTSInspire

Lysa TerKeurst, Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely (via gaze-on-jesus)

This quote has been shared here many times before, but for the one that needed it today, this is for you. This is for the one feeling discouraged because she’s not getting the same kind of support she has shown to others. This is for the one who feels like her reputation is being affected by something she didn’t do. This is for the one who is tired of being overlooked and wondering when her opportunity will come. ⠀ Keep trusting The Lord. He is lifting you up even when others are letting you down. He is listening in when others have tuned you out. He is loving you when you don’t know how to love yourself. He is giving what you need when you feel like so many things keep you away. ⠀ It’s so important that you remember these things because constantly feeling discouraged can lead to darker places that you don’t want to go. If can cause you to become cynical or apathetic even though there is so much to live for. It can cause you to turn away from God and sin against Him even though He’s the very one paving the way for you. ⠀ The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. - Lamentations 3:22-23 ⠀ Let His steadfast love be at the root of your support system. Let His mercies fill your heart before you get out of bed in the morning. Let His Spirit fill your mind with joyful, positive thoughts that are centered on Him and not what everyone else is or isn’t doing. Let Him sustain you. He is willing and wants to, because that’s how much He loves you! ⠀ Written by @morganhnichols for #TheDevoCo