Daily Devotional

C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

I love this because so much of my life has been spent hearing the command to “Love the Lord with all my heart, soul, and mind,” and not knowing how to do that. How do you make yourself love something? But this is what I’ve found to be true: loving someone well means acting in their best interest whether or not you feel like it. 

In this day and age, fasting can seem outdated and foreign. I’ve had a lot of questions about fasting, myself. Who ought to fast, if anyone? Why do people fast? How does it work?

I’ve been learning a lot about God’s character over the past few months.I’ve been learning through books, through prayer, through worship music, through Scripture (primarily), and through the character of others in my life.

In Every Good Endeavor (which I have recommended before and cannot re-recommend highly enough), Tim Keller led me to look at my future career as a graphic designer and how I can use it to bring glory to God. 

I’ve always been an artsy person. I love writing, doodling, singing, dancing, painting, crafting... basically, hand me a pen and paper and I’m in my happy place. Creating is one of the most fundamental parts of my nature.

But when I make something, I worry how others will receive it. Sharing my writing with others is one of the scariest and most nerve-wracking experiences in the world, to me. When I design for a client or for a class and show it to others to critique, it feels like I have bared my soul to them. The power to lift it up or crush it lies entirely in their hands.

Why? Maybe it’s the immense time and attention I’ve devoted to every last detail. Everything it is composed of was a decision I made with intentionality and vision. Maybe it’s that I crafted each piece with the purpose in mind of pleasing the friend or client. I want my friend to enjoy the canvas I painted and I feel that if I like it and she doesn’t, it’s somehow a reflection on her feelings toward myself.

If I feel that way about my meager creations, how much more does God, the Ultimate Creator, pour of Himself into His creation?

He made this world “and saw that it was very good,” filled with good gifts for His children to enjoy. When I look down upon someone because they annoy me, I’m overlooking their good qualities that are a shadow of my Creator’s; when I reject someone who is difficult to get along with, I’m rejecting God.

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 

5.18.2015- first and foremost

Music Mondays: I Am Yours (Lauren Daigle)

I’ve been thinking a  lot lately about identity lately. I’ve got more than one. I’m a daughter, a sister, a friend, a student, a graphic designer, and– most importantly– a follower of Jesus Christ.

These identities are not distinct from one another, nor should they be. Who I am in each of these roles affects who I am in each of the others. 

My role as a daughter formed in me an attitude toward authority (whether positive or negative) that then plays out in my workplace and in learning situations. It also affects who I choose to be my friends. Most likely I will gravitate toward those with the same attitude toward authority that I have.

My role as a designer teaches me daily to appreciate beauty and not to accept less of my own work than complete satisfaction. It affects how I view other people– do I find the beauty in them or do I see the imperfections?

But first and foremost my identity is as a Christian. This does not mean I turn every relationship I have into an opportunity to share the gospel, but that my faith should so permeate every area of my life that people can’t help but to see Christ in me.

My obedience to Jesus as the ultimate authority affects how I treat other authority figures.

My understanding that every person is equally sinful in God’s eyes affects how I relate to my younger brother when he’s being super annoying.

My ability to see different parts of God’s character in my friends affects my appreciation of their character.

My inadequacy in the face of God’s incredible wisdom and power affects my enthusiasm for learning about this world He created.

My awe at God’s perfect goodness affects how I strive for integrity in my own work so that I can honor Him.

Knowing God should fundamentally change who I am because the closer I walk with Him, the more like Him I become. I know I can never reach that level of perfection but that’s why I stand clothed in the righteousness of Jesus.

5.15.2015- Scandal of Grace, Hillsong United

Tim Keller, Every Good Endeavor

This is an excellent book, especially if you (like me) are entering the workplace soon! But it really speaks to any vocation/calling: student, parent, sibling, volunteer, teammate, etc. 

It seems obvious that the main character of the New Testament is Jesus. The way it is structured lends itself to this understanding: four narrative books about Jesus and His life, one narrative book about His followers, 21 letters about how to follow Jesus, and then a book prophesying about Jesus’s return and the Lord revealing (like revelation) Himself on the Earth.

It’s a no-brainer.

In fact, if you were asked who the main character of the entire Bible is, you would still probably answer with Jesus’s name, or God’s.

But do we have that mentality when we’re reading the Bible?

So often, I find myself reading Scripture with the question running through my mind of how does this apply to me? How does it change my life? How does it make me feel? (This is largely the reason I get stuck in books like Numbers, Leviticus, or Lamentations– they don’t seem to be able to apply to my life, and they don’t make me feel good to read.)

These are not bad questions to ask. But they shouldn’t be the central questions of my quiet time, much less of my life at large.

The Bible is not about me. Scripture was not written with my life in mind.

The Bible is about God, and we ought to approach Scripture with this in mind. Here are some alternative questions I’ve begun to ask as I read the Word:

Who is He? What does this passage reveal about God’s character?

How was God working in this situation? [Sometimes this can be obvious, but there are passages in the Bible where God’s name is not mentioned. This, too, is crucial. Learn about His patience when we are ignoring His will. Look at what He’s doing when we’re too wrapped up in our own stories to notice Him.]

Why did He choose this person to carry out His will? What does that say about what He values?

What did He ask this person to do, and what does that say about what He values?

Does the Lord work in these ways today? Why do you think that is, or why not?

Forever- Kari Jobe

Oh How I Need You- All Sons & Daughters

Lift My Life Up- Unspoken

At The Cross (Love Ran Red)- Chris Tomlin

Have Everything- David Dunn

Because He Lives (Amen)- Matt Maher

He Knows My Name- Francesca Battistelli

The Sun Is Rising- Britt Nicole

Start a Fire- Unspoken