Created
to Thrive
TODAY’S
SCRIPTURE
The thief comes only to
steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to
the full
John 10:10, NIV.
TODAY’S
WORD
So many people today are
living in “survival” mode. They have a mentality that says, “If I can just make
it through…” or “If I can just get by…” Of course, there are some seasons that
are more difficult than others. Sometimes it’s challenging to get a vision for
the future. But if you are constantly living with a survival mentality, you are
missing out on God’s best. Scripture doesn’t say, “Jesus came so you could
survive.” No, it says that He came to give you a full, abundant life!
If you are living in
survival mode right now, I believe that today can be your turning point. If
you’ll take a step of faith and begin to declare, “My days of survival are
over; my days of thriving have begun,” then I believe God will meet your faith.
I believe He will open an unexpected door. He’ll pour out His favor and
blessing on you. He’ll make a way where there seems to be no way! Even if
you’re in a tough time right now, remember tough times don’t last, but the Word
of the Lord stands forever. Begin to declare what God says about your
circumstances because you are created for more than to just get by—you are
created to thrive!
PRAYER
FOR TODAY
Father God, thank You for
giving me abundant life through Jesus Christ. I believe that You have a good
plan for my future. I declare that my days of thriving have begun as I continue
to put my faith and trust in You alone in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
***
“Give yourselves to God ... surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes.” (Romans 6:13b TEV)
The heart of worship is surrender.
“Surrender” is an unpopular word, disliked almost as much as the word “submission.” It implies losing, and no one wants to be a loser.
Surrender evokes the unpleasant images of admitting defeat in battle, forfeiting a game, or yielding to a stronger opponent. The word is almost always used in a negative context. Captured criminals surrender to the authorities.
In our competitive world, we’re taught to never quit trying, never give up, and never give in, so we don’t hear much about surrendering. If winning is everything, surrendering is unthinkable.
Yet, the Bible teaches us that rather than trying to win, succeed, overcome, and conquer, we should instead yield, submit, obey, and surrender.
And by surrendering to God, we enter into the heart of worship. This is true worship: bringing pleasure to God as we give ourselves completely to him.
Surrendering is best demonstrated in obedience as you cooperate with your Creator. You say, "Yes, Lord" to whatever he asks of you.
In fact, "No, Lord" is a contradiction. You can’t claim Jesus as your Lord when you refuse to obey him. Peter modeled surrender when, after a night of failed fishing, Jesus told him to try again: "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." Surrendered people obey God’s Word, even when it doesn’t make sense.
God is not a cruel slave driver or a bully who uses brute force to coerce us into submission. He doesn’t try to break our will but woos us to himself so that we might offer it freely to him. God is a Lover and a Liberator, and surrendering brings freedom, not bondage.
When we completely surrender ourselves to Jesus, we discover that he is not a tyrant but a savior; not a boss, but a brother; not a dictator, but a friend.
Talk About It
- What do you need to surrender to God today?
- Surrendering ourselves leaves us vulnerable. Why is it so hard to be vulnerable in front of our Creator?
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