Live with an Eternal Perspective
TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:
…It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Acts 20:35, NIV
Acts 20:35, NIV
TODAY'S WORD:
So much of our culture is inward focused. People are conditioned to think, “What’s in it for me?” But the most rewarding way to live is not with the attitude, “How can I get blessed today?” No, if we are always self-focused wondering how we can benefit, that’s living with a shallow, temporary mentality. Instead of looking out only for your good, turn it around and say, “How can I be a blessing to others? Who can I inspire to rise higher? What seeds of greatness can I call forth out of someone?” Friend, that’s living at a higher level.
Today, I encourage you to be on the lookout for ways to be a blessing to other people. It’s amazing how one word of encouragement can change the direction of a person’s life forever. When you reach out and speak faith over others, when you speak vision and cause others to rise higher, something supernatural happens to your own life. It won’t be long before you see yourself excelling and rising up higher when you live with an eternal perspective!
Today, I encourage you to be on the lookout for ways to be a blessing to other people. It’s amazing how one word of encouragement can change the direction of a person’s life forever. When you reach out and speak faith over others, when you speak vision and cause others to rise higher, something supernatural happens to your own life. It won’t be long before you see yourself excelling and rising up higher when you live with an eternal perspective!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father, help me to live with an eternal perspective. Help me to stay focused on meeting the needs of others. Let me be Your hands and feet, let me be Your mouthpiece and bring You glory in everything I do in Jesus’ name. Amen.
You Are a Trophy of God’s Grace
BY RICK WARREN — SEPTEMBER 14, 2014
“We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God.” (Romans 8:28 NLT)
When you read the Bible, probably the most boring parts are the genealogy lists. Have you ever read them? They’re a great cure for insomnia.
But there’s actually significance in those boring lists, because one of the proofs that Jesus was the Messiah was that he would come through the line of King David.
The interesting thing about the genealogy of Jesus is that it’s the only one in the Bible that has women listed in it. Women in ancient genealogies were almost never mentioned, yet four women are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. And, when you look at these women, every one of them had a very painful story to tell.
Tamar was a mess. She was seduced by a relative. She had two husbands, and they were both total jerks. Her story is quite explicit and full of scandal. She had a terrible reputation.
Rahab was actually a prostitute. But she also did the right thing in helping some godly men.
Ruth wasn’t even Jewish. She was a Moabite who broke the law by marrying a Jewish man, because the Jews were forbidden to marry non-Jews.
Bathsheba had an affair with King David, and he had her husband murdered to cover-up their affair. Bathsheba’s is not exactly a stellar story.
Yet God chose those four women to be in the genealogical line of the Savior of the world. They are proof that God weaves even our mistakes, our disappointments, our hurts, and our sin into his plans.
I want you to think right now of the biggest mistake in your life. Think of the biggest disappointment in your life. Think of the sins that you are most ashamed of. Think of the biggest hurts in your life.
Then, understand this: Even before you were born, God knew those things were going to happen in your life, and he developed a plan that would bring good out of them.
What a God! That is the kind of God we worship. As followers of Jesus Christ, we don’t deny our mistakes. We don’t hide them in the closet. We don’t pretend we never screwed up. We don’t pretend other people didn’t hurt us. We’re open about our feelings and our faults and our failures and our frustrations and our fears. We’re trophies of grace.
Talk It Over
- How does understanding and believing Romans 8:28 help you to be realistic and optimistic at the same time?
- What are some ways you have seen God use your fears, faults, and failures for good in your life or someone else’s life?
- What are other examples of people from the Bible who were used by God in spite of their failures or seemingly hopeless situations?
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