I will share about Christian books I have read or listened to.
I will be sharing about my life before and after Christ. I will include stories about my pet and other pets I have encountered.
Part of the Plan
In the beginning, God created everything.
Galaxies and volcanoes, fireflies and diamonds, oak trees and great white sharks. Finally, saving the best for last, He created humans in His image—to fill the earth, reign over its creatures, and cultivate a world that magnifies Him.
But even before the beginning, God was already there. He spoke time and space into existence, while existing outside of time and space. And long before you were born, He already knew all about you—your strengths and weaknesses, your successes and failures.
He knew all about you and chose to make you… because He loves you!
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:10 NIV
You are God’s handiwork—sometimes translated as masterpiece, workmanship, or work of art.
You are also God’s masterpiece because of the unique spirit, personality, and gifts that have been uniquely wired in you.
Because we know that God is more brilliant than we could ever imagine, and because He loves us more than we could dare to hope, and because we know He writes great stories, we can trust what He has planned from beginning to end.
And His plan includes you. Yes, you! He has prepared good things for you to step into—meaningful relationships and impactful work. He is continually putting people and opportunities in your path, as well as working inside of you, giving you the desire and power to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2:13).
He has empowered you to partner with Him as we experience the greatest story on earth.
So as you consider how God has intentionally designed you and placed you at this specific point in history, what passions and callings has He placed on your heart? This could be one big thing, or several small things. As you think about that, what step do you need to take to pursue your calling with God-given confidence?
Undeserved Mercies
When someone hurts you or, worse, hurts somebody that you love, revenge can seem appealing. After all…
They were mean.
They were selfish.
They talked behind your back.
They broke a vital promise.
They lied about you.
They criticized you.
They ignored you.
They did the unthinkable.
They walked away.
They deserve to be punished, right? To feel some of that same pain? They deserve a consequence that will not only help them learn, but will be just as severe as the inflicted wounds.
And yet—because God sees things differently, both His standards and tactics can be surprising. And that’s why the apostle Paul, writing to the believers in Thessaloniki, said:
“See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.”
1 Thessalonians 5:15 NLT
Paul’s words sound a lot like Jesus’ words—to love your neighbor as yourself; to do to others what you’d like them to do to you. (See: Matthew 22:38-40)
God’s ways ...
