October 25: A Painting God is Still Completing

Affirmation: I choose to be self-compassionate. I value myself and my abilities.

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Ponder, Personalize, Practice: Make James 1:5 personal. Replace “you” with “I” and “me”
“If I lack wisdom, I should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to me.” Then make it your prayer. Ask God for wisdom.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”James 1:5 NIV

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Wholehearted Guidepost from Brené Brown

Guidepost 3: Cultivating Your Resilient Spirit, Letting Go of Numbing and Powerlessness

Numbing, on the other hand, is a way of ignoring the challenges that need your attention. Numbing activities like television, surfing social media, impulsive eating and drinking keep you comfortable. But they don’t develop resilience. And since they’re a mechanism for avoidance, they contribute to feelings of powerlessness.

In the long run, numbing makes you less well-equipped to handle the inevitable challenges of your life. And by numbing the low points, you also numb your ability to experience the potential high-points of life.

(Ask God for wisdom. He gives it generously to those who ask Him without finding fault.❤️)

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Mastering the 7 Decisions from Andy Andrews

2. The Guided Decision 

I will seek wisdom

Sometimes the questions are complicated, but the answers are simple.

Knowing that wisdom waits to be gathered, I will actively search her out. My past can never be changed, but I can change the future by changing my actions today. I will change my actions today! I will train my eyes and ears to read and listen to books and recordings that bring about positive changes in my personal relationships and a greater understanding of my fellow man. No longer will I bombard my mind with materials that feed my doubts and fears. I will read and listen only to that which increases my belief in myself and my future.

I will seek wisdom. I will choose my friends with care. I am who my friends are. I speak their language, and I wear their clothes. I share their opinions and their habits. From this moment forward, I will choose to associate with people whose lives and lifestyles I admire. If I associate with chickens, I will learn to scratch at the ground and squabble over crumbs. If I associate with eagles, I will learn to soar great heights. I am an eagle. It is my destiny to fly.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”James 1:5 NIV

Ask and it will be given to you, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened to you. Matt 7:7

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Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love by Bob Goff

October 25.

Grace feels like a painting God is still completing over our torn canvases.
Jesus did not let him, but said, “go home to your own people, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you. “Mark 5:19
I recently learned about an artist whose trademark is painting over old photographs. He gets portraits of families, gathers pictures of landscapes with oceans, mountains, and then turns them into a totally different art form. Sometimes he covers the entire photograph, and sometimes he just adds a little color here and there, but either way, the pictures are transformed.

When I see his pictures, I can’t help but think about grace. God takes us as we are, with all our gifts and quirks, and He turns us into people who are altogether different, yet still ourselves. Take the possessed man who is living in tombs when he met Jesus. The people in the town said he couldn’t be contained. He broke chains on his wrists and irons from his feet. He cried out and cut himself with stones when people approached him.

But Jesus had compassion on him. He asked the man his name and then delivered him from his torment. When the people from the town showed up, they saw the man dressed, and in his right mind. I like to imagine he cut his hair and trimmed his beard and greeted them with a smile, as they approached. He was still the same person – they could recognize his characteristics – but he was totally transformed. Like a beautiful painting over an old photograph.
When we decide to live a life, following, Jesus, God doesn’t do away with our old selves all together. Instead, He points us in the direction of Jesus and says, “Go be like Him.” Grace is like allowing God to paint Jesus into our lives.
What would Jesus do today if He was you?