July 8: GOD ISN'T TRYING TO MAKE OUR LIVES EASIER. HE WANTS TO MAKE THEM MORE MEANINGFUL.

Affirmation: I am loved and cherished.

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”‭‭ Isaiah‬ ‭54:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬
~~~~~Ponder: Isaiah 54:10 is a promise from God. Read it over several times and focus on the message God is speaking to you. Think and ponder on what the Lord is saying to you. Jot  the verse in your journal. What are you learning about the Lord our God?
“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”‭‭ Isaiah‬ ‭54:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

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Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love. by Bob Goff

                     July 8

GOD ISN'T TRYING TO MAKE OUR LIVES EASIER. HE WANTS TO MAKE THEM MORE MEANINGFUL. 

God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 

1 CORINTHIANS 10:13 

Whenever I'm in the self-help section of a bookstore, things start to feel a little suspicious. If everyone is telling the truth, I can apparently lose twelve inches in twelve weeks, work for less than half a day a year and make more money, get more friends, increase my influence, have more confidence, and at least a dozen other things by just changing one or two simple things in my life. 

I bet some of these books actually work. But the reason I'm suspicious is because the promise of a shortcut isn't how I see the most important thing in my life, which is my faith. Cutting corners in faith can rob us of something important: the challenges we need to face and the relationships we need to make along the way. We need a challenge to grow, to break the plateau of our faith or our routine. The relationships we make add layers of richness and teach us we can't do everything alone. Sometimes the only path to the life you want has to go over some tough terrain. 

God isn't trying to make our lives easier. He wants to make them more meaningful. And the meaningful stuff happens when we invest ourselves in our passions and in the people around us. Our best memories are the ones where we overcome adversity at the end of a long struggle. They include people who have seen us at our worst and loved us all the more for it. There are no shortcuts to a more meaningful life and a deeper faith; it takes a lot of love and courage. Will we encounter some setbacks? You bet. Stay the course. 

What setbacks have you faced that are discouraging you from progress?