June 22: JESUS ALWAYS POINTED PEOPLE TOWARD A BETTER VERSION OF THEMSELVES

Affirmation: I am grateful for my body, mind and soul. God made me.

Take 5 minutes and jot down what you are grateful for…body, mind and soul. You are an incredible human being, created in the image of God.❤️

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Ponder, Personalize Practice: Create a mindset of practice after meditating and pondering the verse. What practice or habit will come from Deuteronomy 7:9? 

Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. 

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Walk in Grace. Live in Love. By Bob Goff 

                         June 22

JESUS ALWAYS POINTED PEOPLE TOWARD A BETTER VERSION OF THEMSELVES, PARTICULARLY WHEN THEY'D FAILED. 

"Come, follow me,'' Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." 

MATTHEW 4:19 

It's hard enough having to endure our failures, but the failure itself usually isn't as bad as the story we tell ourselves about it. We'll tell ourselves our worth took a hit because we've tied it to our performance. Our darker angels say we should've known we wouldn't amount to much because we let someone we love down. We say we'll never risk giving our heart away again because it just never works out. The failure isn't where we get roadblocked. Failure's just a part of being human. The problem is usually the story we tell ourselves that keeps us from moving past it. 

Jesus saw people's failures as an opportunity to tell them the truth about themselves. After Peter denied Him on the loneliest night of his life, Jesus told him he would become the rock the church would be built upon. After the woman was caught in adultery and thrown at His feet, Jesus told her she wasn't condemned. He said there was hope for a beautiful future if she wanted it. As He forgave people who brought shame upon themselves, He always took the opportunity to say they were more than their mistakes and His grace was bigger than their lives. 

Jesus pointed people toward a better version of themselves. He saw their shame and knew the story they told themselves could have a greater paralyzing effect on their lives than the failure itself. He wanted them to know their value wasn't based on their ability to get it right. He wanted them to understand who they were was more than what they'd done. He wanted them to know He saw them at their worst and had never loved them more. 

Next time you mess up, don't invent a new plot. Don't tell yourself a story different from the story Jesus has been telling about you. Listen to Jesus instead. 

What would Jesus say He really thinks about you?