June 24: LOVE FINDS US WHERE WE ARE, NOT WHERE WE WERE.

Affirmation: I choose to be authentic. I let go of what other people think.

You may feel uncertain about your authenticity because you have learned to fit in everywhere. As you figure out who you are…really, listen to the words that come out of your mouth. If you are happy with yourself keep growing. If you are disappointed at what you learn about yourself, make adjustments. Begin to build new habits and new thought patterns .

“But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them” (Matthew 15:18)

Do you want to know what’s inside your heart? Listen to what comes out of your lips. 

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Ponder, Personalize, Practice: Each week I choose a scripture to memorize, by pondering, personalizing and practicing. I started this after reading Reclaiming the Lost Art of Biblical Meditation, by Robert J. Morgan. It is worth a read.

So let’s start by memorizing and pondering…

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

JOHN 14:27 (Spoken by Jesus)

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Walk in Grace. Live in Love. By Bob Goff 

                      June 24

LOVE FINDS US WHERE WE ARE, NOT WHERE WE WERE.

"Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." 

EXODUS 3:4 

If anyone had reason to believe they had blown their big chance to use their influence for good, it was Moses. Moses was a Hebrew boy and was supposed to be killed according to a decree by the pharaoh. But the pharaoh's daughter had compassion and adopted him. After he had grown up, Moses went for a walk, saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, and killed the Egyptian in a fit of rage. He thought no one had seen it, but when he realized his sin had been exposed, he ran. 

Moses fled to the desert and stayed there for forty years. Moses was tending a flock on a mountain one day when he saw a bush had caught fire. Moving closer to check it out, he heard a voice from the fire-the voice of God. God told Moses that he had heard the cry of the Hebrew people in slavery, that He had seen them in their suffering and had compassion. Then He told Moses to go back to Egypt to lead His people out of slavery. 

It's easy for us to feel like our mistakes disqualify us, that we've missed our opportunity when we mess up the plan. Shame shackles us. Our failures prepare us. God meets us where we are and uses our stories to bring courage. He's not looking for us back at the place where we made the wrong turn-He follows us down the road and guides us into a better story. Love finds us where we are, not where we were. 

What past mistake or failure do you feel disqualifies you from God's love?