March 16: GRACE DRAWS A CIRCLE AROUND EVERYONE AND SAYS WE'RE IN.

Affirmation: I allow myself to love who I am, not who I should be.

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Ponder, Personalize, Practice: Practice this verse today and in the future by asking God to guide you in truth and teach you. You are capable of doing anything you choose, seek God’s guidance. Put these verses into practice each day.

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.“ ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭25‬:‭5‬-‭6

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Mastering the 7 Decisions from Andy Andrews 

The Certain Decision 

I have a decided heart.

It’s not about what it IS…

It’s about what it can BECOME!

What you decide in your heart will be done and the light of God will shine on your ways. Job 22:28

The Certain Decision for personal success is what fuels your actions from the active decision. The clarity of vision you maintain in your mind is directly proportional to the effectiveness of your actions. A decided heart is unwavering in the face of continual challenges and setbacks and that ensures victory and a lifetime of greater fulfillment.

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Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love. by Bob Goff

March 16

GRACE DRAWS A CIRCLE AROUND 

EVERYONE AND SAYS WE'RE IN. 

Then the master told his servant, "Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full." 

LUKE 14:23 

 

You learn a lot about adulthood when you plan a wedding. At first, it's so exciting you wish you could bottle it up in a snow globe. Engagement rings, parties, and toasts. What's not to like? Everything is so blissful. Then you start to plan­ photographer, venue, caterer, tuxedos and a wedding dress. It turns out getting married can be quite expensive. The wedding ceremony is just the beginning too. Next, you hear the cost of a plate of food. Corn dogs and fries start to sound pretty good when the reception in your imagination looks more like a room full of price tags instead of friends. 

If the engagement survives all of this, you sit down with your sweetheart to make an invitation list. You envision a reunion with your childhood best friends and college buddies, but the other person insists on all the· second cousins. You have to make decisions between your fiance's mother's book club and your brother's girlfriend. There are the people you really want to invite and those you feel obligated to invite. What started out as bonding time turns into a sad ranking of the people in your lives. 

God's family works on an entirely different system. He's planning a cele­bration for the whole world, and He's got an unlimited number of seats. There's no budget and no tab that runs too high. It's already settled: there's enough room and more than enough love for everyone. (Romans 2:11 “God does not show favoritism.”❤️)

We're wrong when we're tempted to think we'll be a guest of honor with God just because we do something nice or sacrificial for someone. The corollary is just as wrong when we think we'II get seated at the table reserved for the troublemakers and ne'er-do-wells just because we've messed up. Because Jesus stood in our place, every seat at God's table is reserved for His family. We just need to decide if we want to come. Don't rule yourself out because you think you've messed up the celebration or the planning. Grace draws a circle around everyone and says we're in. (Romans 2:11 “God does not show favoritism.”)

 

Who is missing at your family table?