Daily Scripture Devotional

“Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love.” (Eph. 1:4a, Msg)

Your birth was no mistake or mishap. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He was not at all surprised by your birth. In fact, he expected it. He expected you – and he designed you with a purpose in mind.

God’s motive for creating you was his love. The Bible says, “Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love.”

Dr. Michael Denton, senior research fellow in human molecular genetics at the University of Otago in New Zealand, has concluded, “All the evidence available in the biological sciences supports the core proposition … that the cosmos is a specially designed whole with life and mankind as its fundamental goal and purpose, a whole in which all facets of reality have their meaning and explanation in this central fact.”

The Bible said the same thing thousands of years earlier: “God formed the earth … He did not create it to be empty but formed it to be inhabited.” (Isa. 45:18, GWT)

Why did God bother to go to all the trouble of creating a universe for us?

Because he is a God of love.

This kind of love is difficult to fathom, but it’s fundamentally reliable.

You were created as a special object of God’s love! God made you so he could love you. This is a truth to build your life on.

Point to ponder: The universe was not complete, in God’s eyes, until he had filled it with people to love. He planned from the beginning of time to make you!

Verse: “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers - the moon and the stars you have set in place - what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us?” (Psalm 8:3-4, NLT)

What will you do about it: Take a look at the night sky and remind yourself that you are more important to God than all the stars combined. Let that motivate you to worship him.

Prayer: Thank God for planning your life and for loving you so much.

By Rick Warren

But when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. (John 16: 13-14 NIV)

My God, today I look deep within, seeking to understand the mysteries of my faith. Your Word is true and deep – yet my meager understanding only grasps bits and pieces. Your Holy Spirit is my hope for unlocking what I cannot discern with my own human understanding – and I cry out for your help! As I cry, I hear your call to rest in your peace!

Thank you, Lord, that your love is so great for those who have yet to find you – and that even though there is a great unrest afoot, you are at work causing “all things to work together for good.” What an awesome God we serve!

I am praying for all of my brothers and sisters, Lord, that they will stand their ground. For those you have called as your leaders, now is the time to dig their feet in and stand on your truths and on your power to accomplish all things according to your will. I hear you remind me that you will keep us safe and strong. You have always had your eyes on us from the moment of our birth. We have never been alone, even when we felt alone.

May your angels of protection follow my brothers and sisters all around the world, into every country and village. May the presence of our Lord and Savior be apparent to all with eyes to see and ears to hear, and may every stronghold within the sound of our prayers be brought down as many new brothers and sisters are brought safely into the family of God.

I know you do not expect perfection. I know you use struggles to grow and refine us. I also know we are not to fear struggles – and we are to anticipate your greatness and your victories, no matter what circumstances we face. Draw us all to yourself so we can see you as you are, which in itself will wipe away the fears.

I humble myself before you, my God, knowing you are who you say you are. It is a sobering and exhilarating experience to look to you as you are. I do not understand it all, but my faith is not blind. You are revealing yourself to all of us in these days – if we will just look in Your direction.

I cry out to your Holy Spirit, needing your help! I cannot continue on as you have called me without a deeper, more intimate walk with you. My human side can only understand and comprehend so much, but my spiritual being is built to last forever – and can absorb all the Holy Spirit has to share.

Even though, with each passing day, the challenges seem to get a little harder, my peace seems to increase. I appear to have less and less “head knowledge” ruling my life, and more and more spiritual learnings that are absorbing into my inner being. Only your Holy Spirit can accomplish such a thing!

I also know that, left to my own devices, I would easily fall victim to the fears and struggles of this world. That is why my dependence on your Holy Spirit is so vital. Without the presence of your Holy Spirit guiding and directing me, I would have been sidelined years ago. Yet, here I sit, beaten up and bruised, yes, but even more determined to fight the fight of faith.

I cry out today for a deeper faith – a stronger trust – and greater dependence on the Holy Spirit and your Word. I cannot live in this world any longer without your wisdom. Spiritually, I am so very hungry, and I know the people you have placed me with are the same. To say we need a fresh new wind of your Spirit is to put it very mildly.

For myself, I cannot take one more step unless you shine your light on it. In these days especially, I need your wisdom and discernment. I have many decisions to make, so I humble myself under your sovereign hand and ask the Holy Spirit to shine his light on my path so I do not misstep. Help me my God – I am in desperate need!

So what?

•God is mighty, all powerful, loving and compassionate - and God is spirit. You were created to have fellowship with him. Because of this, you have a deep inner need for a intimate, personal spiritual relationship with your Creator.

•It truly is possible to walk closely with God every single day of your life. You can learn to listen and hear his “still, small voice,” and as you do your confidence will grow and your hope will increase. As you surrender to his lordship, he will increase your understanding of his truths, and over time you will gain his wisdom and his discernment.

•Being able to see with the eyes of God’s heart changes everything. It makes all thing possible and allows you to be a living, breathing witness of a truth that will set this world free from fear and struggle.

•Ask yourself what is stopping you from reaching out to him in “spirit and in truth?”

By Carolyn Baker

David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam—1 Samuel 22:1

Discouragement is a common emotion to us and is one of the great enemies of the Christ-following experience. It is an enemy of personal drive and vision. It is a cancer that will pull enthusiasm and joy right out of you. But it is also a test, because how you respond to discouragement when things are not going well is one of the most important challenges that you will ever face as a person who loves and follows Jesus.
During the reign of King Saul, a prophet of God, Samuel, anointed young David as king. Even before he served as king, the people of the kingdom immediately fell in love with David. Everything he touched turned to gold. He was victorious over one of Israel’s most feared enemies, Goliath. When King Saul struggled with emotional issues, David was there to comfort him. If there was ever a guy who was on a roll, it was David. It appeared that nothing could go wrong for him. Then, one by one, the tables turned. Look over this litany of loss on David’s part:

After all that David went through, he ended up in the cave of Adullam. He expected a palace but got a cave! Devastating!

Does a cave sound like a place you’ve visited before? The Cave is where you go when all the props, crutches, and all that hold you up gives way; when suddenly, things don’t work out as you’ve envisioned. Maybe you’ve lost a job, financial security, spouse, dream of family life, mentor, friend or health. We’ve all been there. The truth is, sooner or later, everybody logs some serious time in The Cave.

But, The Cave is where God does some of His best work. God molds and shapes us in The Cave like nowhere else. When you end up in The Cave, I encourage you to welcome it. Why? Because when all you’ve got is God, you quickly come to the realization, that He is enough. Mother Teresa once said, “You’ll never know Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you’ve got.” He is able to transform discouragement into encouragement. He transforms fear into confidence. He is able to bring new life out of the most desperate of circumstances. Are you in The Cave? Look for Jesus.

by Robin Dugall