Beautiful Things: Love Yourself :) (Day 3)

Day Three:

Love Thy Self.

Love thy self. You might be wondering why this is so important. Why would self-love come before so many other Godly principles, especially when this devotional is about God? I believe it is the highest calling to love ourselves as we love our neighbors (inverted). I personally was raised to believe that you aren’t rude to strangers and you always put your best foot forward. You show kindness in public (especially!) and you always say a kind thing (if you have nothing nice to say, stay quiet). These are not bad principles.

But, sometimes you need to say something unkind. Sometimes, you need to know your own needs and feel okay expressing them. Sometimes, you need to know you are loved, highly-favored and a child of God and then step out from there and assert yourself. God doesn’t want doormats, He wants children who will stand up for what is right and make His name known. This means saying what you believe in, even if everyone isn’t or believes in something else. That means not laughing at the inappropriate joke, just because everyone else is. If it is cruel and hurtful to someone else, you don’t need to laugh, you need not conform. Some people know this, they were raised this way and maybe they need to be softened. Maybe they are very comfortable expressing themselves, but have never learned to do it with love, with understanding that all people make mistakes. We can relate in one way or another. But knowing ourselves and what we need to work on is the beginning step to letting God work in us and give us guidance along the way as we begin to see ourselves as He sees us- wonderfully made and beautifully crafted and too precious to be let astray.

Prayer:

Dear God,

Thank you for knowing me and forming me in my mother’s womb. Thank you for spending time crafting me to be so perfect. Thank you that I do not have to compete with another woman or man out there, because we are all precious and beautiful- just like the roses in bloom. I know you desire for me to be free, to be comfortable being me, that even in my faults you have created a masterpiece. I appreciate the quirks in my sense of humor, I acknowledge that time alone with you is really about filling me up with your grace and message, so that all my doubts and insecurities can be erased, Forgive me for doubting your plan or your intentions and please help me on this path, wherever we may go. I love you God and I can see a very beautiful work being done in me.

Amen.

Psalm 139:13-16

“13 For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.”

Song: Beautiful Things by Gungor

Your Thoughts, Your Changes, Your Progress. (Space for your quiet time with God).

Devotional~ Day Two/ Forgiveness.

Day Two:

Forgiveness.

One of the hardest principles of Christianity for me to understand is forgiveness. To love and to begin trusting God, I believe we must forgive Him for anything we hold against Him (a misunderstanding, a prayer unanswered, or a heart that was torn out and broken) and then forgive ourselves for any and all of the past mistakes in our lives. We must forget where we were going before we came to Christ and begin walking like His beloved children now, highly forgiven and highly favored. We are the apples of His eye and He wants us to know how much He loves and beholds us. 

I am in need of forgiveness so often, on a daily basis, and yet I trust myself to pursue God. I have faith that I will continue on my path of seeking to understand Him and of believing in Him to fix my heart on Him permanently. I never want to go back to the life I once lived. I never want to be in that much pain or darkness, and yet, I am ungrateful and selfish still. How much grace and forgiveness have I been shown, but am still unable to operate in towards others?

He sees me with grace. I flourish under His care and loving arms. How much more for those who I can extend my grace and forgiveness to as well? To be loving and open and honest with them. To establish forgiveness and right standing and to tell them I understand where they are coming from. To withhold my guilt or condemnation because I alone am not perfect. I am not only unworthy of judging, but I am also undeserving of judgment. To forgive myself and others is a higher calling, a Godly principle that benefits us all. In the way of the world, forgiveness might seem foolish. In God's eyes, all He sees is perfection. And I'd like to spend a little more time in that light. I not only want to see people without judgment, but with an active love that sees the best in them-in anyone, all of the time.

My Prayer

Thank you Lord that you do not judge me or personally attack me when I make mistakes. Please help me to be more forgiving and gracious like you, Lord. Please help me to not take everything so seriously or personally, in light of eternity. God, I know sometimes things don’t go my way and I can begin to think negatively. I’m sorry I doubt you and I’m sorry I doubt your love for me. Mostly, I’m sorry for a haughty attitude I can carry with me, especially since it affects how I deal with the rest of your people. Thank you for your forgiveness and your never ending love and kindness. Thank you that today is a new day and that you can renew my soul and give me strength to go out and interact in a way that would make you smile. Amen.

2 Chronicles 33:12-13

“In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. 13) And when he prayed to him,  the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.

Song: At the Foot of the Cross by Kathryn Scott

Your Thoughts, Your Changes, Your Progress. (Space for your quiet time with God).

Devotional

  A Road Map 

              The college student's devotional.

Preface

The following devotional was written with the intense desire to serve God and to help people. I have personally gone through what I write about and hope to reach those who can relate. The following twenty-one entries are intended to provide you with an intimate experience with God as you begin your journey with HIm. You may already be walking with God and wish to draw closer, that is alright too. 

Included in every day's entry is a brief discussion of the topic, directly below each heading. I have carefully selected the order in hopes of bringing closure and completeness to this journey. If, for any reason, you feel like jumping around and seeing what lies ahead, please feel free to do so. The order and progression are more of recommendations and with all the information at your fingertips, God is more than able to reach you in any order of this book! 

You'll find a song at the end of each day which I suggest as a tool and starting point for worship and reflection. I enjoy including music in my private time with the Lord, for the most part, and these songs relate in content to the day they are attached to. Again, feel free to make a whole play list with the songs you'll find here and run through it every day you worship. It really doesn't matter, but the tools are here to help you and give you a diving off point.

I leave space at the bottom of each page for you to jot down any notes, if you so desire. At the end of each week is also a section for you to reflect on your journey so far and note any changes you see you've made or any things you might be thankful to God for. I always enjoy journaling while I pray, but then again, I'm a writer. Some people are not so much and that's fine!

The last, and most important, item in the daily devotional is a specific verse or two you can turn to and really let it sink in. I wrote the whole verse out for you because it's good just to see the letters on the page. However, if you have the time and have your Bible handy, please turn to the verse and search the scriptures for more, and more in depth, passages. God is speaking to us constantly and loves revealing His nature through His Word.

May you find what you are looking for and be ever set free in the loving grace of God Almighty. Thank you for taking this journey with me, each step forward is a brave step towards a new beginning. We are never too far gone to be reached and never too clean to not need to be refreshed. 

Day One:

Devotion.

You've obviously picked up this devotional with the intent of drawing closer to God. He asks us to seek Him and to seek Him with all of our hearts. Not half of our hearts, not a quarter portion that we reserve for Wednesday and Sunday church services, but a full-hearted, eager devotion to the Lord. God wants us to pursue Him whole-heartedly, in all avenues of our lives.  

Give up whatever it is that is drawing you away from the throne room of Christ. Let go of whatever is holding you back from getting even closer with God. Maybe you feel exhausted and drained from a busy schedule, and have no idea where to find the time for devotion. Make it. Even five minutes. Trust me, whatever time you give up to meet with God, you'll be rejuvenated and restored to approach the rest of your tasks. It isn't that He wants us isolated and alone, but that He wants to protect our hearts from the things of this world that aim to hurt us. There are so many distractions that, at first, quiet time might feel odd, but eventually it will be helpful in clearing your mind and allowing God to speak to you.

What is holding you back? Is it alcohol? Is it anorexia? Is it pain or depression or are you angry with God? Are you longing to make those feelings go away and start new, start fresh? Seek God and seek God with all of your heart and watch as the hold on your heart is dropped. Enter into His courts with thanksgiving and be amazed by all He has in store for you.

Prayer:

Dear God,

Please help me truly look into myself during these next twenty days. I want to be able to admit where I am falling short and even where I have been hurt, so that you can heal me and make me bolder, stronger than before. I know you want a people who are 

proud of what Jesus Christ has done for us, so that we may show that joy and love to the people of the world who are still enslaved, afraid, and hurting. Please help me find whatever is in me or attacking me (sin, shame, ignorance, etc.) and get rid of it once and for all! I want to be a free individual who can clap and dance and be merry for the light you have placed in my soul. Amen.

Jeremiah 29:13

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Song: Pursuit by Jesus Culture

Your Thoughts, Your Changes, Your Progress. (Space for your quiet time with God).