Formed for God's Family

DAY 15 - FORMED FOR GOD'S FAMILY

You were formed for God’s family!

“His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.” Eph. 1:5 (NLT)

God wants a family, and he created you to be a part of it. The entire Bible is the story of God building a family who will love him, honor him, and reign with him forever. When we place our faith in Christ, God becomes our Father, we become his children, other believers become our brothers and sisters, and the church becomes our spiritual family. The family of God includes all believers in the past, the present, and the future.

Our families on Earth are wonderful gifts from God, but they are temporary and fragile, often broken by divorce, distance, growing old, and inevitably, death. On the other hand, our spiritual family – our relationship to other believers – will continue throughout eternity.

The Bible says, “Jesus and the people he makes holy all belong to the same family. That is why he isn’t ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.” Hebrews 2:11 (CEV)

Let that amazing truth sink in - you are a part of God’s family, and because Jesus makes you holy, God is proud of you! Being included in God’s family is the highest honor and the greatest privilege you will ever receive. Nothing else comes close. Whenever you feel unimportant, unloved, or insecure, remember to whom you belong.

When God Seems Distant

DAY 14 - WHEN GOD SEEMS DISTANT

God is real, no matter how you feel!

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the Earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought!” Job 19:25-27 NLT

It is easy to worship God when things are going great in your life – when he has provided food, friends, family, health, and happy situations. But circumstances are not always pleasant. How do you worship God then? What do you do when God seems a million miles away?

The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting him when tempted, surrendering while suffering, and loving him when he seems distant. How do you praise God when you don’t understand what’s happening in your life and God is silent? How do you stay connected in a crisis without communication? How do you keep your eyes on Jesus when they’re full of tears?

You do what Job did: “Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’” Job 1:20-21 (NIV)

And remember what God has already done for you. Jesus gave up everything so you could have everything. He died so you could live forever. That alone is worthy of your continual thanks and praise.

Worship that pleases God

DAY 13 - WORSHIP THAT PLEASES GOD

God wants all of you!

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” Mark 12:30 NIV

God doesn’t want a part of your life. God is not interested in halfhearted commitment, partial obedience, and the leftovers of your time and money. He desires your full devotion, not little bits of your life.

A Samaritan woman once tried to debate Jesus on the best time, place, and style for worship. Jesus replied that these external issues are irrelevant. Where you worship is not as important as why you worship and how much of yourself you offer to God when you worship.

The kind of worship that pleases God has four characteristics:
- God is pleased when our worship is accurate.
- God is pleased when our worship is authentic.
- God is pleased when our worship is thoughtful.
- And God is pleased when our worship is practical.

When Jesus said, “Love God with all your strength,” he was saying that worship takes effort and energy. It’s not always convenient or comfortable, and sometimes worship is a sheer act of the will – a willing sacrifice. When you praise God even when you don’t feel like it, when you get out of bed to worship when you’re tired, or when you help others when you are worn out, you’re offering a sacrifice of worship to God. And that pleases God.

Friendship with God

DAY 12 - DEVELOPING YOUR FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD

You are as close to God as you choose to be!

“Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.” James 4:8 (NLT)

Like any friendship, you must work at developing your friendship with God. It won’t happen by accident. It takes desire, time, and energy.

The first building block of a deeper friendship with God is complete honesty—about your faults and your feelings. God doesn’t expect you to be perfect, but he does insist on complete honesty. Every time you trust God’s wisdom and do whatever he says - even when you don’t understand it - you deepen your friendship with God.

We don’t normally think of obedience as a characteristic of friendship - that’s reserved for relationships with a parent or the boss or a superior officer - not a friend. However, Jesus made it clear that obedience is a condition of intimacy with God. He said, “… You are my friends, if you obey me.” John 15:14 (CEV)

There is nothing – absolutely nothing – more important than developing a friendship with God. Paul told Timothy, “Some of these people have missed the most important thing in life – they don't know God.” 1 Timothy 6:21a (LB)

Have you been missing out on the most important thing in life? You can do something about it starting now. Remember, it’s your choice. You are as close to God as you choose to be.

Best Friends

DAY 11 - BECOMING BEST FRIENDS WITH GOD

God wants to be your best friend!

“I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you … and here is how to measure it – the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends. You are my friends if you obey me.” John 15:12-14 NLT

Your relationship to God has many different aspects: God is your Creator and Maker, Lord and Master, Judge, Redeemer, Father, Savior, and much more. But the most shocking truth is this: Almighty God yearns to be your Friend!

Friendship with God is possible only because of the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus. The old hymn says, “What a friend we have in Jesus,” but actually, God invites us to enjoy friendship and fellowship with all three persons of the Trinity: our Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15 (NIV)

The word for friend in this verse does not mean a casual acquaintance but a close, trusted relationship. The same word is used to refer to the best man at a wedding and a king’s inner circle of intimate, trusted friends. In royal courts, servants must keep their distance from the king, but the inner circle of trusted friends enjoys close contact, direct access, and confidential information. Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege, and being known and loved is God’s greatest pleasure.

The Heart of Worship

DAY 10 - THE HEART OF WORSHIP

The heart of worship is surrender!

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?” Romans 12:1 (NLT)

In today’s competitive culture we are taught to never give up and never give in – so we don’t hear much about surrendering. If winning is everything, surrendering is unthinkable. We would rather talk about winning, succeeding, overcoming, and conquering than yielding, submitting, obeying, and surrendering. But surrendering to God is the heart of worship.

As Joshua approached the biggest battle of his life, he encountered God, fell in worship before him, and surrendered his plans. That surrender led to a stunning victory at Jericho. This is the paradox: Victory comes through surrender.

Nothing is more powerful than a surrendered life in the hands of God. “So give yourselves completely to God.”

What Makes God Smile

DAY 9 - WHAT MAKES GOD SMILE?

The smile of God is the goal of your life!

“May the Lord smile on you …” Numbers 6:25 (NLT)

Since pleasing God is the first purpose of your life, your most important task is to discover how to do that. “Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.” Ephesians 5:10 (MSG)

Five acts of worship that make God smile:
- God smiles when we love him supremely.
- God smiles when we trust him completely.
- God smiles when we obey him wholeheartedly.
- God smiles when we praise and thank him continually.
- And God smiles when we use our abilities.

You may feel that the only time God is pleased with you is when you’re doing “spiritual” activities – like reading the Bible, attending church, praying, or sharing your faith. Actually, God enjoys watching every detail of your life, whether you are working, playing, resting, or eating. He doesn’t miss a single move you make.

The Bible tells us, “The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Psalm 37:23 (NLT)

Every human activity, except sin, can be done for God’s pleasure if you do it with the attitude of praise. Will you make pleasing God the goal of your life? There is nothing that God won’t do for the person totally absorbed with this goal.

Planned for God's Pleasure

DAY 8 - PLANNED FOR GOD’S PLEASURE

You were planned for God’s pleasure!

“You created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.” Revelation 4:11 (NLT)

The moment you were born into the world, God was there as an unseen witness, smiling at your birth. He wanted you alive, and your arrival gave him great pleasure. God did not need to create you, but he chose to create you for his own enjoyment. You exist for his benefit, his glory, his purpose, and his delight.

You are a child of God, and you bring pleasure to God like nothing else he has ever created. Bringing enjoyment to God - living for his pleasure - is the first purpose of your life. When you fully understand this truth, you will never again have a problem with feeling insignificant. It proves your worth.

Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship. Like a diamond, worship is multifaceted. Worship is not a part of your life - it is your life. Praise should be the first activity when you open your eyes in the morning and the last activity when you close them at night. David said, “I will thank the Lord at all times. My mouth will always praise him.” Psalm 34:1 (GLT)

This is what real worship is all about – falling in love with Jesus.

God's Offer

DAY 7 – THE REASON FOR EVERYTHING

It is all for him!

“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 NIV

The ultimate goal of the universe is to show the glory of God. It is the reason for everything that exists, including you. God made it all for his glory. Without God’s glory, there would be nothing.

The glory of God is who God is. It is the essence of his nature, the weight of his importance, the radiance of his splendor, the demonstration of his power, and the atmosphere of his presence. God’s glory is best seen in Jesus Christ. He, the Light of the world, illuminates God’s nature. Because of Jesus, we are no longer in the dark about what God is really like.

There are many ways to bring glory to God, but they can be summarized in God’s five purposes for your life. We bring God glory by worshiping him, loving other believers, becoming like Christ, serving others with our gifts, and by telling others about him.

It’s time to settle this issue. Who are you going to live for – yourself or God? Right now, God is inviting you to live for his glory by fulfilling the purposes he made you for. Real life begins by committing yourself completely to Jesus Christ.

If you are not sure you have done this, all you need to do is receive and believe. The Bible promises, “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12 (NIV)

Will you accept God’s offer?

Temporary Assignment

DAY 6 - LIFE IS A TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT

Life on Earth is a temporary assignment!

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on Earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.” Psalm 39:4 (NLT)

To make the best use of your life, you must never forget two truths:
- First, compared with eternity, life is extremely brief.
- Second, Earth is only a temporary residence. You won’t be here long, so don’t get too attached.

In order to keep us from becoming too attached to Earth, God allows us to feel a significant amount of discontent and dissatisfaction in life – longings that will never be fulfilled on this side of eternity. We’re not completely happy here because we’re not supposed to be! Earth is not our final home; we were created for something much better.

In God’s eyes, the greatest heroes of faith are not those who achieve prosperity, success, and power in this life, but those who treat this life as a temporary assignment and serve faithfully, expecting their promised reward in eternity.

When life gets tough, when you’re overwhelmed with doubt, or when you wonder if living for Christ is worth the effort, remember that you are not home yet. At death you won’t leave home – you’ll go home.

Life from Gods point of view

DAY 5 - SEEING LIFE FROM GOD’S VIEW

The way you see your life shapes your life!

The way you view life is your life metaphor. It's your description of how life works and what you expect from it; it influences your life more than you realize and determines your expectations, values, relationships, goals, and priorities. To fulfill the purposes God has for you, you will have to base your view on the biblical metaphors of life. These are: Life is a test, and life is a trust.

LIFE IS A TEST - God continually tests people’s character, faith, obedience, love, integrity, and loyalty. Character is both developed and revealed, and all of life is a test. When you understand that life is a test, you realize that every day is important. God wants you to pass the tests of life, so he never allows the tests to be greater than the grace he gives you to handle them.

LIFE IS A TRUST - We are to be stewards of whatever God gives us. All we enjoy is to be treated as a trust that God has placed in our hands. If you treat everything as a trust, God promises three rewards in eternity: affirmation, promotion, and celebration.

“Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones.” Luke 16:10a (NLT)