Planet Home
December 26, 2019 • Kevin Zeller • Isaiah 45:18, Revelation 21:1–5
The spacecraft settled one last time. It was only when all was quiet that I realized I was back. I started to take my helmet off, then paused. . Could I really do it? Walk outside without a helmet? Were the computers lying to me in their atmosphere reading of 21% Oxygen, 1% argon, and 78% nitrogen? . The rest of the crew didn’t seem to think so, and they all lumbered off the ship through the airlock, struggling against 9.807 meters per second of acceleration. . I had expected blinding sunlight and sky, but the sun was veiled by clouds, and raindrops patted against my helmet as I emerged. Instead, my first impression was of green everywhere. Trees, grass, even the uniforms of the attendants who greeted us. . My suit sensor buzzed, warning me of microbial life. I silenced it with a verbal command. I hadn’t heard it during the trip, so I had forgotten it was still on. . The rest of the crew had removed their helmets, so I reached up to do the same. My fingers felt weak, but I finally managed to undo the constraints and twist the thing off. . Water sprayed me. Oxygen and argon-flavored nitrogen washed through me, filling my lungs and my blood. Invisible microbes landed on my skin and hair, like an organic blanket welcoming me back home. . For the first time in months, life surrounded me. The trees, the people, the animals, the insects, and the smallest creatures high in the atmosphere and deep in the mantle. . I was on Earth, the best place in the universe. • Kevin Zeller . • Why is Earth special in the universe that God created? How is it different from other planets and moons in the solar system? What kinds of details did God include in making it a habitable place for humans? . • Jesus lived, died, and rose again on the earth and will return to reign on the made-new earth forever. How does this knowledge affect the way we look at our planet now? . For this is what the Lord says—the Creator of the heavens, the God who formed the earth and made it, the one who established it (he did not create it to be a wasteland, but formed it to be inhabited)—he says, “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:18 (CSB)
Look Up
December 17, 2019 • Cara Campbell • Isaiah 26:3, Matthew 14:22–23, John 1:12, Hebrews 12:2
As I was out running one day, I realized how often I look down. I found myself watching my shoes, somewhat to keep my footing but mostly because I didn’t want to make eye contact with anyone who might see me. . Sometimes we bury ourselves in distractions to avoid the uncomfortable, the insecurities. Or we focus on our circumstances, looking for some thing or some one to fix what’s wrong in our lives. The answer to all of it? Jesus. . So, LOOK UP: . From your feet... in Christ, you are a child of the King, delighted in, chosen, free. Stand tall because you are His. . From your distractions... the device in your hand, the social media scrolling, the texting... look up at the beautiful people He has surrounded you with. Look them in the eyes, show them Christ’s love, and be in regular community with other believers. Look to Jesus to fill your desires, bring peace to your anxious heart, and give you strength for each day. . From your circumstances... like Peter walking on the water to Jesus, when we focus on the wind and waves—the impossible, the struggles—we lose sight of Him. We begin to sink in fear. But, when we take our eyes off of Him, He reaches out His hand to catch us. Even when we fail, He loves us enough to reach for us, not abandon us. . Keep your eyes on Jesus. Look to Him. He is faithful. He is able. And He is worthy. • Cara Campbell . • What causes you to look down? Fear? Insecurities? . • Why is it important to fix our eyes on Jesus in every situation? . • How does belonging to Jesus allow us to love others—free from fear of what they’ll think of us (1 John 4:18-19)? . Keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. Hebrews 12:2 (CSB)
Grace Cat (Part 2)
December 7, 2019 • Emily Tenter • Romans 3:20–24, Ephesians 2:8–10, Isaiah 64:6
Being adopted by my family wasn’t the only way my cat Oliver demonstrated a lesson of grace to me. You see, it’s common for cats to leave little presents for their humans. And, when I say “little presents,” I mean dead mice that we’d find just outside the front door. Cats leave dead animals to show loyalty to the humans that take care of them. How cute is that?! . As you can probably imagine, my family had no use for dead mice. But I can’t tell you how excited I was when Oliver began to demonstrate to my family that he loved us back! . That’s how God’s grace works in our lives. He pours out His grace to us. He’s the One who gives us every single blessing we have. And what do we have to give Him in return? Dead mice! Isaiah 64:6 says that all our good deeds “are nothing but filthy rags.” That means that the best we could ever give to God is still trash. Like dead mice. . But you know what? I still smiled when I saw those mice because they meant that my cat—the cat I adopted and named and loved—loved me back! . God offers us salvation from sin and death with no strings attached. I didn’t adopt Oliver because of anything he could give me in return. And even if he never gave me a dead mouse, I still would have adopted him. Our God treats us the same way. We don’t have to do anything to earn His grace, but, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we begin to respond in love at the heaps of grace God has dumped on us. . Going to church, obeying your parents, telling a friend about Jesus, working hard without complaining—those are all dead mice. They will never earn you eternal life; your relationship with God is secure because of what Jesus did. . Even though God doesn’t need our offerings, He still delights in them because they are gifts from His beloved children in Christ. And He is able to transform and use our dead mice in amazing ways for His kingdom! • Emily Tenter . • What are some examples of the “dead mice” you offer God? Do you ever compare your “dead mice” to those of other people? Why is that wrong? . • Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Ephesians 2:10, and Philippians 2:13. If the best gifts we can give God are still worth so little, does it matter if we give them at all? How does God empower and use our efforts in His kingdom? . We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6 (NLT)
Fear Not
November 24, 2019 • Abigail Rose • Isaiah 41:8–10, Isaiah 43:1–3, 1 Peter 5:7
What’s your biggest fear? Heights? Spiders? Snakes? Death? Those are the common ones, but there are other fears that are a little too close for comfort. For example, teens (and adults) tend to get bombarded with a lot of social fears. There is so much pressure to have the perfect body, the perfect performance, the perfect “stuff”—or at the very least to look like your life is perfectly put together. There just doesn’t seem to be room for being human. . Society feeds into those fears because the world’s focus is not on pleasing God but on trying to make yourself or others happy. But guess what? Each person has a different idea of what makes them happy, so, ultimately, we’re all struggling with how elusive happiness is—but everyone is too afraid to admit it. And so, out of that fear, we as humans become so focused on superficial happiness that we become afraid of being open and honest with others about the deepest aspects of ourselves (including our fears). . As Christians, we don’t have to be wrapped up in and motivated by fear. God has made us in His image, and He has called us His children (Genesis 1:27; John 1:12). When we put our faith in Jesus, He gives us a new identity: His righteousness (Romans 3:21-22). In that identity, there is no fear—only true satisfaction and joy in knowing our Creator, even when our circumstances are less than happy. . I once read somewhere that the Bible says “do not fear” 365 times. Even if that number isn’t exact, it shows how much God cares about our fears. He knows our deepest thoughts, even before we know how to express them (Romans 8:26-27). He knows why we fear what we fear, and yet the Bible says He “has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). • Abigail Rose . • What are some fears you have, based on society’s pressures? . • What do you think God has to say about those specific fears? . • If you know Jesus, how can you live bravely knowing that God is always with you, even when you are fearful (Matthew 28:20)? . Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)
Serving the God of Life (Part 1)
November 16, 2019 • Taylor Eising • Isaiah 42:5, Mark 10:13–16, John 1:1–5
Editor’s Note: Today’s reading addresses abortion. . Our God loves life. Every creature on this planet is alive because of His incredible love. And He calls that life “very good” (Genesis 1:31). The natural consequence of God’s presence in the world is abundant life, but the natural consequence of sin’s presence in the world is death. One example of death in our world is abortion. . The Bible talks about life inside the womb several times. In Genesis 25:21-26, we hear about Jacob and Esau fighting before they are even born. In Luke 1:41, John the Baptist leaps in his mother’s womb when he meets the pre-born Jesus. God also makes it clear He knows and loves us before we are even born (Psalm 139:13-14; Jeremiah 1:5). . Although God loves life, sometimes people feel they have no choice but to abort their baby. Abortion is a heartbreaking decision to make. It comes from feeling alone, helpless, and hopeless. Satan loves to isolate us, insisting that there is no solution to the problems before us, so the only way out is death. . But that is a lie straight from the pit of hell. God, who is in absolute control over life and death, is with us in every circumstance. If He has created a life, however that life was created, He will provide a way to care for it. We are never, ever alone. God is with us, He loves us, and He is lavishing His incredible grace on us. . God loves life so much that He sent Jesus to defeat sin and death. He did that so all life, including ours, could be reconciled to Him in love and peace (Colossians 1:20). One day, He will come back to resurrect all His people from the dead, killing death once and for all (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). In the meantime, celebrate the God of Life. • Taylor Eising . • How can you show God’s love to people who have had or who are considering an abortion? . • How can living as a loving community of believers focused on Jesus make it easier for people with unexpected pregnancies to care for their babies? . He [God] created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth. Isaiah 42:5 (NLT)
On God's Palms
November 11, 2019 • Cheryl Elton • Isaiah 49:15–16, Romans 8:35–39
Do you ever wonder, "Where is God now? Doesn’t He love me?" . Isaiah 49:15-16 presents one of the most beautiful expressions—in all of Scripture—of God’s everlasting love for His people. . Here God contrasts His love with perhaps the closest of human bonds: that of a mother with her nursing child. As unlikely as it is, a woman could forget her child. Yet God says He will never forget us. . He has inscribed—some translations even say “tattooed”—us on the palms of His hands! . Why is this significant? Because our palms contain some of the most sensitive areas of skin on our bodies. Getting a tattoo on your palm is not only extremely painful but can also take months to heal. . Yet when God says, “I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands,” He is using figurative language to say He would go to the excruciating pain of having our name tattooed on His palms so that we would ever be before His face. In Christ, we are His people, and He loves us so much that He has literally gone through great pain to be with us (Isaiah 53:5-6; John 3:16). . Your name inscribed on God’s palm represents all of you—your fears, loneliness, circumstances, desires, and dreams. Everything that concerns you is always before Him. . He loves you. •Cheryl Elton . • Our sin separates us from God, but because He loved us, Jesus—who is God—endured pain on the cross so that we could have a relationship with God through faith in Him. How could this truth change your perspective when God’s love feels distant? . • Read Psalm 42. Here David struggles with acknowledging God’s love while feeling far from it, even crying out to God, “Why have You forgotten me?” (verse 9). How can this psalm provide comfort to you? . See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; Your walls are continually before Me. Isaiah 49:16 (NKJV)