"What will you do after you graduate?"
If Ashlynn heard those words one more time...
She rubbed her forehead with tired fingertips. As the computer loaded yet another search for college options, Ashlynn groaned. If only she knew which way to choose.
“Ash!” The back door slammed, and a set of blond pigtails peeked around the corner.
“What do you want, Gwen?” Ashlynn said as she began clicking results.
“Come and swing,” Gwen said. “You’ve been on there all day.”
Ashlynn paused, her fingers hovering above the keyboard. The thought of researching another college made her want to gag. She relented. “Let’s go.” Both girls darted from the house, bursting out the door and into the warm sunshine.
Ashlynn followed Gwen to the big oak tree with the homemade swing. Fresh air filled her lungs and washed the heated flush from her cheeks as she gave her little sister a shove. Gwen soared into the air.
Just then, a flutter at the base of the tree caught Ashlynn’s eye. She glanced down to see a featherless baby bird huddled in the grass.
“Gwen, look at this,” she said, crouching to take the tiny bird into her palm.
“Oh.” Gwen stopped swinging. “Is it lost?”
Ashlynn spotted an empty nest in the branches above her. “Let’s get it home.” She slipped the baby bird into the pocket of her sweatshirt, then scrambled up the tree and placed the baby bird inside the nest.
“Right where it belongs,” said Ashlynn as they watched the mother bird arrive to care for her baby in a flutter of wings.
"If God cares for the birds," Ashlynn thought, "He cares about what happens to me too. I’m not alone in my college search. Jesus will place me right where I belong." • Anita Seavey
• Do you ever worry about your future? Have you asked God for wisdom (James 1:5)?
• What people in your life can give you Christ-centered wisdom about hard decisions?
Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? Matthew 6:26 (CSB)
More than Sparrows
April 18, 2020
April 18, 2020 • Andrew Stevens
Day 11 - As Far as the East is from the West
April 14, 2020 • Naomi Zylstra • Micah 7:19, 1 John 1:9—2:1
Do you still feel guilty about it? That thing you did. Maybe it happened yesterday, maybe it happened eight years ago. . No matter what it was, you may be holding on to unnecessary guilt. . Guilt does have a purpose. It leads us to repentance and encourages us not to do evil again... but that purpose can be twisted by Satan. . God wants us to feel sorry for our sins, repent, and ask forgiveness. But, once these sins are forgiven, they’re gone. Poof! In Christ, God has removed them from us. If we put our trust in Him, we carry these old sins no more. The Bible even says that God separates us from our sins “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). . God does not want His people to sit in their guilt and pour over sins already forgiven. Jesus took on our punishment for us. He died and was forsaken for our sins, taking on God’s wrath for us so that we don’t have to feel shame for our wrongdoings. . Besides guilt, another problem Christians face is shame. Shame is similar to guilt, but instead of seeing wrong in your sins, you see wrong in yourself. Shame changes “I did something bad” into “I’m a bad person.” . As Christians, we were once defined by our sins. But, when we put our trust in Jesus, He gives us a new identity. We are now children of God, wrapped in Christ’s righteousness (or sinlessness). God wants us to rejoice in Him and not feel shameful. . If you feel guilt or shame, repent of the sins you’re thinking of and ask forgiveness. If you still feel guilt and shame after that, take some time today to thank Jesus for the grace and forgiveness He has already given you. You are no longer captive to the power of guilt and shame. You are held in the love of Christ. • Naomi Zylstra . • Have you put your trust in Jesus to save you from sin? If not, what questions do you have? To learn more about what it means to know Jesus, check out our "Know Jesus" page. . • If you’re a Christian, are you still holding on to guilt for certain sins? Have you confessed them to God? What can you do today to celebrate God’s grace and forgiveness? . As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12 (NIV)
Day 10 - Dead
April 6, 2020 • Emily Tenter • Ephesians 2:1–10
My skin is cold. Though I can’t know for sure how cold—since corpses can’t feel anything. They can’t do anything at all, really. . If I had the ability to touch, I’d feel the icy, rough dirt that holds my stiff body in place. I’d feel the maggots wriggling their muculent bodies around the tips of my fingers, inside my ears, around my mouth, at the corners of my eyes. . If my sense of smell were working, I’d smell the aroma of rotting things decomposing beneath the earth’s surface. . If my tear ducts worked, I might wail as I thought on the fact that I am among them, my body food for the creatures that never see sunlight. . But I can do none of those things. . Because I am dead. . And when a person is dead, that is all they can do. Nothing. . This is my fate. To do nothing. To be nothing. To know nothing. To love nothing. . Until the moment that it isn’t my fate anymore. . Suddenly, the dirt is being pushed away from my body. Gentle hands are brushing the soil from my face, and I feel the warmth of them as they grasp my hands. . I feel them. As I have never been able to feel anything before! . These warm hands that send a blaze of warmth and life flowing up my arms and throughout my body now pull me upward until I’m above the ground. . I squint in the sunlight with eyes that can see! . When my eyes finally adjust to the bright light, I look into the face of the One who pulled me out. The One who has breathed life into my dead body and saved me from a fate of death and nothing. . The Man who smiles back at me wears white robes, free of blemish or spot. On His head is a crown made of the finest metals and precious stones. . This Man is the King. He cares for me. And He has made me alive. • Emily Tenter . • Reread today’s Bible verses. Why is dead the word used to describe us before we know Jesus? . • Our sin leads to death (Romans 6:23). Read Romans 8:10-11 and 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17. How does Jesus’s death and resurrection guarantee that He will bring eternal life to those who have put their trust in Him? . • Have you experienced being made alive by God? Find out more about what this means on our "Know Jesus" page. . But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! Ephesians 2:4-5 (CSB)
Day 9 - The Guard
April 12, 2020 • Kevin Zeller • Matthew 28:1–10
"This is ridiculous,” I said, adjusting my helmet while keeping my spear crooked in my arm. “Why do we need all of these soldiers here. The man is dead, isn’t he?” . The guard next to me shrugged. “They say he made lots of noise about rising from the dead. So they are worried about his disciples coming back and stealing the body.” . “Well,” I said, glancing back at the crowd of soldiers gathered outside the small garden tomb, “Good luck to them. It’s all sealed up, and they would have to get through all that.” . I shifted on my feet, wishing for my cot. “Nice morning anyway.” . He grunted, signaling the end of the conversation. . Resentful, I stepped a few paces away. I looked up into the night sky, seeing a few stars remaining, even as the sky was brightening. Strange, one of the stars was moving... . A roar filled the garden, and the earth shook with an impact. I was thrown to the ground, my spear clattering on some stones. It took me a moment to regain my breath, and, when I did, I shrank back against a tree. . A bright figure, completely clad in what looked like glowing robes, was stalking toward the tomb. His footprints left the ground smoking. . The other guards were shrieking, stumbling over each other to get away even as he raised his bright hand, placed it on the stone, and pushed. . The last thing I remember before fainting was the sound of stone ripping. • Kevin Zeller . • How would you have reacted if you had been one of the guards at the tomb? . • Read Romans 8:11-24, 2 Corinthians 5, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and Revelation 21:1-5. How did Jesus’s resurrection begin the new creation breaking into our world? . He [Jesus] said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.” Mark 9:31 (NLT)