Day 1: The Image of God

Compass Church

Day 1: The Image of God

January 27, 2020

DEVOTIONAL
Currently, at my home, the internet is junk. I am not being dramatic, it rarely works as it is supposed to. I know what you’re thinking — why don’t you just call the internet company to fix it? Been there, done that, made no difference. Part of what is so frustrating about having bad internet is that a simple Google search leads to a brief moment of rage. There is nothing worse than when web pages only partially load. Anyone ever experienced this? You're trying to watch a YouTube video at work and the page keeps loading in such a way that you can’t see everything that is meant to be on the page. In other words, the site is only partially visible. For many of us, this is the same problem we have with God. Writer A.W. Tozer once said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” As we move through life, our image of God becomes skewed. It becomes determined by our parents and teachers and bosses and pastors and small group leaders and everyone in between. When this happens, so many of us find ourselves only partially understanding who God is. God is not a cosmic kill-joy, or a judge waiting to announce a verdict, or a disappointed parent, or an unfulfilled boss. If you want to know who God really is, look at Jesus. He is the perfect picture of who God is. He is loving and caring, brave and courageous, merciful and just.

SCRIPTURE
John 14:4-14

PRAYER
Father, bless me with the awareness to recognize how I truly see you. Where my image of you is flawed, work to transform my mind. Renew my thoughts and allow me to see you as you really are.

Day 21: A Prayer for Loving Others

February 16, 2020

DEVOTIONAL: Loving others sounds excellent in principle, but when the rubber meets the road, it gets a little bit trickier. In reality, it can be a real challenge. While there are moments when loving others is instinctual, it can be inconvenient, messy, and trying. But God does not ask us to love others because it is effortless. He asks us to love others simply because He loved us first. He loves us without conditions or qualifiers. We don’t have to perform or impress, achieve, or excel to earn the love of God. We are simply loved, as we are — unconditionally. God’s love for us is his presence with us, even when we want to run to His embrace. That kind of love is radical. It has the power to change the world because it is different than the love the world knows. That is why Jesus left his disciples with one commandment: “Love each other just as I have loved you.” And he goes on to say that the world will know they follow Him because of the way they love each other. Because we are loved unconditionally by the God of the universe, we are commanded to love others without placing qualifiers on that love. It’s through that kind of love that the glory of the Lord will be seen. Love others — It isn’t easy, but it sure is simple. SCRIPTURE: John 13:33-35 PRAYER: God, thank you for loving me without conditions. I confess it is hard for me to love others in that same way. Please teach me how to love others by being present with them and caring for them even when it gets hard. Shape me to look more like you in the way I love those around me. Amen.

Day 20: A Prayer for Boundaries

February 15, 2020

DEVOTIONAL: When our daughter was little, she wanted to sleep with us every night. She would tiptoe into our room and whisper, “Um, I just need to cuddle with someone.” Honestly, I understood that. Still, eventually, we had to draw a boundary line and teach her to sleep by herself because that was healthier for her in the long run. We all spend our time differently, and it might not be on bad things per se. But when we ask ourselves, “Does this help my relationship with God?” we might decide we need to drop some stuff we’re doing (put off the old self). Sometimes we need to draw boundary lines for ourselves. One of the best ways to do that is to drop old habits and start new ones. Some essential questions to ask ourselves are: How much time am I spending on ________? Does it draw me closer to God? Which of my habits take up most of my time? What are some habits I could stop doing, and what could I fill that time with instead? Recently, I realized I needed to replace some of my daily habits with healthier things (kind of like switching out potato chips with celery). I had to change my perspective (to be made new in the attitude of my mind) and realize that my pure comfort and joy come from God. So, I drew a boundary line to spend less time on social media and cut out secular music. Then I committed to filling that time reading the Bible and listening to worship music. That might look different for each of us, but setting boundaries with ourselves will help us to develop better habits and experience more contentment in life and grow closer to God. SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 4:22-24 PRAYER: Father, please help me to put off my old self that is being corrupted by my deceitful desires and put on the new self by being made new in the attitude of my mind so I can be more like you in true righteousness and holiness. Please show me what to stop doing and what to start doing instead. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 19: Loving Your Enemies

February 14, 2020

DEVOTIONAL: We don’t live in a superhero world where each of us is assigned a villain to consider our mortal enemy. Instead, our “enemies” are usually people who have hurt us, betrayed us, or otherwise wounded us. The people listening to Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount are much like us, and they couldn’t fathom the reality of his words “love your enemies, bless them that curse you.” Because in their minds, and ours, those who have hurt us deserve justice. And in our justice system, that would mean our enemies would be hurt the same way we’ve been hurt - an eye for an eye, one might say. Surprisingly, if justice worked that way, we would be out of luck. If we’re honest, we have the capacity to hurt others too — we damage creation and the people God made and loved dearly. Sometimes unintentionally, but we do it nonetheless. We are sometimes the enemy. Thankfully, Jesus’s love for us is not “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.” It is “love your enemies, bless them that curse you.” It is unconditional. It is full of grace. It is pure. And it is because of this kind of love that we are called to love our enemies. To bless those that curse us. In other words, - love others as Jesus loves you. SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:44-48 PRAYER: God, your love for me is unfathomable. It persists even when I run away, betray you, or hurt those you love. Help me to adopt your sense of justice and love those who hurt me. Teach me your way of loving others unconditionally. Amen.