Day 11 – God, I Want to be More Like Jesus

Have you ever read the book or seen the movie, In His Steps, by Charles Sheldon?

It’s the book that inspired the saying, “What Would Jesus Do?”

Sometimes I wonder if we’ve trivialized the saying.

But it’s not just a saying, it’s downright Biblical…

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps. 1 Peter 2:21

So, today I’d love to have you join me as I pray…

God, I Want to be More Like Jesus

Father, Your Word tells me You want me to be more like Jesus … to love like He loves even if it means suffering.

I’m ashamed by how very far I fall short of that goal. Please forgive me.
Honestly, the thought of suffering frightens me. Please help me.

Your Word says:

At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know Him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:16–17

Thank you for making me a new person. You are working in me, giving me new life and working in me to make me more like Jesus.

Oh, Father, my heartfelt prayer is to be completely surrendered to Your work in my life.

To be more like Jesus, who…

Was exactly like You in everything.
But did not think being equal with You
was something to be used for His own benefit.
He gave up His place with You in heaven
and made Himself nothing.
He was born as a man,
and became a servant…
fully humbled and fully obedient,
even when it caused His death—death on a cross.
Based on Philippians 2:6–8

Yes, I want to be humble, obedient, and completely surrendered.

To have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Philippians 2:5

Father, I pray that from Your glorious and unlimited resources, You will empower me with inner strength through Your Spirit. And I ask that Your Son, Jesus will always be welcome and at home in my heart, that I will trust Him completely. May the roots of my faith grow down into the depth’s of Your love and keep me strong. And by Your grace, may I have the power to fully understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is. Please make me completely new with the fullness of life and power that comes from Your Spirit. (Based on Ephesians 3:17–19)

It is only with Your help, that I can surrender my selfishness and become more like Jesus.

Thank you for never giving up on me and for loving me with a perfect love greater than anything I could ever hope for or desire.

Please make me more like Jesus, in whose precious name, I pray. Amen.

I am so blessed that you are joining me for this journey…

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One that will ask and seek and knock through bold prayers … and watch what only God can do when we go to Him with anything is possible mountain moving prayers.

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Quotes about God’s Perfect Love for Your Messy Life

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Life is messy.

Relationships sticky. Finances fluctuate. Calendars over-booked.

Days can be hard and filled with doubt, worry, and anxiety.

But in your messy life . . . one thing never changes.

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God loves you with a love beyond anything you can imagine. He’s got you.

Quotes about God’s Perfect Love for Your Messy Life

“Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely. … He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken.”
― Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6

“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” ~St. Augustine

Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34

“Love is an act of endless forgiveness.” ~Jean Vanier

In Your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed. In Your strength you will guide them to Your holy dwelling. Exodus 15:13

“Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence.” ~St. Augustine.

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How great is the love the Father has given us so freely! Now we can be called children of God. And that’s what we really are! 1 John 3:1

“There will always be someone willing to hurt you, put you down, gossip about you, belittle your accomplishments and judge your soul. It is a fact that we all must face. However, if you realize that God is a best friend that stands beside you when others cast stones you will never be afraid, never feel worthless and never feel alone.” ~Shannon L. Adler

I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul. Psalm 31:7

“An infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children. He does not distribute Himself that each may have a part, but to each one He gives all of Himself as full as if there were no others.” ~A.W.Tozer

Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. Ephesians 1:4

“Here is a spiritual principle: We cannot exercise love unless we are experiencing grace. You cannot truly love others unless you are convinced that God’s love for you is unconditional, based solely on the merit of Christ, not on your performance. Our love, either to God or to others, can only be a response to His love for us.” ~Jerry Bridges

I have loved you the same way the Father has loved me. So live in my love. John 15:9

“Though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.” ~C.S.Lewis

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So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John 1:14

“Before the foundations of the world, He loved you. Before the fall of Eden, He loved you. Before He sent His Son splitting through the cosmos to this world, He loved you. Before He died upon the cross, He loved you. When He rose again, He loved you. And He’s coming back again because He loves you. When you took your first breath, He loved you. When you messed up bad, He loved you. When you made good grades, He loved you. When you won and when you lost, He loved you.” ~Jennifer Dukes Lee

So, lift your hands in praise. Shout hallelujah. Your Father loves you . . . messy, sticky, and over-booked you. Nothing will ever change that. All He wants is for you to love and trust Him and love the people He puts around you.

10 Things You Need to Remember You Are Loved

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God’s love for you is perfect, unconditional, and everlasting.

No matter what you’ve done. No matter where you’ve been. No matter how you feel.

You need to remember . . . you are loved.

He loves you and me – not because of what we believe, what we say, or what we do. He loves us simply because He is God and He chooses to love us.

How do we know? Well, just like the children’s song says, “because the Bible tells me so.”

God loves you –

God is love. 1 John 4:17

This is how much God loved (insert your name): He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. John 3:16

You were made in God’s image –

God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature. Genesis 1:26

He calls you by name –

I’ve called your name. You’re mine. Isaiah 43:1

And He calls you very good –

God looked over everything He had made; it was so good, so very good! He knows everything about you. Genesis 1:31

He knows everything about you –

You know me inside and out, You know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Psalm 139:15

He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! Matthew 10:30

He cares what happens to you –

Is anyone crying for help? God is listening; If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there. Psalm 34:17-18

He has good plans for you –

I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. Jeremiah 29:11

His love for you never change –

I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. Romans 8:38–39

His love for you lasts forever –

Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens. Psalm 89:2

His love for you is something to celebrate –

God—you’re my God! I can’t get enough of you! I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts.

So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open, drinking in Your strength and glory. In Your generous love I am really living at last! My lips brim praises like fountains. I bless You every time I take a breath; My arms wave like banners of praise to You. Psalm 63:1-4

And celebrate is what we are going to do this week. Join me as we savor the blessing of God’s amazing love.

What will you do to celebrate God’s love today?

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Quotes on Faith, Prayer, and the Bible

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Christianity is not primarily a moral code but a grace-laden mystery; it is not essentially a philosophy of love but a love affair; it is not keeping rules with clenched fists but receiving a gift with open hands. ~Brennan Manning

After I set out to refute Christianity intellectually and couldn’t, I came to the conclusion the Bible was true and Jesus Christ was God’s Son. ~Josh McDowell

It is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible-reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom. ~Horace Greeley

Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

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The First of 52 Goals for Living with Intentional Gratitude

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I want to invite you to join me each week in 2013 as I share goals for improving and maintaining various parts of our lives by intentionally looking at them through the lens of gratitude.

Each month I will focus on a different theme:

January – Health
February – Love
March – Forgiveness
April – Attitude
May – Relationships
June – Time Management and Rest
July – Leadership
August – Education
September – Home
October – Growing up – Growing Older
November – Thanksgiving
December – Giving

Each week I will break down the theme for that month and share how I believe an attitude of intentional gratitude will improve that part of our lives. By the end of the year, we will have set and hopefully accomplished 52 goals.

What Does it Mean to Believe in Jesus

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Have you ever wondered what it really means to believe in Jesus?

Does it mean to believe that He lived two thousand years ago?
That He was a great teacher?
Even that He was the greatest man who ever lived?

Is that what John 3:16 means?

We will Suffer and We will be Comforted

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Bible passages that talk about suffering are not my favorites.

I’m not a fan of suffering and I imagine you agree with me.
Most of us do everything possible to avoid adversity.

Unfortunately, suffering is a fact of life.
It touches each of us at one time or another.

Amazed

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Amaze: to affect with great wonder, to astonish.

What amazes you?

A Sunset?
A Rainbow?
A Symphonic Overture?
A Newborn Baby?
A Lion, a Giraffe, or a Hippopotamus?
A Rose, an Orchid, or a Giant Sequoia?

Sometimes we are so amazed by technology, that we forget to be amazed by
those things that surround us every day.

We forget to be amazed by the One who longs to fill our minds with wonder
and our hearts with praise.

He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what He has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the LORD.
Psalm 40:3

Publish His glorious deeds among the nations.
Tell everyone about the amazing things He does.
Psalm 96:3

When Jesus had finished saying these things,
the crowds were amazed at His teaching, for He taught with
real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.
Matthew 7:28-29

A vast crowd brought to Him people who were lame,
blind, crippled those who couldn’t speak, and many others.
They laid them before Jesus, and He healed them all.
The crowd was amazed!
Those who hadn’t been able to speak were talking, the crippled were made well,
the lame were walking, and the blind could see again!
And they praised the God of Israel.
Matthew 15:30-31

The members of the council were amazed when they
saw the boldness of Peter and John,
for they could see that they were ordinary men with
no special training in the Scriptures.
They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13

Father, Forgive me. I foolishly allow myself to become amazed by the trivial. I set my mind on that which is unimportant and ignore the countless amazing things You are doing around me. I’m sorry. Give me eyes to see what You want me to see. Give me a heart to feel the way You want me to feel. Give me a mind that focuses on Your plans and purposes. Give me a soul that is filled with Your love. Give me the all of the strength I need to trust You and obey. I can’t on my own, but with Your help every moment of wonder will become a step of faith. I ask this in the name of my amazing Lord and Savior, Jesus. Amen.