Romans 15:7 NIV – Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
Do you include others or do you tend to exclude? According to the dictionary, include is to comprise or contain as part of a whole. In reading today’s key verse, how does including others bring praise to God?
God has accepted us and made us whole. He has included us from creation to relationship. By including others we are putting action into acceptance. We are making something whole. We are bringing praise to God by offering the same acceptance that He has offered you and me.
Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You for accepting me. Thank You for including me and making me whole. Help me to offer the same acceptance to others. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Do you ever stop to evaluate your motives? In our key verse, we are instructed to do everything in love. Bad motives can’t achieve well in the end (A bad motive can’t achieve a good end; double-talk brings you double trouble. – Proverbs 17:20 MSG). Good motives may not always be perceived as intended. We can’t control a lot in our lives but we can control our inputs and the motives behind them.
What does a bad motive look like? What does a good motive look like? I think all of us could come up with different responses. I encourage us all as we go about our day to evaluate our whys. May we always keep our “Y” with Yahweh in mind, which is another name for Lord or Jehovah (“I am Yahweh” Exodus 6:2 Legacy Standard Bible).
Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You for giving me the gift of ambition. I desire for all my motives to come from love. Help me to always keep my “Y” with Yahweh in mind. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV – But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Can you recall times when God’s love felt the strongest for you? How about during times of weakness? In our key verse, God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), thankfully His grace is sufficient.
When I think about my sin and God’s unconditional love I am overwhelmed by His presence. Will you allow God to shape you with His unconditional love? Over time water can make rocks smooth. As we all go about our day, may God’s love wash over us and smooth out our rough edges.
Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You for Your strong, unconditional love. Thank You for Your grace that is sufficient in my weakness. I desire for Your power to rest on me and shape me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
I have been sharing different ways to honor God this past week. As we know God turns our messes into messages and our tests into testimonies. I was recently asked to give my testimony. Today I bring my personal salvation story out of the archives. Sharing God’s glory through our testimonies is such a powerful way to honor God. Do you have a testimony to share? If not, maybe reading mine will inspire you.
I recently listened to a United Methodist podcast featuring J. Brent Bill, the author of Life Lessons from a Bad Quaker. He said that our testimony is belief translated into action, not so much our personal stories rather a statement of how we should live our faith. While I do believe this is true, I also believe in sharing your personal testimony. Mark Batterson, in the book IF, writes “Our testimony is our secret weapon. Of course, you can’t keep it a secret. It’s the way we share the win with others and overcome the enemy.” Therefore, I feel the need to tell you my testimony. Both my parents did not grow up in Christian homes so unfortunately I do not have a family with a long legacy of faith. I was born in California on March 3, in 1981, and not long after I was born, there was an earthquake. My parents always joked that I was stating my presence in the world. Look out, Julie has arrived. Although my parents were not Christians they still made the commitment to have me baptized within the first month of birth. Go God!! We moved a few times from California to Illinois and from Illinois to Pennsylvania. Not long after we moved to Pennsylvania my family experienced a life-changing event, at least in the eyes of a six-year-old it was life changing. For about six long months my Dad decided he did not want to be a family anymore. It was a very painful experience for all of us. But my mom did something incredible, when my dad returned she forgave him. I did not truly appreciate this until I became an adult and married myself. Just a few years ago I was able to write my parents a thank you note. One to my mom for teaching me the act of forgiveness and one to my Dad for teaching me that you can right your wrongs. For many years we lived in unhealthy relationships. We went through counseling and my mom desperately wanted something more for her family and committed to have us all in church. Although my Dad sat in the pew he did not get saved until after I was married. My parents liked to socially drink and always had alcohol in the house. At 12 years old I had an injury on my horse and was unable to ride for months. I started hanging around the wrong crowd and making bad choices. I would drink my parent’s alcohol and would steal alcohol from the family that I babysat for who also happened to be my horse trainers. On my thirteenth birthday party I decided it would be fun to mix hard liquor and overdosed. When I got to the hospital the doctors had my stomach pumped. My alcohol level was so high I should have died. I was immediately sent to a Mental Health institution for 2 weeks and then to a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for 6 weeks. I was so mad and had so much hate towards my parents. I did not think I had a problem, I just had bad luck. About half way through my recovery I started to change and realized week after week when my parents would come visit me that they truly wanted the best for me. I returned home to an alcohol-free home. My parents realized my choices were a reflection of their choices. My mom and I attended Alcohol Anonymous classes where we recited the serenity prayer together a thousand times: “Dear God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.” Still one of my favorite prayers today. At 15 I had a chance for a fresh start, we moved from Pennsylvania to South Carolina. I quickly made new friends by joining the tennis team but unfortunately still managed to fall into the party scene. Remember, I did not think I had a problem so going to parties and hanging out with friends who drank should not mold my decisions. But I wasn’t strong enough to say no to temptation and started drinking again. I could never just have one, if I was going to drink I was going to get drunk. My sophomore year I started dating the son of a Church of God minister. Go God! However, at the time he was living out in the world. We started attending his church as a family, never missing a service or a youth group outing. It wasn’t long into our relationship he decided to rededicate his life to Christ and gave me the ultimatum to do the same. So I committed my life to Christ but for the wrong reasons. It wasn’t long and we broke up, however I stayed strong and found my own relationship with Christ. Go God!! If it wasn’t for this relationship I would not have met my husband, Hollie. Ever heard the song, “Unanswered Prayers”? That break-up was an unanswered prayer. As of today, I have not had a drink of alcohol since I was 17 years old (I am now 42). I don’t ever want to find out if I am truly an alcoholic or had just made bad choices. Although relaxing at home with a glass of wine sounds nice, I know as an adult I have addictive tendencies. My name is Julie Wicker and I am addicted to coffee……….Of course my husband and my children play a big role in this too, I want to continue to leave the legacy my parents have left for me. When my children were eight my relationship with Christ changed drastically for the better. I have never been a reader but was given the book Redeeming Love, not a beginner’s book but rather a 500-page novel. I could not put it down and read it in less than a week. I have been reading ever since. I can’t get enough of Christ. Go God!! I am now standing on the promise from Philippians 1:6 – He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Believing in John Wesley’s style, that the life of faith is a journey. We don’t ever fully arrive. I will leave you with a question Mark Batterson asks in his IF book: “What if everything in your past is God’s way of preparing you for something in your future?” If the answer for me is Yes, I have Godly confidence there will be more earthquakes to come. Look out world, Julie has not fully arrived…..
I encourage you to worship with “Blameless” by Dara Maclean
You too can receive God’s redeeming love through His son Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
Lamentations 3:25 NIV – The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him.
We can also honor God by seeking Him in the waiting and by continually seeing His goodness in our circumstances.
Going through a hard season? Maybe waiting for that season to end will never come. Instead of trying to rush through it, look for the positives. Look for the goodness in God Winks. Want answers? Maybe you will never find the answers. Instead of trying to figure it out, turn to God’s word for His strength. Waiting for good news? Maybe that good news looks different than you prayed for. Instead of feeling paralyzed, keep moving forward in your faith journey.
Notice how the corn stalks in this photo stand tall, reaching up to the sun. Those who hope will find God. Those who seek God will find strength. Whether you are in planting mode, harvesting mode or reaping the benefits of your labor, the Lord is good. As you seek God, I encourage you to listen and worship with “Fill The Room” by Michael Bethany.
Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You that I can put my hope in You. Thank You that I can seek You and find strength. Help me to see that You are good all the time. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.
As many of our readers know, I haven’t always been a runner. Run For God came into my life when I needed warrior-like faith. My dad had been diagnosed with stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer, and while visiting my parents, I connected with a “Run for God” book on their shelf. They had done the couch to 5k devotional program years earlier. I decided to start the journey solo and if I had personal success, I would look into starting it at our church. I not only finished the program but I also learned to use that time for prayer and worship for my Dad. Once again God nudged me to start the program at church.
I thought, who am I to lead a running program? I called my parent’s Run For God Coach, Erin Leopold, for guidance. She was able to answer all my questions and give me the confidence I needed. The program at church was a success. The support of my running group helped get me through the hardest season of my life. My dad was at the finish line for our graduation race. Not long after that he crossed his heavenly finish line. Although I still don’t understand, God has gifted me with a passion to continue in the path He has for me through my faith and running.
I was blessed to meet Coach Erin in person at my Dad’s Celebration of Life service. I am excited to share that she has recently published a book. You can find Erin Leopold’s book, “Finding My Second Wind” with Xulon Press and Amazon. Through years of undiagnosed chronic pain, she was able to find strength in God and run through her pain. She had warrior-like faith to start her own journey with Run for God and inspired me to do the same. I will be forever grateful and honor God by continually sharing my running journey with others.
Let’s pray. Dear God, Thank You that I can submit my plans to You and You will make them straight. Thank You that I can lean on You for strength and understanding. Thank You for connecting me with Godly friends. I desire to finish strong with warrior-like faith. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Dad and Mom’s Run For God Graduation Race with Coach Erin
