Intimately Known

You made my whole being; you formed me in my mother's body. I praise you because you made me in an amazing and wonderful way.

Psalm 139:13-14

You were a planned pregnancy. You weren't a random egg that just happened to be fertilized by a random spermatozoon. You were - and are - a beloved child, wanted, planned for, and created with a specific purpose and place in this world long before you even entered it. Psalm 139 gives evidence to that fact and is an important touchstone to hold on to any time your self-worth begins to waver.

The Hebrew word created means much more than "made." It conveys the joy and pride that come from acquiring an exquisite handmade possession. You were made by an almighty hand with great thought and care. This process is described as "fearful" because of how indescribably awe-inspiring it is. Just thinking about this miracle is enough to bring you to your knees.

That's exactly what it did to David, the writer of this psalm. As David thought about the individual attention to detail God took in creating him, God's goodness and power overwhelmed him. His automatic response was to praise God for what he'd done. Consider the miracle of your own creation by considering David's words. Think about the intricacy of the inner workings of your body, your unique physical frame, and the specific personality traits that make you, you. Then do as David did. Thank God for who he created you to be and for the purpose he has for your life.

Your value isn't determined by your performance, your appearance, or your position in this world. Your value was determined the moment God put his love for you into action by knitting you together.

Source: The 100 Most Important Bible Verses

Pray to God and give thanks for he created you perfectly to be YOU. God knows your mind and body and He has created you with purpose. Take time today to pray to God and begin a conversation (if you have never done so before) to your best friend, Our Savior. Confess with your mouth all the care you need and also praise with your mouth all the good that God has done for you, and will do for you. For God listens to the prayers of His children. God is GOOD ALWAYS. ~ MME Team

Living Life to the Fullest

Jesus said, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life,and that they may have it more abundantly."

John 10:10

          Jesus often used parables and metaphors to help people get a better picture of the principles and truths he was talking about. He referred to himself as things like a vine, a lamb, or a bridegroom. He also described himself as the Good Shepherd. He wanted his followers to understand the difference between how a good shepherd cares and sacrifices for the benefit of his sheep, while thieves and hired hands use sheep only to benefit themselves. Jesus wanted them to know he was a leader who always had his followers' best interests at heart.

          Jesus proclaimed the end result of this tender care for his sheep, which makes the verse one of the most important verses in the Bible. It is Jesus's statement of purpose; it is his promise to those who follow him. That includes you. What Jesus promised is life. Not just ordinary, breathing-in-and-breathing-out, making-it-by-the-seat-of-your-pants life, but an authentic, eternal, hang-on-to-the-seats-because-another-miracle's-coming abundant life.

          The kind of abundance that Jesus promised is a measure of the quality of life, not the quantity of possessions. You can't measure this abundance in square footage or bottom lines. Jesus promised to provide a surplus of what makes life worth living - things like love, grace, guidance, forgiveness, and joy. These are Jesus's gifts to you, a life that is overflowing with riches of the heart that no one can ever take away.

          Keeping in mind Jesus's promise to you of an abundant life gives you reason for constant hope and thanks. It also fosters contentment by helping you find joy in the abundance of what matters most.

          Pray to praise a God who knows exactly what we need and when to provide it in abundance.

          Pray for wisdom from God to guide your purpose for living; to live for quality of life not quantity of possessions. Do not live as the people of this earth do; but live as people of God. For we are not home yet. ~ MME Team

          

Joint Venture

What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own.

1 Corinthians 12:20

         Your body is the perfect picture of how God designed community to work. Every part is interdependent and is vital to the health and strength of the other parts. If your lungs took the day off, your brain would cease to function. If your muscles went on strike, your feet wouldn't be able to get you out of bed and off to work. 

         Paul's picture of the cooperative human body illustrates how every individual is vital to the health of God's church as a whole. It also demonstrates how every part is significant. One part isn't more important than another. You should not regard the person who preaches on Sunday morning as more important than the one who cleans the building before the service. Each individual is necessary. Every gift God gives has a purpose a place to help fulfill his perfect plan. 

         People often encounter two pitfalls when they evaluate their significance by comparing their gifts with others': (1) they believe their gifts are too small or too big, or (2) they feel that what they do really doesn't matter or that everything would fall apart without them. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians guide you toward the true measure of significance. Through you are of eternal significance to God, your significance on this earth comes solely from what you are a part of - God's body here on earth.

         Understanding your significance, and the significance of others, will help you keep a humble, realistic view of yourself. It will also enable you to work more harmoniously in community with others.

         Pray for grace and mercy in all that God provides you to do as a community - as the body of Christ. For all that is done is for his glory and honor. ~ MME Team

More Than Meets the Eye

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

                      

          The apostle Paul had a difficult life. He was beaten, imprisoned, stoned, whipped, slandered, and shipwrecked. Through it all, however, he continued to tell others with joy, hope, and conviction about what Jesus had done. God had called Paul for his purpose. Paul knew God was at work behind the scenes, transforming every circumstance into something that would bring glory to God and good into Paul's own life.

          Paul said "we know" with assurance. He did not write "we hope" or "we feel" or even "we pray." God's loving involvement was, and is, an irrefutable fact. When Paul spoke of those people who God calls for his purpose, Paul was talking about every child who responds to the call of his or her heavenly Father. In the same way that an earthly father cannot show a child something wonderful until the child responds to his call to "come here," God promises to work only wonderful things in the lives of those who follow him.

          The good that God worked in Paul's life, and that he vows to work in yours, is not a promise of perfect happiness. It is a promise of eternal purpose. God's plan for you to know him and to spend eternity with him is steadfast. In addition, God will use the pain and the disappointment  in your life. He will use them to do something beautiful, to turn heartache into strength and sorrow into joy.

          When you are facing difficult circumstances, remember that God is at work transforming everything that happens, both good and bad, into something beneficial for you.

          Pray for obedience to God that you live your life according to his heavenly purpose, to make his pathways straight and for you to glorify him in all circumstances. 

          God bless, ~ MME Team