The Burning Question:
Who has inspired you to live more generously and what did you learn from them?
Morning Devotional:
A friend of mine recently recommended me to a couple who are vacationing soon and needed someone to take care of their dog for a couple of weeks. I’ve been without my dog for a couple of months now, this friend knew I wasn’t quite ready to adopt another one yet, and she thought I would be the perfect person to help this couple out. She’s right, and I have a meeting with the family – and the family dog – later this week.
Last night I became obsessed with making my house presentable for this meeting, so I started cleaning – and I mean cleaning! My house wasn’t all that bad to begin with but I was getting nitpicky about the presentation, too. I replaced candles, cleaned out the basket on my breakfast nook that holds my assortment of teas, you name it. If it needed cleaning, refreshing or organizing, I did it.
At the end of the night, I looked around my house, proud of what I had done, and thought to myself, “I did this for a dog. The dog isn’t even going to care.”
How many times have we tried to get ourselves cleaned up for God, striving for perfection only to realize you’ve missed it? The truth is, God doesn’t care about our outward appearance or our performance. He cares about our hearts. He wants us to come to Him, not because we’re perfect, but because we’re broken. He wants to heal our wounds, mend our hearts, and fill us with His love.
Let’s stop striving for perfection and start embracing God’s grace. Let’s come to Him, not with a clean house, but with the broken and contrite heart. He will meet us there, and He will fill us with His love and His peace.
– Beth
Bible Quiz:
Question: Whose bones were buried under a tree at Jabesh?
Answer: Saul and his sons (1 Samuel 31:11-13)
Storytime: Kicked off a baking show.