Month: December 2012

God never made a person that he didn’t love. He made you; he loves you; and God doesn’t make junk! He loves you unconditionally. He loves you very, very much.

Do you know the secret to self-esteem? If you want confidence, then understand how much you matter to God and if God loves you, who cares what anyone else thinks? Because God loves you, there’s no need to prove yourself worth. We don’t have to wear certain kinds of clothes to make us feel like we’re okay, or drive a certain kind of car to prop up our faltering egos. We don’t need status symbols anymore.

Isn’t it good news to know that God never gives up on you? No matter what you do, his love never gives up. It’s wide enough to include everybody and it’s long enough to last forever. Accept his love and worship him, knowing that his love is long enough to last for all time!

Ephesians 3: 18-19
18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

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

Source: Rick Warren Youversion.com reading plan

Ephesians 4:24 NLT
Put on your new nature, created to be like God – truly righteous and holy.

God uses his Word, people, and circumstances to mold us. All three are indispensable for character development. God’s Word provides the truth we need to grow, God’s people provide the support we need to grow, and circumstances provide the environment to practice Christ-likeness.

If you study and apply God’s Word, connect regularly with other believers, and learn to trust God in difficult circumstances, I guarantee you will become more like Jesus.

Many people assume all that is needed for spiritual growth is Bible study and prayer. But some issues in life will never be changed by Bible study or prayer alone. God uses people. He usually prefers to work through people rather than perform miracles, so that we will depend on each other for fellowship. He wants us to grow together.

In many religions, the people considered to be the most spiritually mature and holy are those who isolate themselves from others in mountaintop monasteries, uninfected by contact with other people.

You cannot grow to Christ-likeness in isolation. You must be around other people and interact with them. You need to be a part of a church and community.

Why? Because true spiritual maturity is all about learning to love like Jesus, and you can’t practice being like Jesus without being in relationship with other people, I encourage you to do just that!!

Source: Rick Warren’s Youversion.com Bible Reading plan