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Abundant Life in Jesus
Devotions for Every Day of the Year
By Nancy Guthrie Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Copyright © 2011 Nancy Guthrie
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4964-0948-5
CHAPTER 1
JANUARY 1
I Am Making You into a New Person
Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-18
In your old life you lived for yourself—for what brought you temporary pleasure, for what made sense in your worldly way of thinking and had value in your worldly way of measuring worth. I love you far too much to let you linger in that old life. That life is gone for good. The old you is gone for good. I've made you into a completely new creation—fresh and new on the inside—blessing you with a fresh perspective about what really matters and a youthful vigor for pursuing me.
This newness is no self-willed fix-yourself-up, become-a-better-you self-improvement project. Your newness is not an effort I required of you but a gift from me, a work of my Spirit from start to finish.
I know I am new, and yet I find myself so easily embracing old habits, old grudges, old patterns of thinking. I'm turning toward you today, Lord, so that I can walk in this newness of life in the words I speak, the thoughts I think, the pleasures I enjoy ...
JANUARY 2
I Have More Blessing for You Than You Know
From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. JOHN 1:16
When you ask me to bless your plans, I wonder if you really know what you are asking for. To be blessed is to experience and know more of me. To ask me to bless your life and your efforts is to invite me into the center of them. That is the essence of blessing, the joy of it. Oh, how I long to bless you! I want to share from my abundance one gracious blessing after another.
To be blessed is to be deeply content in me. It is to make your home so securely in me that nothing can shake you. You can be blessed in the midst of a miserable situation, because being blessed doesn't mean you have no trouble or struggle or sorrow; it doesn't mean you always experience success and comfort. Instead, it means that in the midst of the trouble and struggle and sorrow, you find yourself deeply secure, profoundly content, and happy in me. To know me, walk with me, and share life with me—that is the essence of blessing.
I am incredibly blessed! In the hard places as well as the good times, I am finding more of you than I have experienced before ...
JANUARY 3
I Have Said "Yes!" to You
All of God's promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding "Yes!" And through Christ, our "Amen" (which means "Yes") ascends to God for his glory. 2 CORINTHIANS 1:20
Hear me saying "Yes!" to you throughout your day. By giving Jesus to you, I am living up to every promise I have made to my people throughout the ages. Into eternity you will be blessed by my abundant fulfillment of my promises to you. I've promised you peace, and I've given you Jesus, who is your peace. I've promised you joy, and Jesus is your joy. I've promised you a life that is meaningful and worthwhile, and it is Jesus living through you that makes your life meaningful and worthwhile.
Whenever you might be tempted today to think that I am withholding anything good from you, remember that I have given you my very best in giving you Jesus. In him you have everything you truly need, and more than you even know to ask for.
God, I hear you saying "Yes!" to my every need through Jesus, and I say "Yes!" in response to whatever you ask of me today ...
JANUARY 4
I Myself Will Bless You
May the Lord bless you and protect you. NUMBERS 6:24
All the goodness you desire in this life comes from me. It doesn't come from having things or enjoying pleasant circumstances, but from relationship with me. You do not have to work or manipulate to extract from me the goodness you long for and the resources you need. I give to my people freely. All I have is yours in Christ, given freely, abundantly, eternally.
To experience and enjoy my blessing, simply cling to me. Cling to me in the pleasant places of life. Cling to me in your darkest hours. Come to me early in your day and throughout your day. Remain in me when your patience is tested and your strength is gone. Rest in me when you are tempted to simmer in anger or agonize in anxiety. Whenever you are tempted to think that I have been unkind, unfair, or untrustworthy, close your eyes and hear me whispering, "I myself will bless you."
I open my hands to receive all you want to give me today.
I place my life in your hands, resting in your promise to protect me ...
JANUARY 5
I Am Working Out My Plans for This World
God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. EPHESIANS 1:9-10
When it seems to you that everything about this world has careened decidedly off course, you can rest easy, confident that everything is really falling right into place. Human history has never been determined by the decisions or actions of mere humans. And the future of this world and all who live in it will not be guided by mere fate. I am Lord over history and Lord over time, and I am guiding this world to its appointed destiny.
You do not need to live in fear that a dangerous dictator, a dreaded disease, or an environmental disaster is going to displace my plans for this world or for your life. Of this you can be certain: All of my plans will one day fall into place, and all of my promises will become the reality you will live in and enjoy into eternity future.
How I long for the day when I will see with my eyes what this world will be like under the authority of Christ ...
JANUARY 6
I Will Bless Your Brokenness
Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take this and eat it, for this is my body." MATTHEW 26:26
In this world, when something is broken, it is often considered useless and thrown away. But in my economy, brokenness is not cause for being cast aside. It is your brokenness that actually makes you useful and pleasing to me. The sacrifice I want is a broken spirit. Brokenness is not the automatic result of experiencing deep hurts; rather, it's a lifestyle of agreeing with me about the true condition of your heart. It is shattering your self-will so that the life of Jesus might spill out of your life. It is continually responding to conviction with humility and obedience.
It was in his broken body that Jesus accomplished the work of salvation. Jesus has shown you what it means to be broken and to be used by me in painful but beautiful ways.
Broken Savior, used by God, as I remember your body, broken for me, I begin to see my heart the way you do. I fall down in brokenness and repentance before you ...
JANUARY 7
Walking in My Ways Brings Real Blessing
Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. Show love to the Lord your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him. DEUTERONOMY 11:22
To know me, walk with me, and share life with me—this is the essence of real blessing. And the truth is, it is the hard things in your life that cause you to want to know me more intimately, walk with me more closely, and share life with me more fully. That is why, in the losses of life, you can find yourself blessed beyond your imagination or expectation. Because you have found more of me in these hard places.
When you look up from your hardship with a smile, you know you've moved from just hearing my Word to living it—putting it to the test. You're finding that giving is better than receiving, neediness is better than self-sufficiency, trust is better than worry. You've discovered that my Word is true, my joy is your strength, my promises are your hope, my presence is your comfort. This is the life of blessing you always longed for but didn't expect to find in this way.
What a blessing to walk with you and hold tightly to you both when the sun is shining and when there is only darkness. Lord, you are the real blessing in my life ...
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Abundant Life in Jesus by Nancy Guthrie. Copyright © 2011 Nancy Guthrie. Excerpted by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc..
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