Exchange

By Cheri Cowell –

My grandfather told many stories of his early days as a country preacher. He told of the characters who made up his congregations (and some were real characters), and of the sacrifices he and his family made so he could follow God’s call.

One of my favorite stories was about a wedding he performed for an outlaw family “way back in the woods.” This couple wanted God’s blessing on their union even though they knew the rest of their life was not upstanding. My grandfather agreed because he believed their desire for God’s blessing might be His way of changing this family’s whole life around.

The groom’s brothers picked up my grandpa and took him so far into the woods he said he felt like he was being taken to the other side of the world. After he performed the ceremony they gave him a pig as payment, and then brought him back to the church. He never saw them again.

“Did you feel it was worth it, Granddaddy?” I asked, meaning was the exchange of vows for a pig worth it.

He replied, “My sacrifice was nothing compared to Christ’s.”

PRAYER: Thank You for the exchange You made when I had nothing of value to offer in exchange for the great gift you gave. Help me to follow Your example and to not be so worried about getting a fair deal when working with others, but willing to exchange something of real value with whatever others have to offer.

“For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Cheri Cowell, who writes and speaks on topics of Christian discipleship. In addition to her books and articles, you can learn about her speaking ministry and sign up to receive her daily devotional www.CheriCowell.com

God is Calling

By Cheri Cowell –

There are days when my phone simply rings off the hook, and it seems as though everyone I know is calling. On days like these I remember my Mother saying, “I’m going to change my name” in response to my sister and me calling her for the fifteen-millionth time. How many times were you called today? One thing is certain; God was calling you. God is calling each of us every day, and He patiently renews that call day in and day out until we finally hear His voice and answer the call. What is He calling you to? The call is different for each of us. For some, He is calling them to accept Him as Savior; for others, He is calling them into a deeper relationship. He might be calling some, asking whom shall I send, and still for others He may be calling them into a new mission and purpose for their life. And for some, He’s calling them home. God is calling, and He is calling you by name.

Chapter 42 of Isaiah ends with a description of God’s sorrow over Israel becoming blind and deaf to His calling. Then Chapter 43 begins with God saying, in spite of Israel’s great sin, He will show them His grace and love by restoring them to a place of honor—calling them by name as His chosen people. If God can do this for the very people He had chosen to bear His Son’s birthright, and who were turning their back on Him, He can do the same for you. No matter what you have done, God is still calling you by name, making you His own child, and giving you a special purpose to fulfill in His name. Wow! What a call.

PRAYER: I Praise You, God, for Your tender mercy toward me. Thank You for giving me a special role to play in advancing Your kingdom here on earth. Help me hear Your voice more clearly and to answer Your call with a hearty send me!

“But now, this is what the LORD says—He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1 NIV).

Today’s devotion is by Cheri Cowell, who writes and speaks on topics of Christian discipleship. In addition to her books and articles, you can learn about her speaking ministry and sign up to receive her daily devotional at www.CheriCowell.com

Blood Evidence

By Cheri Cowell –

DNA evidence is causing some who believed in the death penalty to revisit their convictions. Because of this remarkable technology, many who were on death row have been exonerated. No one wants to put an innocent person to death, but what if blood evidence was used to exonerate a guilty person? That wouldn’t be fair, but that is exactly what Christ did for you and me.

Our sinful natures condemn us from the beginning. There is no possibility to prove our innocence, so we are condemned to death. While sitting on death row, we hear these words, “not guilty, set free.” When we ask how this could be, we are told that blood evidence was found that set the record straight. We know we are guilty; our sins rightly convict us. So how could this be? Then the words ring forth this truth: Someone else gave His blood; and in fact, the sins of the world were found in it.

PRAYER: Thank You for taking not only my sins but also all of the sins of the world upon Yourself so that all who trust You may be set free. As I think about the precious, innocent blood that was shed and how that evidence removed me from death row, exonerating me from all condemnation, I am filled with awe. Help me to walk tall today as a free man or woman in Christ, my Savior.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For God achieved what the law could not do because it was weakened through the flesh. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1-4, NET).

Today’s devotion is by Cheri Cowell, who writes and speaks on topics of Christian discipleship. In addition to her books and articles, you can learn about her speaking ministry and sign up to receive her daily devotional www.CheriCowell.com

Your Perfect Creation

By Cheri Cowell –

A friend’s daughter came home from the doctor with a video sonogram of her first child. My friend was sharing her excitement of being able to “see” the little girl being formed in her daughter’s womb. I marveled at the idea that we could participate in this way with God’s greatest miracle: the creation of a baby. Even in the first trimester, the child’s genetic make-up is already determined. The Scriptures tell us that God is there in the “secret place” and has already written the child’s days in His book. Our God is so amazing.

Every artist is said to leave a part of his or her heart in every creation. Likewise, God’s character is in the creation of every person. When you or I criticize any part of His most precious creation, I can imagine His heartache. He is the Great Creator God and He considers you His finest creation. Think about how complex your inner being is, and how perfectly your body works: heart, lungs, blood, brain, and limbs. He is an amazing God!

PRAYER: I praise You for knitting me together in my Mother’s womb, and being there with me in that secret place. Thank You, Lord, for creating me as a perfect reflection of Your character. Help me see myself as You do—Your perfect creation.

“I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from Thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in Thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:14-16, KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Cheri Cowell, who writes and speaks on topics of Christian discipleship. In addition to her books and articles, you can learn about her speaking ministry and sign up to receive her daily devotional www.CheriCowell.com

In Wisdom and in Truth

By Cheri Cowell –

Balancing the desire to be honest and truthful with our need to be compassionate and sensitive is a difficult bill to fill. I loved the Jim Carey movie Liar, Liar. I’m not usually a Jim Carey fan, but this movie was wonderful. He played a high power lawyer who for one day, because of his son’s birthday wish, could not tell a lie. There is one hilarious scene after another as he makes his way into the office. First, while in the elevator he encounters a voluptuous woman and honestly makes a comment that gets him smacked, he then passes a receptionist who asks if he likes her new hairdo, and finally he is honest with his receptionist about cheating her out of a raise. The movie is funny, but it raises some serious questions. Is this what God meant when He told us to always be truthful? Well, we are to be honest, but we do need wisdom for the appropriate time and manner to deliver the truth.

The scribes and Pharisees had set Jesus up in a trap. If He condemned the woman before Him, He would not be showing mercy; but if He did not allow the stoning, He would have broken temple law. But they didn’t realize they were dealing with the One in who grace and truth are perfectly blended into wisdom.

PRAYER: I praise You for Your perfect wisdom, mercy and grace. My heart’s desire is always to be truthful and at the same time be wise. Thank You for standing ready to share Your perfect wisdom with me, whenever I may need it.

“Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. When they persisted in asking Him, He stood up straight and replied, ‘Whoever among you is guiltless may be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Then He bent over again and wrote on the ground. Now when they heard this, they began to drift away one at a time, starting with the older ones, until Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up straight and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?’ She replied, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘I do not condemn you either. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore’” (John 8:9-11 NET).

Today’s devotion is by Cheri Cowell, who writes and speaks on topics of Christian discipleship. In addition to her books and articles, you can learn about her speaking ministry and sign up to receive her daily devotional at www.CheriCowell.com

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