Many people think that science and faith tell conflicting stories about how the universe began. But they might not be as different as you think. Scientists speak of a definite moment of creation in a vast cosmic explosion (the ‘Big Bang’), which had to be carefully adjusted for human life to be possible. Far from conflicting, the scientific picture may point us towards a supernatural creator God. What really happened back in the beginning?

Watch the video series: God and the Big Bang 

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“My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:15-16)

God spoke my son, Jeremy, into my wife’s womb, just as God spoke you into your mother’s womb. Jeremy was “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and God ordained his days, just as he’s ordained yours. (Psalm 139:14, 16 NIV)

Jeremy was one of God’s great ideas. Like you, Jeremy was an expression of God’s blue-ribbon brilliance. He was a Matisse-like masterpiece, lovingly, deliberately, and carefully created by the One True God, the creative Creator of the universe.

My son, Jeremy, died at birth because of a destructive DNA disorder called Trisomy 18, but that didn’t diminish the value of his life, his legacy, or his significance to God. Jeremy’s every chromosome fit intricately – and for now, unexplainably to us – into God’s flawless planning.

If you grasp this – “how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:18-19a) – then you’re on your way to understanding the extraordinary value of every human life, how each individual is a masterpiece created by God.

You, too, are a masterpiece created by God.

Oswald Chambers wrote, “Individual lives are the expression of a pre-existing idea in the mind of God.” In other words, every human being is a unique, one-of-a-kind, never-to-be-repeated expression of God’s incredible creativity, and as a Christian you become a unique reflection of Jesus Christ as he works through you to serve others.

The point is, God thought you up (Jeremiah 1:5), and now he lovingly thinks of you.

You are of immeasurable worth to God, and your value is not determined by your appearance or performance, or how much time or money you can contribute, or how well you sing or teach – or how long you live. The value of any container is determined by its contents, and you are a one and only, custom-made container of Uncommon Stuff – as a believer, you contain the very life of God.

Rejoice in this truth, and be set free.

What does this mean?

· God’s love transforms – When you understand your value to God, you will be less likely to sin. His love will compel you to walk in the light. If you deeply and truly understood how much God loved you, how would your behavior change?

· We devalue others – When we think in such terms as “You’re valuable to me as long as you’re useful” or “You’re valuable to me as long as I enjoy your company.” This reduces people to mere tools or objects of pleasure.

· God’s masterpiece is on the couch – If you are God’s masterpiece, so is the couch potato in your house, or the person at church who you diplomatically describe as “contrary.” (That’s the Southerner (U.S.) in me coming out – ha!)

Question: How can the fact that you are God’s valued creation encourage you when it seems like everything is going wrong?

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A Conversation about Love and God

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“Where there is no vision, the people perish…” (Proverbs 29:18 King James Version).

“If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what He reveals, they are most blessed” (The Message).

So many meanings to the word dream: to think, imagine, have ideas. An internet search reveals over 200 million sites related to that one word! People of renown have used the word to inspire and challenge: ‘I have a dream’ (Martin Luther King, Jr.); “Nothing happens without a dream” (Carl Sandburg); “Hold fast to dreams…” (Langston Hughes).

Of all people, followers of God should dream big because God is the reason for our dreaming. From the beginning of time it has been His plan that all people everywhere know of His great love. He used—and continues to use—men and women and His creation to tell the story, and the ultimate message became His very Son.

With God’s goal in mind and His Holy Spirit to empower us, we can look at the needs of the world and dream about how God would want those needs met. When God challenged Moses to lead the people out of Egypt, He asked, “What is that in your hand?” God had a dream and was ready to use Moses in the fulfillment of the dream, even when what he had in his hand looked like a mere stick of wood.

We would do well to consistently look at what is in our “hands,” consider God’s vision for the world and then dream big about how He might use us. We must constantly encourage our children and grandchildren along these same lines. Involve them early in projects where they see how their seemingly small efforts contribute to the fulfillment of God’s dream, projects such as making sandwiches for the homeless, meeting missionaries, going on short-term mission trips and living out God’s vision of love with the those around them, especially towards the un-lovely.

When we open our eyes to God’s dream—“what God is doing”—and then “attend to what He reveals”—we will be blessed.

Father, I stand in awe of exactly how big your dream is. Then I am humbled by the understanding that you have chosen me to help accomplish that dream. Guide my imagination and my dreams so that they line up with yours.

Questions: What are some dreams that you have had about being used by God? Stop right now and think about what  skills or talents do you possess that God could use in fulfilling His dream for the world?

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon, published in “Mornings & Evenings,” entry for March 28th, AM.

Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2011.

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19

The love of Christ, in its sweetness, its fullness, its greatness, its faithfulness, surpasses all human comprehension. Where will language be found which describes His matchless unparalleled love towards His children? It is so vast and boundless that, as the bird skims the water and does not dive into its depths, in the same way all descriptive words merely touch the surface, while the depths of God’s love rest immeasurably beneath. As an unknown poet once said, “O love, thou fathomless abyss!” This love of Christ is indeed measureless and unfathomable. No one can claim to have fully comprehended it.

Before we can have any right idea of the love of Jesus, we must understand His previous glory in its height of majesty, and His incarnation on the earth in all its depths of shame. When He was enthroned in the highest heavens He was very God of very God. By Him were the heavens made, and all heaven’s hosts. His own almighty arm upheld the spheres. The praises of cherubim and seraphim perpetually surrounded Him. The full chorus of the hallelujahs of the universe unceasingly flowed to the foot of his throne. He reigned supreme above all His creatures, God over all, blessed forever. Who can tell His height of glory then?

And who, on the other hand, can tell how low He descended? To be a man was something, to be a man of sorrows, far more. To bleed, and suffer, and die, these were much for Him who was the Son of God. But to suffer such unparalleled agony – to endure a death of shame and desertion by His Father, this is a depth of condescending love which the most inspired mind must utterly fail to fathom.

Herein is love! And truly it is love that “surpasses knowledge.” Let this love fill our hearts with adoring gratitude, and lead us to practical actions to live out its power in our own lives.

Question: How does love demonstrated in the life of Christ inspire you to live out a life of love yourself?

About the Author: Charles Spurgeon

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon, published in “Mornings & Evenings,” entry for November 5th, PM.

“Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4, KJV

Our Lord wishes all His children would richly possess high and happy thoughts concerning His blessed person. Jesus is not content when His sons and daughters think wrongly of Him. It is His pleasure whenever His adopted ones are delighted with His beauty.

We should not consider Him as a bare necessary, like to bread and water, but instead as a luxurious delicacy, as a rare and ravishing delight. To this end He has revealed Himself as the “pearl of great price” in its peerless beauty, as the “bundle of myrrh” in its refreshing fragrance, as the “rose of Sharon” in its lasting perfume, as the “lily” in its spotless purity. (Matthew 13:46; Song of Solomon 1:13, 2:1, 2:2, KJV)

Remember how far Christ is exalted beyond the skies, where things are measured by the only true standard. Think how God esteems the Only Begotten, His unspeakable gift to us. Consider what the angels think of Him, as they count it their highest honor to veil their faces at His feet. Consider what the blood-washed think of Him, as day without night they sing His well deserved praises.

High thoughts of Christ will enable us to act consistently in our relations with Him. The more loftily we see Christ enthroned, and the lowlier we are when bowing before the foot of the throne, the more truly we will be prepared to act our part towards Him. Our Lord Jesus desires us to think well of Him, that we may submit cheerfully to His authority. High thoughts of Him increase our love. Love and esteem go together.

Therefore, think much of your Master’s excellencies. Study Him in all His preexistent glory, before He took on Himself human form. Think of the mighty love which drew Him from His throne to die on the cross. Admire Him as He conquers all the powers of hell. See Him risen, crowned, glorified! Bow before Him as Wonderful Counselor and Mighty God, for only then will your love to Him be as it should.

Question: How has God revealed His beauty in your life lately? How can you make a point to share this with others?

About the Author: Charles Spurgeon

“… and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18

She stands watch high over Hickory Nut Gorge, topped off with a giant Stars and Stripes. As I rock on my deck, I can see her, and her flag, clearly as I gaze across the valley. She is relatively young, as the history of the earth goes, some 535 million years, give or take a million or two. I first climbed to her summit forty nine years ago this summer and have admired her majesty ever since. They call her Chimney Rock.

As I once again went to visit her a few days ago, while walking in the rock tunnel to board the twenty-six story elevator ride to the top, I saw a sign that caught my eye. It said “Rocks Can Tell a Story,” and proceeded to explain how one can examine rocks and find out all sorts of things, including the history of the world. My, how true that is.

Indeed, the planet Earth is made of rock, from the tallest mountains to the floor of the deepest ocean. Thousands of different types of rocks and minerals have been found on Earth. Most rocks at the Earth’s surface are formed from only eight elements (oxygen, silicon, aluminum, iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sodium), but these elements are combined in a number of ways to make rocks that are very different and each have a different story to tell.

Though the process is slow, rocks are continually changing. Wind and water wear them down and carry bits of rock away; the tiny particles accumulate in a lake or ocean and harden into rock again. Geologists say the oldest rock that has ever been found is more than 3.9 billion years old. Rocks and the history of the earth are synonymous.

But then I thought how rocks have a deep history in the Christian faith. Rocky sites are referred to many times in the Bible as places of refuge. There are frequent images of God as a rock, that is, a source of protection. Titles of God include: the “Stone of Israel” and the “Rock of salvation.” In Matthew Jesus’ teaching is the rock-solid foundation for life. Peter’s God-revealed confession of faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God is the foundation of the church which lays siege to the gates of Hell.

Some of the most striking and beautiful imagery of the Bible is based upon the rocks. They are a symbol of God. “Be thou to me a strong rock a house of defense to save me, for thou art my rock and my fortress” (Psalm 31:2-3)

Rocks are used for a foundation upon which to build, because they are strong and do not deteriorate. They are much like to Gospel, as it represents both strength and longevity. Jesus’ Word is strong and never changing. It is the foundation upon which we can build a secure life and an assurance of a life to come.

Question: What “rock(s)” imagery in the Bible do you find most personally compelling, and why?

About the Author: John Grant

It is a terrible tragedy for anyone to die – or to live – without knowing God. But because God so wants humankind to know Him, He reveals Himself to all people in many ways.

Pretend for a moment that we have no Bible. Looking around at creation, we nonetheless see attributes of the Creator. The more we observe the earth and the celestial bodies beyond it, the more we will be amazed – such design doesn’t happen by chance. Ponder the immutable natural laws, such as gravity, and stop to consider nature’s amazing beauty, order, balance, and intricacy that speak loudly of Someone very wise, powerful, creative, and generous. We are left with no excuse for doubting the Lord’s existence.

God also reveals Himself through the conscience He created in each one of us. (Romans 2:14 – 15) Even if our conscience is marred in our sinful state, and even if we’ve never heard the Gospel, this “inner alarm system” gives us a general sense of good and evil because we are created in God’s image. As a result, virtually no culture in the world condones sins such as murder, rape, or stealing.

Ultimately, our consciences and creation alone aren’t sufficient to lead us to complete knowledge of God. This is why God spoke His Word to us through the ages and sent Jesus, who is the full revelation of His character. (Colossians 1:15 – 20). The Spirit of God continues to reveal Himself to man – the crown jewel of His creation – because He wants each of us to truly know Him. (1 Corinthians 2:9 – 10)

Question: How has God revealed himself to you personally in your life, besides of course his Holy Word in the Bible?

About the Author: Dr. Charles Stanley

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All my life, I’ve been told that I was beautiful – by my parents, my family, and my extended church family. Never once in my life had anyone that I loved and respected planted a seed of doubt about my beauty, my smarts, or my humor. Having the benefit of validation carried me through bullying and teasing in elementary school, and gave me unbelievable confidence in both my faith in God and in myself. I was confident in my plans to become a nurse, so sure about my future. Then everything spiraled out of my control.

I noticed that my moods and emotions were getting out of control, hard for me to handle. They became so intense that I couldn’t even concentrate on anything. I would get depressed for a few weeks, then wake up feeling like I drank ten cups of coffee and ready to face the world, non-stop. This would last for weeks before I became depressed again, even suicidal.

In October of 2007, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and I haven’t looked at myself the same way since then.

In the wake of my diagnosis, I began to struggle with things that I thought I’d never have to struggle with. I was so hurt, afraid, and intensely sad. Suddenly, that beautiful, smart, funny, confident girl was gone. Even though my illness was unseen, it felt as though everyone could see it and that caused the greatest sense of shame and failure I had ever felt in my life. I could have done something to prevent it, I thought. I should’ve known.

I shrank away from church, I began to self-loathe, self-pity, criticize, and distort all that I’d known to be true about myself. When I looked into the mirror every morning, I cried because I wasn’t good enough. I was flawed, I was abnormal, I was crazy … sick.

Not Good Enough for God

Well, if I’m not good enough for myself, then I couldn’t possibly be good enough for God, I thought. Every time I thought about reading the Scriptures, praying, or going to church, I would always feel discouraged, ashamed, empty; I felt like I had nothing to offer God but anger, whys, resentments, and sorrows. A regular Cain, I was. Certainly, God wouldn’t want to hear that. I know I wouldn’t.

But a near-death situation forced me to reevaluate my life. I’d been handling my diagnosis and my relationship with God on my own terms, and I thought rather bitterly, “Pfft … how’s that workin’ for ya?”

I picked up my Bible and began to read, and that was when I allowed God to restore me.

The Lord showed me the most incredible love and mercy through that hard time.

I got on my knees and prayed Psalm 17: 6: “I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.” In that moment I released those fears, insecurities, doubts, and guilt that I had about myself and about my life with BPD. It took much consistency in prayer, reading the Word, and attending church to get me to where I am now. To get here, I had to be real, up front with God, really seeking his face to turn the view I had of myself around. He put this scripture on my heart:
Psalm 139: 14: “I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

It honestly made me smile, and filled me with peace. God did love me, he spent time making me, shaping me, and in His eyes, I would always be exactly who He made me to be: His daughter, His beloved child.

His infinite, transcendent love makes me more than a diagnosis, more than a disorder.

I could barely grasp the eternal weight of that knowledge. I am a wonderful work!

You Are a Wonderful Work!

God spent time on us. He oversaw every detail so that He could breathe life into the people we are today. Genesis 1:31: “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” God delights in his creation; God delights in us because we were made in his image. In Him, there is no shame, no guilt, no ugliness, no lack, or doubt. God loves us, His creations, His sons and daughters.

Has a diagnosis or a tough situation affected your self-esteem? Has your perception of yourself affected your perception of God? Has your relationship with God suffered because of that?

Have you been diagnosed with something and you are asking God “Why?” Are you not handling it well? Do you need to talk to someone? Talk to one of our mentors, it’s free and confidential!

Join us for our Daily Devotional Chat today in our Women’s Chatroom at 10:30 am EDT.

“By the seventh day God had finished the (creation) work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work” (Genesis 2:2, NIV).

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me,” Jesus said.  “Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest” (Matthew 11:28 The Message).

Most of us do not know how to rest. We’ve been raised on the slogan.  It all depends on how hard you work. Try harder and you’ll succeed.

It’s interesting to note that God’s order is rest before work. Even creation tells us this. God rested on the seventh day which happened to be mankind’s first day on planet earth. What’s the message? It all depends on God working through me, not in my own frenetic efforts to get the work done.  God wants us to work in a restful frame of mind.

“Walk with Me and work with Me–watch how I do it,” Jesus said. “Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message).

“The best thing I can do for my world is to know God in such a way that others will look at my life and want to know him too,” says Jill Briscoe.

Father, I want to work in sync with you today. I don’t want to run ahead or lag behind. Help me to be alert and sensitive to your leading. Thank you for the privilege of working with you.  Amen.

Questions: How does one work in a restful frame of mind? What is the most important thing that we can do for our world?

About the Author Helen Grace Lescheid