“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” John 9:3

When Jesus’ disciples saw a man who had been blind since he was born, they assumed it was the result of sin. Jesus quickly corrected their misunderstanding with the statement above from John 9:3.

God’s intention to display his glory in this man was planned before the man was born.
You see, no one had ever heard of a person who was born blind being given sight. Thus when Jesus healed him, it would be clear that the miracle was something only God could do.

Though the Pharisees questioned the miracle, the event transformed the man himself. His life became a megaphone proclaiming what God can do.

The man born blind isn’t the only person whose life has been orchestrated in order that it would be a platform for the work of God. God has a purpose for each one of us. Your whole life has been planned and prepared to be a series of opportunities for God’s work to be displayed.

Hardships, trouble, short comings, handicaps are all suitable circumstances for God’s power to be revealed in your life.

Musical talents, academic ability, technical aptitude, creative potential when used for God are also ways God exhibits his glory through your life.

God make me aware of the ways that You desire to display Your works in my life. Teach me to be obedient and humble, allowing Your glory to be revealed.

Question: How have you seen God use hardship in your own life which seems pointless at the time to ultimately display His glory to the world?

About the Author: Suzanne Benner

The problem is not that God hasn’t spoken but that we haven’t listened.

Imagine your reaction if I were to take a telephone book, open it up, and proclaim, I have found a list of everyone who’s on welfare! Or what if I said, Here is a list of college graduates! Or, This book will tell us who has a red car. You’d probably say, “Now wait a minute—that’s not the purpose of that book. You’re holding a telephone book. Its purpose is simply to reveal the name and number of residents of a city during a certain time frame.”

Only by understanding its purpose can I accurately use the telephone book. Only by understanding its purpose can I accurately use the Bible…

The purpose of the Bible is simply to proclaim God’s plan to save his children. It asserts that man is lost and needs to be saved. And it communicates the message that Jesus is the God in the flesh sent to save his children.

Though the Bible was written over sixteen centuries by at least forty authors, it has one central theme—salvation through faith in Christ. Begun by Moses in the lonely desert of Arabia and finished by John on the lonely Isle of Patmos, it is held together by a strong thread: God’s passion and God’s plan to save his children.

What a vital truth! Understanding the purpose of the Bible is like setting the compass in the right direction. Calibrate it correctly and you’ll journey safely. But fail to set it, and who knows where you’ll end up.

From Let the Journey Begin: God’s Roadmap for New Beginnings
Copyright (J Countryman 2009) Max Lucado
Used by permission.

Question: How can we make sure our compass is set in the right direction?

About this Author: Max Lucado

TheLife.com is now PowerToChange.com!

This site is maintained by TruthMedia, a division on Power to Change. Over the next days and weeks this site, along with several others will be moving into a new format branded as Power to Change.

All of your favorites will still be here along with a bunch of new features we’re excited to share with you. Now all of our audiences will have access to blogs, comments and videos along with more frequent updates, bigger images and a wider range of content.

What does your Soul Crave?
What does your soul crave? Remember this, what can settle your mind will not settle your soul. It will stir it up. You are a unique creation made by God to live and not simply exist. Your soul longs to find its ultimate purpose. It will not rest until you do. Your soul craves its destiny. Your soul desires. It always will. You were created as a creative being. You were made to grow, to dream, to achieve. Your soul is letting you know you come from God and your life is intended to be God-sized and God-inspired. Read more

Take action: The beginning of a new school year is often a time to try new things. Why not try our Investigating Spirituality online interactive life lesson?

You said it: This week, vins commented on Why is There Suffering in the World?, saying “selfishness of all causes problems.” Agree? Disagree? Read the article and add your own thoughts: Read more

Feature: Back to School Survival Guide
The campus is a new world, and here, it is not the strong but the teachable who survive. Here are some tips for student survival based on the experiences of those who have already survived. Read more

Article: Gaining Confidence as a Public Speaker
Being a good speaker and communicator is essential to having success, not just in the workplace, but in life. Public speaking may seem scary to some people. In most cases, this is due to not believing you have enough content, confidence or credibility. Read more

Coming up next week: One of the topics of our upcoming online chats is “When God Seems Hidden” Join us in the chat room September 8th 2009 @ 9:00pm EST for this chat or see also our full chat calendar for other upcoming topics.

We are filled by the Holy Spirit by faith; we can experience the abundant life which Christ promised to each Christian. You have to ask yourself: Is this the life for me?

Every day can be an exciting adventure for the Christian who knows the reality of being filled with the Holy Spirit and who lives constantly, moment by moment, under His gracious direction.

God has provided for us an abundant and fruitful Christian life so why is it that most Christians are not experiencing the abundant life? Jesus promised the abundant and fruitful life as the result of being filled (directed and empowered) by the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit-filled life is the Christ-directed life by which Christ lives His life in and through us in the power of the Holy Spirit (John 15). You too can know the adventure of a full, abundant, purposeful and fruitful life in Christ!

What does the Spirit-filled life look like?

It’s the key to a powerful Christian life and the source of joy, victory and fruitfulness and yet, many believers neither comprehend or experience the Spirit-filled life.  Just how do we follow the command to “be filled with the Spirit?” (Ephesians 5:18b) And how does it affect our daily life? Here are videos of three “word pictures” that you can use to deepen your understanding and illustrate for others what it means to be empowered by our Helper, the Holy Spirit.

The Chocolate Milk example
The Spare Tire example
The Guest or Resident example

If are considering starting a faith adventure, have questions, or just want a listening ear, we’d love to hear from you. Just go the mentoring page and one of our email mentors will respond. All emails are responded to personally and privately.

Questions about your faith

What does my relationship with Christ look like?
How can I walk in the power of the Holy Spirit?
How can I grow in my faith?
Questions about the Holy Spirit
How do I share my faith?
I have lost hope. Is my life worth it?

My faith adventure
Millions of people the world over have made the decision to allow the Holy Spirit to direct and lead their daily lives and start a faith adventure.  Here are some of their stories.

Success to Significance – I was challenged to think about what I had accomplished in my life and what I would do over the remainder of the years I may be allowed to live.

My Dreams Were too Small – When I was a young girl, my dreams weren’t much different than most girls. But the Lord graciously showed me that my dreams were too small.

New Beginnings – I wasn’t really sure of my own opinion on the existence of God, and honestly, I didn’t care but something was missing from my life.

Starving for Life and Loveliness – Have you ever felt like losing five pounds? I have -and it turned out to be the beginning of a 10 year diet which nearly killed me.

Broken on the Back Row – I felt very far away from God. It was not a comfortable place to be but it was nobody’s fault but my own.

Finding Healing After Betrayal – I was desperate, dissatisfied and in great despair. For 12 years, my wife and I had been hiding our broken and dishonest marriage.

Jesus said that he came to make all things new. His death on the cross can have a profound impact on your life. You have to ask yourself: Is this the life for me?

When asked to describe yourself do you reach for your job title? Do you define yourself by your relationships — spouse, parent, lover, friend? Do you think of your successes, your failures, your dreams, your past?

All of these are parts of who you are, but you are more than what you do, more than what you own, or where you live. You are loved by God.

You are intelligent.
You are beautiful.
You are loved.
You are not alone.

What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate? God wants to be part of your life.  Are you ready to start your own faith adventure?

If are considering starting a faith adventure, have questions, or just want a listening ear, we’d love to hear from you. Just go the mentoring page and one of our email mentors will respond. All emails are responded to personally and privately.

Questions about faith:
Who is Jesus?
Does God care about me?
Questions about life
Questions about God
How can I find peace?
How do I know if I’m a Christian?
How can I grow in my faith?

My Faith Adventure
Millions of people the world over have made the decision to invite God into their daily lives and start a faith adventure.  Here are some of their stories.

Ed’s Story: Redefining Success – I thought I was successful. I thought I could accomplish anything if I just tried hard enough. But when my son fell ill and died, I felt helpless.

Kim’s Story: Are Truth and Love in the Stars? – As long as I can remember, I’ve been looking for truth and love. I started investigating the idea that something “higher” existed in the spiritual world.

Hugh’s Story: My Search for Truth – I reasoned that man-made religions would reflect human error. As a scientitst, I used the facts of history and science to test each of the “holy” books.

Joe’s Story: Strange Road to Success – I started to see that there was another game plan besides the world’s. One that was not based on money, position or winning football games.

Christie’s Story: Unthinkable Loss – All the hopes and dreams that I had for myself and my baby were gone in that instant. I have no words to describe the pain, the utter despair I felt.

Sara’s Story: Beginning Again – Have you ever wanted to start life over again? I did. There were events in my life that left me with a longing to have a ‘new beginning’.

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

“I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me through their message” John 17:20 (HCSB).

During the Last Supper, Jesus prayed for himself, and then he prayed for the disciples.

And then, with the hour of his death approaching, he took the time to pray for you. He prayed for all those who would believe through the ministry of the disciples, and that means you.

Jesus prayed for you, and this is what he said to God:

“I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me through their message. May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I am in You. May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me.”

“I have given them the glory You have given Me. May they be one as We are one. I am in them and You are in Me. May they be made completely one, so the world may know You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

“Father, I desire those You have given Me to be with Me where I am. Then they will see My glory, which You have given Me because You loved Me before the world’s foundation” (John 17:20–24, HCSB).

What does this mean?

•  Jesus cares for you – And, in fact, he still prays for you: “Therefore He is always able to save those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25, HCSB).

•  Jesus wants you with him in heaven – “Father, I desire those You have given Me to be with Me where I am” (John 17:24, HCSB).

•  Jesus empowers you to follow God’s purpose – “I have given them the glory You have given Me. May they be one as We are one. I am in them and You are in Me. May they be made completely one, so the world may know You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me” (John 17:22–23, HCSB).

Questions: Does the fact that Jesus prayed for you make it easier to pray to Him? What difference does it make to you that Jesus is praying for you?

About this Author Jon Walker

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Quit Time, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog