Please open your Bible and read Isaiah 1:10-20.

How do people know that you are a Christian? Is it because they know that you go to church on Sunday, go to Bible studies, and go on retreats? Is it because you spend most of your time with other believers and avoid tempting environments? Is it because you don’t drink, smoke, or wear immodest clothing?

As Christians, sometimes we are so concerned with pleasing God and appearing holy that we forget God loved us first, in our brokenness. God loves us deeply as we are and desires for us to love Him in gratitude. God wants us to share this love with others.

In Isaiah chapter 1 we see the Israelites doing all of the sacrifices that their religion requires, without a repentant and open heart. They are mindlessly following a cultural tradition. They have forgotten God loved them first and are instead completely concerned with what they thought an obedient follower of God should be doing.

God responds to the Israelites’ “sacrifices” with hate and refuses to look and listen to them (Isaiah 1:14-16.)

God does not ask us to become Christians of our own accord. He offers a flowing, ceaseless river of life that can cleanse us of our worldly habits and teach us how to live in Christ (Isaiah 1:18.) This can only happen when we admit our dependence on God and his Holy Spirit.

God begs us to let Him wash us clean of our faithlessness and, “Learn to do good, seek justice, help the oppressed, defend the orphan, and fight for the rights of widows.” (Isaiah 1:17, NLT)

May the living water of our faith attract thirsty souls to the cleansing water of Jesus Christ. Pray that those with a thirst for God see our actions not as cultural tradition but as true life.

Question: What are some of the misconceptions about Christianity that hinder people from accepting its life-giving power?

“But he [Jesus] looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:’Thestonethatthebuildersrejectedhasbecomethecornerstone’?”   (Luke 20:17)

The italicized part is hard to read, isn’t it? The words have to be broken apart and separated just right in order to read what is says:

The-stone-that-the-builders-rejected-has-become-the-cornerstone

The same is true with our lives. When we give it to Christ, He takes the jumble we have made and breaks it a part so He can then put it back together the right way. Only then do our lives make sense.

Perhaps you have heard people say they have been broken by Christ. Being a Texas gal, I thought of that in the same as you’d break a bucking bronco to accept a bridle and saddle. It was taming my will to be in line with His and  letting Him direct my paths. And, yes, that is true.

But, look what the next verse, verse 18 says -

“Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

Humanity has a choice. Choose to fall on Christ and be broken so we can have our lives put back together by the Grace of God, or have His judgment fall on us and be crushed.

Pretty harsh statement.  But, because of our sinful and selfish nature, we are out of whack. Like Humpty Dumpty we have broken lives. But instead of admitting we can’t be put back together again by human means, we have tried to piece together our lives-

Thesto nethat thebuil dersre jected has be come thecorner stone. 

and failed miserably to make sense our lives. Like the example above, some pieces of our lives may makes sense, but not all of it.

The good news? God is in the restoration business. He takes broken lives and makes sense out of  them. Over and over again. Through Christ’s love, and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can be put back together again so we will be in the correct relationship with God. Since God alone knows our purpose for which He has created each of us, He is the only one who can put our lives back together correctly. We can’t.

What happens when sin comes back in our lives, which will happen as long as we are on earth because that is our nature? Each time we fall back into sin,  He will give us the same two choices – voluntarily be broken, or be crushed. Fall on Jesus or have righteous judgment fall on you and me. Either way, that sin which has attached itself to us must be broken away or our lives will once again be out of whack. Until our Lord’s loving hands correct us and put things back in order, our lives won’t make sense.

Question – What choice will you make – voluntarily fall on Jesus, or be crushed?

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Frustration and even anger can play at the edge of our hearts when it seems that God does not hear us nor rescue us in situations as we think He should.

We begin to pray less.  We find our hearts have quit expecting anything from God. Trust in His goodness can melt away in the heat of our struggle and God’s silence.

Countless Christians have experienced their prayers erode to a trickle of empty words of habit or panic button prayers. Some lose faith when life’s hard circumstances make no sense and God fails to intervene as they think He should. Others simply get too busy to bother. Many experience feeling let down and disappointed by the church or other Christians and paint God with the same brush.

It’s easy to begin depending on our own best thinking when we lose heart in expecting God to answer our prayers. Trusting God, when our path in life grows muddy, is not an easy task. The mud of weariness, busyness and hurt can cause us to trip and even fall. We wonder how we will ever get up again. Faith can feel like a thread that threatens to break.

Trusting God with your life, even when it makes no sense to you, is to choose to grab hold of the pearl of wisdom. As Christian women we know the vital connection prayer is to our God, yet we can let it slip away from fingers muddy from falling. We must be deliberate in choosing to cling to it. There is great wisdom and reward in depending on our God even in the silence.

Maintaining that vital connection to God in prayer is a choice. Step by step, through the fog on our pathway, we can choose to trust that God has our best interest at heart and lean on His strength to get us through our day… or … we choose to shrug Him off with little expectation and lean wearily on our own understanding.

When we live our lives with prayer on the fringe we are really telling God that we don’t trust Him. Often with our lips we declare trust but with our lives we show that we really don’t believe He will see us through. Ask yourself the hard questions…

* Do I really trust God to have my best interest at heart?

* Do I really believe He will strengthen me today to walk where I need to walk…even in the dark and the silence?

Choose to increase your trust in God and to bring prayer into focus from the fringe of your life. These steps will help you firmly grasp that treasured pearl…and you will discover the wisdom of depending on God. Choose to TRUST.

* T – Thanks
Thank God for the things He has done in your past. Go back as far as you need to.

Begin to chart His track record in your life. Ask Him to remind you of times past when He was there for you. Then find something in your life today to be grateful for. Living thankfully is God’s will for your life.

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”(1 Thessalonians 5:18).

* R – Repent
Say you are sorry to God for intentionally allowing things in your heart and your life that you know would disappoint Him. Having a rebellious heart toward God’s ways in one area of your life can cause your prayers to hit the ceiling in other areas. Take an inward look and ask for God’s help in changing attitudes, thoughts, motives and actions that need a correction.

“If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened: but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer” (Psalm 66:18 & 19).

* U – Unify
Unify broken relationships. Whether you have offended someone or have been offended, God leaves the ball in your park to seek restoration. If restoration isn’t possible give God the broken pieces and ask Him to root resentment out of your heart. Bringing peace to fractured relationships brings blessing.

“Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

* S – Share
Share the journey. When times are tough and trust wears thin, find a friend to pray with you and for you. Tell someone your struggle and ask her to walk with you awhile on the road of life. Getting help in our weakness leads to healing and to power in praying.

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

* T – Take time
Take time to spend with God. If your heart is dry set aside some time to listen to praise music and use the words of the songs as prayers from your heart. Till up the ground that has become hard from the worries of life. Learn to spend time in the presence of the Lord and find refreshing beyond what you can imagine.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” (Psalm 91:1 & 2).

Depend on God in new ways today. Trust Him… even in the silence and in the dark. The wisdom of depending on God will bring results in your life that will surprise you.

“My God, in whom I trust”… with expectation!

Questions: Do you really trust God to have your best interest at heart? Do you need to give God the broken pieces and ask Him to root resentment out of your heart? What can you do to refresh your soul?

About the Author Gail Rodgers

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, The Grandest Subject, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10

Jesus’ coming to earth was good news. It would bring joy to all people because He would reconcile them to God.

This Christmas, let us remember that Jesus came to bring joy.

Not just the joy of giving and the joy of spending time with loved ones, but the joy of having our sins forgiven, the joy of a life committed to God, the joy of having a purpose on earth and an eternal home in heaven.

There are many things that steal our joy – things like selfishness, busyness, and unrealistic expectations. Even though it’s Christmas time, we can find ourselves lacking joy.

If your joy seems to have been drained away, recall Jesus’ words regarding the way to joy.

“If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:10, 11)

Our obedience to God and His ways is what gladdens our hearts. When we are in right relationship with Jesus, He gives us joy.

King David knew that sin kept him from experiencing God’s pleasure. When he repented of his wrongdoing, he asked God to “Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Psalm 51:12).

Let Jesus bring you joy this Christmas by surrendering yourself completely to Him.

Questions: Is this a different way for you to look at joy? If so, how has it changed your perspective? When have you experienced a restoration of joy after you confessed your sin?

About this Author: Suzanne Benner