Tuesday, August 15, 2023
I know my parents care a lot about me and my siblings, especially by the way they listen to us. They listen to me explain all of the details of my favorite books. They listen to my brothers talk through every level in a video game. They listen to my sister recount each line, word for word, in a Bluey episode. My parents love us so much, and because of that, they value our interests and passions.
The Bible tells us the greatest love story of all time—about the one true God who will never stop chasing after his children in his relentless pursuit to bring us home.
1 John 4:9-10
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
Jesus came to demonstrate how far God’s love extends to us worthless, sinful, broken people. He came to show us what he sees—our value, our goodness, our beauty—things we often can’t find on our own. God wants us to know that he delights in his children, that his thoughts are filled with love for us.
Psalm 139:17-18
17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!
18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!
God wants to have a relationship with us. He invites us in to talk to him, at any time, and no matter what we say, he won’t walk away from us.
Because my parents are so willing to listen to us, my siblings and I get excited to talk to them. We respond to their love for us with our own, looking forward to telling them all the stories and details of our day.
This is how it is with God, too. He delights in hearing our stories and listening to us ramble on about random details. He loves it when we bring our needs and our frustrations to him. He holds out his arms and welcomes us in.
How will your heart respond?
Psalm 27:8
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
Questions:
How can you prioritize finding time to spend with God? Can you hear his voice, asking you to come and talk with him? Do you believe that God cares about everything you have to say? If not, why?
Next Steps:
Find some time, even if it is just five minutes a day, to talk with God. If you like structure, try out the new CedarCreek app or look for the “Lectio 365” app to guide your prayer.
Find other ways to show God you love him—belt out your favorite worship songs in the shower, study his Word each day in The Daily section of our new App, and/or look for ways to serve in your community.
Prayer:
21 Days of Prayer
Day 2 Prayer Focus - For our Cities (2 Chronicles 7:14)
Dear God, today, we lift up each city in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. We come to you asking to see lives healed, people drawn to Christ, and your Spirit poured out in our communities. We humble ourselves, seek your face, and turn away from anything that draws us away from you, believing that you will heal families, communities, and people’s hearts. Lord, give us the wisdom necessary to unite us, and lead us in the days ahead so our cities can be a light to our nation and a testament to you, the only one who saves. We pray this in Jesus’ name—amen.
Series Theme Verse:
1 John 4:10-11
10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.