Lost in the Parking Garage
Read The Daily:
And now you also are covered by the truth, the Good News of your salvation. When you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us by his blood to be his own people. He livens us to become his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14
Alisha shared this story about getting lost in a parking garage, driving in circles for what felt like forever. Her 10-year-old daughter finally pointed out they were going in circles before she did. It’s a funny, relatable moment, right? We’ve all been there, feeling like we’re stuck, going nowhere, even when we think we’re moving. She connected it to how we can get stuck mentally, emotionally, or by past mistakes, feeling like we’re just going in circles in life.
It’s easy to get stuck in an identity that isn’t from God. Maybe we’ve accepted the label of ‘not good enough’ or ‘too broken’ because of past mistakes. We might look okay on the outside, but on the inside, we’re sad, searching in all the wrong places for who we are. It’s exhausting trying to be better, do better, be a better mom, a better person, all while feeling like we’re failing. But God’s perspective is different. He doesn’t see our mistakes; He sees His Son in us.
Ephesians tells us that before the world was even made, God loved us and chose us. He adopted us into His family. He sees us as holy and without fault. That’s not based on our performance; it’s based on His decision. So, just because you feel like you’re going in circles doesn’t mean that’s where you’re supposed to stay. God has a different path for you, one where you don’t have to keep trying to earn your way. You are already accepted.
Check out c3church.tv/whatsnext to see how you can help us build What’s Next at C3
Prayer for the Day
God what are you showing me? What am I going to do about it?
God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?
Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.
Read The New Testament In A Year
Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back–given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.” He quoted a proverb: “‘Can a blind man guide a blind man?’ Wouldn’t they both end up in the ditch? An apprentice doesn’t lecture the master. The point is to be careful who you follow as your teacher. “It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this I-know-better-than-you mentality again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your own part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. “You don’t get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It’s who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds. “Why are you so polite with me, always saying ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘That’s right, sir,’ but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on. “If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss.” Luke 6:38-49
Regarding the relief offering for poor Christians that is being collected, you get the same instructions I gave the churches in Galatia. Every Sunday each of you make an offering and put it in safekeeping. Be as generous as you can. When I get there you’ll have it ready, and I won’t have to make a special appeal. Then after I arrive, I’ll write letters authorizing whomever you delegate, and send them off to Jerusalem to deliver your gift. If you think it best that I go along, I’ll be glad to travel with them. I plan to visit you after passing through northern Greece. I won’t be staying long there, but maybe I can stay awhile with you–maybe even spend the winter? Then you could give me a good send-off, wherever I may be headed next. I don’t want to just drop by in between other “primary” destinations. I want a good, long, leisurely visit. If the Master agrees, we’ll have it! For the present, I’m staying right here in Ephesus. 1 Corinthians 16:1-8