A Cellist in the Tuba Section

Hebrews 2:18  For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 4:15-16 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. These passages are discussing Jesus: God in the form of a human. God, out of His great love for us, chose to come to earth as a human to save us, and since Jesus walked in human form, He understands what it feels like to face temptation (Matthew 4:1-11), to lose a loved one (John 11:1-44), to be betrayed (John 13:21-30). Jesus relates to the experiences you are going through because He experienced similar things. So, when you feel as though there is absolutely no one who understands, remind yourself that you can always run to Jesus, and He will always understand. An...

Genesis 6:6 And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart . (ESV) (I know that that does not sound like an optimistic way to start a devotional, but bear with me for just a moment.) The thing that sticks out to me from this verse is the word "regret". I think so often in our culture, we feel that regrets mean we've done something wrong. But it doesn't. God is perfect, so He never messed up, and yet He is capable of feeling regret. So, regret is not a sin indicator. I think that often the devil uses regret to try to make us turn around, even if we're headed on the right path. For example, let's say you knew that your friends were cheating on a test, so you told the teacher. If they made fun of you or got mad at you later, you might regret your decision to tell the teacher what was going on. That doesn't mean you did the wrong thing--you very much did the right thing by telling your teacher what happened and try...

Job is usually not a favorite book of the Bible for most people because it contains a lot of suffering and loss. However, when God responds to Job, He expresses how much higher He is than we are, and I love reading of His power. Job 38:22-24 Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?  (ESV) This passage amazes me (and feel free to check out the rest of Job 38 for more imagery about the power of God). God coordinates so much from His throne. He is in control of the snow and hail falling and light breaking forth upon the earth. It's amazing to think of all that God has to do, and yet He is never too busy to listen to us and speak with us through His Word and His people. Rejoice today that God, who controls the whole world, loves you and invites...

It used to rule my life: the desire to be chosen by a guy. To be liked and get flowers and chocolates. To get asked to prom. To feel singled out for affections, chosen in the most glorious way I could imagine. In high school, I would plan outfits to try to catch a guy's attention. I would analyze a guy's actions with my closest friends for days. And it did nothing to fulfill me. It only made me feel like I had wasted a lot of precious time. Looking back, I realize I really did waste a lot of time obsessing over opinions that don't matter. Sometimes it was a teacher who I wanted to impress or someone I wanted to become friends with, but for the most part, it was usually the opinion of a guy I liked that mattered most. The desire to be chosen by a guy doesn't rule my life anymore. There are days when controlling my desire to be chosen is an uphill battle, and days where I lose that uphill battle, but I am no longer consumed every day by the stress of being perfect enoug...

Have you ever been sitting with a group of people and felt like your friends don't know the real you? Sometimes it can be really hard to show people the most authentic version of yourself, and sometimes Satan uses this to gain a foothold in our heads. He whispers, "No one knows the real you. If they knew what you've done, they wouldn't like you." In those moments, it will be very difficult to feel valuable and loved. However, Satan whispers lies. Jesus loves you, and there is no one who can ever know you as deeply as Jesus does. He sees all you've ever done, all you'll ever do, and knowing all there is to know about you, He chose to die for you so that you will have hope for eternity. So do not believe the lie that you have to hide behind a mask. There is someone who sees past all your masks and loves you more deeply and fully than you could ever fathom. Romans 5:6-8  For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one ...