Zondervan - The Beautiful Word: Revealing the Goodness of Scripture

The Beautiful Word

Copyright 2016 by Zondervan

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Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

ePub Edition May 2017: ISBN 978-0-3100-9292-6

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

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Cover design: Connie Gabbert Design + Illustration

Interior design: Lori Lynch

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I n the beginning there was only God, and then He spoke. Just a few wordsand nothing became everything. Cold and empty void transformed into brilliant light and life. And the image of God was breathed into man, into woman, into us. All was beautiful, wondrous, and perfect.

And then came sin, sorrow, and separationbut then glorious hope. A Savior, a Seeker of souls, salvation! A bridge of forgiveness and relationship with God was purchased at a price beyond measure and made available to all who would believe. This eternal plan of salvation was designed by God from the very beginning.

W hat we deserveoh, what we deserve!for our sins and mistakes, for our stubbornness and pride, for our selfish and willful ways. But we are not given what we deserve. Instead, we are given grace: sweet, cleansing grace. We are neither cast away nor consumed because Gods love and compassion never fail. Each morning dawns bright and new, fresh with potential and purpose, for the Lord faithfully washes away the confessed sins of our yesterday.

We deserveoh, how we deserveso much less, yet we are given infinite and unfailing grace.

P lansdivinely promised and personal, beautifully crafted by our Creatorfor each one of us. Plans of hope, promise, and a future.

How easily we find ourselves wandering through this world, seeking which path to follow, trying first this one, then that one. What wasted time, wasted strength. And all the while the perfect planGods perfect planawaits us. We need only to call out to the Lord in prayer, seek Him with all our heart, and He is there with us. Holding us fast, lighting our way, revealing to usstep by stepHis perfect plan.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

W hen we come before God with our hearts open, souls searching, and we ask, we plead, we seek, He answers. Always.

But do we ask enough? Are our prayers bold enough, our dreams big enough? For we do not come before some earthly king who is bound by the confines of time and space or wealth and power. We come before Elohim, the Almighty, the Creator and the Ruler of all that was and is and ever will be. Our God can and does do moreimmeasurably morethan we could ever imagine. So ask! And then witness the wonders of Gods glory revealed.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.

W hatever we donot just the grand and the great, not just the wonderful and the joyful, but whatever we dowe are to do with all our heart.

How easy it would be to become lazy, to let things slip, to offer up half-hearted efforts, especially to those who do not appreciate all that we give. But we are commanded and called to a greater purpose. We are reminded that our labors are not merely for man; they are for the One whose love for us was so great that He gave us His all. How, then, could we do any less than give Him ours?

T he Lord is Light, and His Word pierces through darkness to illuminate our way. Stepping out in faith, we set our feet upon the path with His precepts guiding us, protecting us. Darkness may swirl and threaten, but we do not worry. We cast away any fears, for darkness has no power or claim on those who walk in His light.

Trusting God with our all, we feast on the richness of His Word, tasting its sweetness and inscribing its promises upon the tablets of our minds and our hearts. The Lord is good; the Lord is faithful; the Lord is our Light.

T his Spirit of God, this part of Himself that dwells deep within us, is not a tiny spark, a mere flicker of light, or a dying ember. It is a flame, bright and burning, that is fanned by faith into a towering fire of courage, strength, and power. This fire is not of our own making, but of His as His courage, His strength, His power move in us and work through us.

The Spirit of God working within us burns away doubts, vanquishes fears, and wrestles worries to the ground, enabling us to stand brave, strong, and triumphant in the face of all that seeks to discourage us.