black sheep

If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?
- Luke 15:4 (NLT)
 
I wasn't one of the popular kids in school. I had a couple of friends in grade school, but as we moved into junior high and high school, we grew apart. I never really felt like I was part of the group. And if I'm being truthful, even as an adult, I sometimes still feel like I'm on the outside looking in. I have over 1,500 friends on social media, but sometimes I wonder how many of them would drop everything to pick me up if I fell. Maybe you've felt that way too. Surrounded by people, yet somehow feeling alone. Wondering where you fit in, or whether anyone would even notice if you weren't there.
Ben Fuller has a song called Black Sheep, and it got me thinking about what it means to feel like the one who doesn't belong.
In Luke 15, Jesus tells a story about a shepherd with a hundred sheep. When one goes missing, he doesn't shrug his shoulders and decide that ninety-nine is good enough. He goes looking for that one lost sheep, and he doesn't stop until he finds it. To the shepherd, that one sheep matters.
And to Jesus, so do you.
The world may measure our worth by popularity, friendships, followers, or how well we fit into the crowd. But God doesn't measure us that way. He knows us individually. He notices when we're missing. And He loves us enough to come looking.
So if you've ever felt like the black sheep, the odd one out, or the person standing on the outside looking in, remember this:
You may feel like you're just one in a hundred, but you're never just a number to God.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

one step back

Come near to God and He will come near to you.
- James 4:8a (NIV)
 
I have a friend who experienced something incredibly traumatic in her life. I'm not going to share the details because it's not my story to tell. But before this happened, she knew God. She attended church every Sunday. She even taught Sunday school. And then something happened that shook her world so deeply that she turned her back on God.
I think more people can relate to that than we realize. Sometimes life hurts so badly that we find ourselves asking, God, where were You? How could You love me and allow this to happen?
There's an old hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, with a line that says, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love.”
Even when we love God, we can lose our way. Sometimes we wander because we're distracted. Sometimes because we're angry. And sometimes because we're hurting so badly that we don't know how to find our way back.
Matthew West has a song called Back to Jesus, and the message is beautifully simple: No matter how far we've wandered, it's only one step back to Jesus. James 4:8 doesn't say we have to have all the answers before we come near to God. It doesn't say we have to understand everything that's happened or pretend we're not hurting. It simply invites us to draw near. And here's what I love most: Even when we've turned our backs on God, He hasn't turned His back on us.
Maybe today you're struggling with something you don't understand. Maybe you're angry with God. Maybe you've been keeping your distance for a long time.
You don't have to figure it all out today. You can come to Him with your questions, your anger, and your broken heart.
He's still there.
And it's only one step back.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

the road ahead

A man's heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.
- Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)
 
We're heading out on a little camping adventure, and I'm looking forward to getting away for a few days! There's something exciting about packing up and hitting the road. We know where we're going, we've made our plans, and we have a pretty good idea of what the adventure will look like.
But if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that adventures don't always go according to plan! Sometimes you take a wrong turn and discover something beautiful. Sometimes the weather changes your plans. And sometimes the most memorable part of a trip is something you never expected.
Life works that way, too. We make plans for our careers, our families, our futures. We have an idea of where we want to go and how we intend to get there.
But God sees the whole road, including the curves, detours, and unexpected destinations we can't see yet. We don't have to know every turn in the road when we trust the One who's guiding us.
So here's to new adventures, unexpected blessings, and trusting God with whatever lies around the next bend!
 
Hey, I thought I should let you know, I will be taking Friday off while we're camping but I'll be back Monday!
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

25¢

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
- Galatians 6:10 (NIV)
 
Last November, the U.S. Mint stopped producing pennies. It was costing 3.69¢ to make a coin worth just 1¢!  
Pennies are still legal tender, but cash transactions may now be rounded to the nearest nickel when exact change isn't available. There's your little currency lesson for today. Now, here's why I brought it up:
Last week, we stopped at a convenience store for fuel and a soda. The soda was $2.29, so I handed the cashier three dollars. With the rounding, I expected 70¢ back. He handed me some quarters, and off we went. When I looked down, I realized he'd given me four quarters. Now, I'm the first to admit that I don't do math, but even I knew that was too much change!
I turned around, went back inside, and handed him one of the quarters. He seemed genuinely surprised that I'd come back to return it, it was only 25¢. But it wasn't mine.
Paul reminds us to do good whenever we have the opportunity. Sometimes those opportunities are big, life-changing moments. Other times, they're as small as a quarter.
Doing the right thing isn't about how much it costs. It's about who we are when we have the choice.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible 

take heart

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
- John 16:33 (NIV)
 
Some days, I wonder what in the world is happening to our world. Turn on the television, scroll through social media, or read the headlines, and there's no shortage of things to worry about. Conflict, anger, division, uncertainty. Sometimes it feels like the bad news just keeps coming.
It's enough to make anyone weary. But Jesus gives us a beautiful reminder: Take heart!
Notice He doesn't say life will be easy. In fact, He tells us quite plainly that we WILL have trouble. That's not exactly the comforting part of the verse, is it? The comfort comes in what He says next.
“I have overcome the world.”
We may not be able to change everything happening around us, but we can choose where we place our hope. Not in politicians, headlines, or circumstances, but in the One who has already overcome it all.
The world may be uncertain, but God isn't.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

I will

I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.
- Ezekiel 36:27 (NKJV)
 
Two little words caught my attention when a friend sent me this verse last week – “I will”.
Not I might. Not I'll think about it. Not even I'll try. I will.
How often do we make promises with the best intentions, only to find that life gets in the way? We forget, we get distracted, or circumstances change.
But when God says, "I will," He means it. And what a beautiful promise this is! God doesn't just give us a list of rules and expect us to figure everything out on our own. He promises to put His Spirit within us, guiding us, strengthening us, and helping us walk in His ways.
We won't always get everything right. We'll stumble, make mistakes, and occasionally head in the wrong direction. But we don't have to walk this journey alone.
God's Spirit is within us, and His faithfulness doesn't depend on our ability to be perfect.
He said, "I will." And that's a promise we can trust.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

from my driveway

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
- Genesis 9:13 (NIV)
 
Last Thursday brought storms through our area. Afterward, pictures started popping up from people who had seen beautiful rainbows—some captured the entire arc, and some even saw double rainbows.
I walked outside and looked up.
From my driveway, I couldn't see the whole thing. Just one incredibly vibrant piece stretching through the clouds.
But what a piece it was.
After the flood, God placed the rainbow in the sky as a sign of His covenant. A rainbow doesn't create God's promise. It's a reminder of one He already made.
And maybe that's why I love the view I got.
Someone else could see the whole rainbow. Someone else got two. I only saw a piece—but their view didn't make mine any less beautiful.
Sometimes we do the same thing with God's goodness. We look at someone else's life and see what appears to be the whole rainbow while we're standing in our own driveway holding one little piece.
But God's faithfulness isn't determined by how much of it I can see.
A rainbow requires both light and rain. I'd certainly prefer the sunshine without the storm, but together they create something neither one can produce alone.
The rainbow isn't a promise that there will never be another storm. It's a reminder that God will still be God when the storm is over.
I may not always understand the rain. I may only see a piece of what God is doing.
But I can trust the One who made the promise.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible