(1 Peter 2:21) "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."
This verse came from my devotion this morning. I came back from America after my Christmas break with my family a little down-spirited. It breaks my heart to leave my family and these days there seems to be less and less that I will leave my family for, but God is definitely one thing I WILL leave my family and my entire life behind to serve. I can think of no greater purpose in life then to serve God. He will pick up the broken pieces of my heart and use it. He suffered for us. He left his heavenly father to come here and die a painful death. He understands broken. Think about this. He left HEAVEN for us. Heaven, this magical beautiful place with no tears, no worries, and most of all no death. He truly understands broken. With this in mind, our suffering is reduced to almost nothing. One of the most incredible things is that when we, as God's people, hurt he hurts with us. He knows the outcome and he knows that our hurting is temporary and that it is according to his will. He even knows when the outcome will be incredible and the hurting is for nothing and yet he still hurts with us. Like the lion in Narnia who knew all along that the children would be okay but the lion still cried with the children because of their pure pain. This is love incomparable to any other love in the history of this world. We don't truly understand love until we understand Christ' love for us. This is the type of love we need to have for others. We need to leave our comforts behind like Christ did. We need to love and hurt with others like Christ did. You want someone to look at you and see Jesus Christ living in you? Love like he did. Leave your comfort zone in the dust. Our comfort zone is heaven. We do not have a comfort zone on earth. If we are comfortable then maybe we need to re-evaluate our lives. Let your heart break. God will use it just the same. Give others a chance to have heaven as their comfort zone. They won't know just how comfortable heaven is until you show them.
Here is the devotion I read today. I hope it blesses your life as it has blessed mine: Try to view each day as an adventure, carefully planned out by your Guide. Instead of staring into the day that is ahead of you, attempting to program it according to your will, be attentive to Me and to all I have prepared for you. Thank Me, for this day of life, recognizing that it is a precious, unrepeatable gift. Trust that I am with you each moment, whether you sense My presence or not. A thankful, trusting attitude helps you to see events in your life from My perspective.
A life lived close to Me will never be dull or predictable. Expect each day to contain surprises! Resist your tendency to search for the easiest route through the day. Be willing to follow wherever I lead. No matter how steep or treacherous the path before you, the safest place to be is by My side.
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