Casandra Martin

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’” – Matthew 25:21

We all need to hear it. Affirming words are a tonic for the heart. They have the power to reignite passion, fine tune perspective, and deepen connection. When we make the deliberate move to speak affirming words to one another, we are helping to cement the transformation we see God working in our lives.

Affirmation makes the choice to speak to someone’s heart. It shines a light on what is true and right in their lives. It upholds the standard of Jesus and celebrates how He is making a difference in the everyday moments. Affirming words help uphold the new growth, true beauty, or deep commitment you see taking shape in someone’s life. It is a powerful gift.

Affirming words are not drippy compliments fixed in a motive to get ahead or be viewed favorably. Affirmation is a sacrifice. It requires time to see and observe the movement of God in another’s life. It demands transparency and vulnerability as we plant blessing, encouragement, honor, and truth in someone’s heart. It means we must stop in the middle of busy lives, pressured schedules, and urgent demands and do the slow, quiet work of confirming God’s goodness and the power of His grace in the life of someone else. It is an investment of the heart that reaps its rewards in courage, confidence, and surety of purpose.

My Jesus Resolution today is to be an affirmer. I am going to take the opportunity today to point out the good God is doing in someone’s life. I am going to cheer when I see courage. I am going to applaud when I see new growth. I am going to wrap my arms around the heart of a friend and tell them that they look like Jesus. I am going to celebrate the small moves toward maturity that I see in my children, and not be shy about telling another that they have done a good job. I want to be an affirmer because Jesus is an affirmer. Listen carefully today. If you do, you will be able to hear Him say, “Well done.”

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” – Psalm 51:10

Creation is God’s great act of delight. In Genesis 1 and 2, God takes a formless and vacant world and fills with it with a symphony of beauty. Light floods across the cosmos. Waters sparkle next to beaches. Giant whales take their place next to microscopic krill as the oceans teem with life. Vegetation, fruit, flowers, trees, and grasses paint the land with their subtle colors and splashes of joy. The sun, moon, and stars take their place in the sky, lining up like dancers waiting to move across the heavens.

God speaks, and creation explodes across the canvas of the universe. He fills every corner with His purpose, displaying His power and showcasing His passion. Creation points us to His heart. It declares His glory and sings His praise. It stands as a reminder of His tender care and intimate involvement in every part of our lives. What He forms, He fills. What He shapes, He sanctifies. What He creates, He consecrates.

David looks at his heart, blackened by sin, and asks God to create within him a new heart, a clean heart, a whole heart. When we ask God to create a clean heart within us, we are doing more than asking for a blank slate. When God creates, He pours His heart into it. He fills it with Himself. He shapes it for His glory, transforming it for His purposes. When we ask Him to create a clean heart within us, we are asking for all the power revealed in Genesis 1 and 2 to be unleashed inside of us. We are asking for light to replace darkness, for order to rise out of chaos, and for fullness to overflow into what was empty and formless.

My Jesus Resolution today is to pray David’s prayer. My heart echoes David’s cry. I look at my misguided choices, misplaced motives, and misdirected ambitions and know that I need a clean heart. One that will mirror His character, echo His desires, and reverberate with His grace. In asking the Creator to work within me, I am asking for doubt to give way to delight, guilt to flee before the power of grace, and barrenness to be transformed by beauty.

I just finished reading Leviticus. After the story-driven narratives of Genesis and Exodus, it is sometimes hard to dive into the lists of laws, dietary restrictions, and sacrifices. There are rules for everything – property sales, relationships, personal hygiene, planting and harvesting crops, and forbidden foods. Sometimes my eyes swim and the page starts to blur as I read command after command that delve deeply into the most personal aspects of Israelite life.

Amid all the lists, rules, commands, and guidelines, it is important to catch the foundation for all of God’s laws. “You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.” – Leviticus 20:26.

Holiness is at the root of Leviticus. Every law, every command, every rule, and every edict is meant to shape their hearts to reflect the holiness of God Himself. He draws clear lines as boundary markers for holiness. He walks in the middle of their lives to show them how deeply He wants their hearts to be infused with His character. He shows them how to eat, worship, buy and sell, work, and stand in relationships so that every aspect of their lives will catch the rhythm of His righteousness.

Leviticus reminds me of how deeply God wants holiness to penetrate my life. “But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” – I Peter 1:15. It is the little word all that captures the flavor of Leviticus. He wants every relationship, every transaction, every attitude, every action, and every motive to be defined by holiness. He longs for every snapshot of my life to frame Jesus at its center.

My Jesus Resolution today is to embrace holiness. I am going to remember that God wants to inhabit every part of my day. He longs for holiness to permeate my vision and my choices. He is Lord and I need to bow before Him, giving Him access to every conversation, every decision, and every opportunity. Learning to live the lessons of Leviticus means grasping the deep truth that He is interested in transforming every detail of my heart with His holiness.

The waves crashed into the beach, creating a thunderous symphony of sound and power. The white foam glistened in the light from the shore. The sand shimmered as the blanket of night enfolded the beach in its embrace. In the place where sea and land meet, the sound of the collision created its own special music, both terrible and beautiful.

We walked down a lonely pier that stretched far into the waters of the ocean. Moving away from the shore, the sound of the waves hitting the sand faded as we journeyed further across the waters of the sea. Things appeared calmer. The noises of the beach became muffled. The lights from the shore grew dimmer. The fierceness of the crashing waves settled into the melodic rhythm of ocean swells dancing beneath us. The immensity of the ocean became very real as we looked into depths of inky water under a starless sky.

In that moment, the words of the psalmist rang across the waters.

“When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” – Psalm 8:3-4

The depths of the ocean, the majesty of the mountain, the warmth of the desert, and the quiet aliveness of the forest all call our hearts to God. Each one testifies to His immensity, His sovereignty, and His purpose. He wants us to see the ocean and measure it against the vastness of His love and grace. The mountains call our souls to rest in His unchanging power and faithfulness. The stark splendor of the desert reminds us of God’s ever-present nearness, and the truth that no matter how bleak our circumstances might seem there is beauty to be found in His presence. The life we see permeating the forest reminds our hearts to be rooted in His purpose and plan for our lives. The beauty of nature is just a frame for the magnificent artistry He wants to paint in our lives.

My Jesus Resolution today is to listen to the voice of the earth. Every rock, tree, flower, and bird has a lesson to teach me about God. The same One who created the moon and the oceans wants me to walk by His side. He chooses to invest His heart in me. He longs for my heart to yearn for Him. He gave Himself completely for me so that I can learn to give myself completely to Him. Look out your window today – what snapshot of His heart is He framing for you?