Casandra Martin

Many of you read this blog regularly. You find encouragement and strength to live out the will of God in your life through the words written here – to resolve to look like Jesus.

Today, as you decide to make Jesus a priority in your life, please pray for the author of this blog. She is currently very ill – it may be some time before she will be able to return to writing this blog or other study material.

Pray for her complete healing.

Pray for her family that they may find peace, joy, and rest during this difficult struggle.

Pray that God will be praised at all times.

Pray that others will see Jesus in you.

This blog will be suspended, hopefully for only a short time. It will be left with these very insightful words from her last blog…

My Jesus Resolution today is to remember what I know about God. Sometimes the future looks scary. It is easy for me to get overwhelmed, over-worried, and overwrought. Instead of creating a list of all of the might-happens, what-ifs, and I-don’t-knows, I am going to recite all the reasons I have to trust my God. He is faithful, good, true, holy, loving, and full of mercy. He was that yesterday and today. He will be the same again tomorrow.

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” – Corrie Ten Boom

What we know about God shapes how we face the future. Our faith and our fears are both defined by what we believe about the One who holds us in His hand. Everybody’s tomorrows are uncertain, but we can be certain about the heart of God. Here are ten things you can be certain about even in the face of an uncertain tomorrow.

1. God loves you. Period. No matter what.
2. He has more than enough grace. You can’t, won’t, be able to exhaust His supply.
3. He has a purpose for you.
4. The cross and the empty tomb are unbreakable, unshakable realities.
5. You are not alone. Ever.
6. We are weak, but He is strong.
7. God is bigger than _______________. No matter what you put in the blank, God is still bigger.
8. Mustard seed faith is more than enough.
9. His peace and power are a prayer away.
10. Jesus really is the answer. No matter your question.

My Jesus Resolution today is to remember what I know about God. Sometimes the future looks scary. It is easy for me to get overwhelmed, over-worried, and overwrought. Instead of creating a list of all of the might-happens, what-ifs, and I-don’t-knows, I am going to recite all the reasons I have to trust my God. He is faithful, good, true, holy, loving, and full of mercy. He was that yesterday and today. He will be the same again tomorrow.

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” – Ephesians 4:18-19

Some days it is hard to believe God loves us. We struggle with our circumstances, how we feel, and the reflection we see in the mirror. We hear a thousand voices telling us how we fall short, mess up, fail miserably, are not quite good enough, or are just shy of what is desired. Sometimes that voice is my own. We catalog our shortcomings with the thoroughness of a museum curator, ruthless and merciless of anything less than what we see as perfection. We carry a secret ache to be loved, but put up barriers to fully experiencing that love.

Here is the soul-freeing, guilt-releasing, shame-reducing, smile-inducing truth – we will never be worthy of God’s love. Before you shake your head, think about it. This is Good News! God loves you. Period. Not because you are good enough, pretty enough, smart enough, do enough, know enough, or are worthy enough. He loves you because you are His. He set His heart on loving you, and nothing is going to change His mind. Nothing! You can’t mess it up or talk Him out of it. He is willing to wade into our struggles and love us right where we are. He longs to unleash the power of His love to help us move, heal, worship, change, and grow. Living loved isn’t about being perfect. It is about choosing today to live in His presence.

My Jesus Resolution today is to soak in the truth that I am deeply, passionately, wholly, unconditionally loved. The world will tell me that I am unworthy, broken, dejected, hopeless, unlovely, and unfit for such a love. The truth is that God takes what is broken and makes it whole. He transforms what is unworthy into something beautiful and holy. He holds the dejected and hopeless and infuses new life and peace into each moment. God meets me where I am, in whatever state I am, and loves me. He longs for that love to change my thoughts, my eyes, my hands, my feet, my mouth, my ears, and my heart. When I hear the broken record of the world tell me that I am rejected and unwanted, I am going to sing ‘Jesus Loves Me’ at the top of my lungs. He does, and He always will.

Where do you get your strength? There are days when we all must reach deep for the strength to go on. The world encourages us to lean on wealth, success, work, people, or our own ability to relax. These things provide some measure of strength, but in the end, do not provide the deep strength we need to face life’s struggles.

I love the words that Nehemiah and Ezra use to teach the people about God. In the latter part of Nehemiah 8:10, these men of God remind the people, “…the joy of the Lord is your strength.” I am not sure that we usually connect joy and strength. Joy seems more of a result word while in our minds strength is a process word. Here we learn that joy is fundamental to having the strength to move forward. Finding His joy launches us past our pain. Investing ourselves in His joy provides the fuel we need to face our daily struggles and difficult circumstances. Celebrating His joy is what makes our lives a testimony to the world that God’s promises are possible even when things look impossible. God encourages us to start with joy. His joy has the power to ignite the His power in our hearts. When we do, we will have the strength we need to face whatever today brings.

My Jesus Resolution today is to depend on His joy for my strength. Too many times I rely on the world’s answers. As a result, I let pain, problems, and struggles define my perspective. God wants me to allow His joy to be my strength. When I do, I can face my daily challenges strong because of His presence and power.

Mention change and people get a little wary. Change is inevitable, but it is amazing how we fight it, get frustrated by it, try to forego it, or feel intimidated by it. Change makes us uncomfortable because it requires a step into the unknown. Even when it is a change we know is good for us, we tend to drag our feet just a bit, make excuses, and look for alternate paths. We are addicted to comfort.

God is in the change business. He changes hearts, changes lives, changes minds, changes attitudes, changes circumstances, changes perspectives, and ultimately, changes our realities. He changes us from being sin-infected, guilt-encrusted, and shame-saturated souls to being people of abundant joy, light, peace, grace, and purpose. Transformation is at the center of how God wants to work in our lives, but, like all change, we hesitate before surrendering.

My Jesus Resolution today is to embrace the change God wants to work in my life. It won’t all be easy. I have a stubborn soul. Learning to look like Jesus is a transformation that will take a lifetime. God’s patience, grace, and faithfulness will continue to shape me and draw me deeper into His presence. I am profoundly thankful that He doesn’t give up on me when I stumble and struggle. God is committed to change me for His glory. Today I renew my commitment to trust God and open my heart to His change.

The wallpaper had to go. Outdated and showing the signs of being the backboard for any number of boys’ balls, it was time for the baseball-inspired wallpaper to rest in peace.

I gathered my tools, climbed the ladder, and began the process of “off with the old, and in with the new.” As I started, my creativity took flight as I imagined fresh paint, warm colors, and beautiful charm taking shape in the space.

That lasted about six minutes.

The wallpaper didn’t want to come down. The old adhesive proved more durable than I imagined. I peeled, scraped, scored, and sprayed in an effort to expose this section of the wall to something more desirable, but it resisted transformation. I finally succeeded in getting a corner loose and, with some sense of satisfaction, yanked the piece of stubborn paper from the wall. Progress, I thought. But there, under the baseballs, was another layer of wallpaper. Spaceships, this time. I had forgotten.

Standing on the ladder, peeling away layers of glue, I saw a picture of my soul. Transformation always sounds appealing in the beginning. But looking like Jesus  always involves the hard reality of stripping away the old in order to make way for the new. But my sin is stickier than I realize. It is more durable, more tenacious, and more comfortable than I would like to admit. And just when I think that maybe I am making progress, another layer of selfishness, coat of pride, or sign of shame peeks out from underneath.

My Jesus Resolution today is to watch my Savior and redouble my surrender. His blood is the perfect antidote for sin’s sticky residue. His power can pull away the guilt that clings to my soul. He is not discouraged by the layers of old, worn-out, stained, and tacky that too often seems to define who I am. He wants me to look like Jesus. He can see the beauty and potential of what lies deep inside, and He delights every time I open my heart, inviting His transformation to unfold in me.

Day and night. Night and day. The sun rises and it sets, bringing with it a new opportunities to see God, experience His grace, and live in His presence. Psalm 42:8 says, “By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.”

I love these words. God fills our days with His steadfast love. He meets us where we are, touching our hours with mercy, goodness, and delight. In the dark hours of the night, His song whispers to our hearts, reminding us that we are loved and never alone. No matter the hour, God’s eyes are on you and He is with you, surrounding you with grace and singing to your soul.

My Jesus Resolution is to quiet my heart so I can hear God’s song. God has made this day so that I can meet Him in the morning and walk with Him through the day. Too many times, I get distracted, discouraged, or self-focused, and forget to look for God in my day. I let the busyness of the day drown out His still, small voice. My heart needs His presence. My soul needs His song. Today I am going to keep my eyes and ears open and enjoy the song He is singing just for me.

I have a balloon dancing over my desk. A friend brought it over a couple weeks ago, and it flies as a reminder of love, friendship, and smiles.  Sometimes I wish that I always had a reminder to smile, to dig the joy out of each day, and to celebrate love and friendship. It is too easy for me to get caught up in the details of the day and miss the opportunity to harvest the joy that God has planted all around me.

Psalm 118:24 challenges me to remember the appropriate way to respond to the way that God is working all around me. “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” I love this profound reminder that God has filled this day with opportunities to see His love and experience His presence. He has fashioned this day with you in mind. He shaped it so that we can see His glory and come closer to His heart. This verse is also a call to surrender – to joy. Rejoicing is a verb. It is an action that requires decision and commitment. As we rejoice, we open our eyes to God’s presence in our lives and His movement in our day.

My Jesus Resolution today is to rejoice in this glorious day God has made. I can choose joy, savor hope, bask in grace, and celebrate love. I am going to something deliberate today that helps me celebrate the way God is moving in my life. It is too easy to get caught up in worry, busyness, rushing, and deadlines. God wants me to find the joy that is unique to this day and celebrate it.

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” – Matthew 6:26

Oh, how I needed to hear this today! You are loved beyond measure. God has His eyes on you. He knows your name, the number of hairs on your head, your worries, your fears, your needs, and your joys. God uses the birds of the air to teach us how to rest in His care.

Take a minute to go outside and watch the birds. They sing without fear. They don’t worry about who hears them chirping. They start early in the morning. I listen to them singing, imagining the song of praise that rises to heaven. They encourage me to join them, reminding me that worship is why we were created.

Birds never worry. They fly, stop on a branch, flit to the ground, and go back to their nest, never anxious about the storms on the horizon, or where the next worm is coming from. God watches over them, provides for them, and cares for them. If He takes care of the birds with such tenderness, He is surely tenderly caring for me.

My Jesus Resolution today is to learn the lesson of the birds. God loves me. I am infinitely valuable to Him. He knows what I need. He is for me. He is providing, moving, caring, and acting on my behalf. I am not alone. Worry whispers the lie that I have to figure everything out myself. It robs me of joy and peace while blinding my eyes to the ways God is working for my good. I am going to follow the example of the birds. I am going to sing early and often of His glory, and spend the day resting in His care.