Casandra Martin

I’m drooling. The anesthetic that the dentist shot into my mouth is wearing off, but not quite yet. The dental work I had done this morning has a long history. When I was about 10 years old, I went through a phase when I decided to test the conventional necessity of daily brushing. I have definitely seen the light, but in the meantime, I have a few fillings to show for my foolishness and unwillingness to listen to my parents.

Today’s dental work is the direct result of those childish decisions many years ago. The filling I received back then had worn away and impacted the tooth in which it rested for so many years. While the dentist drilled, scraped, filled, and prodded, I thought about how an in-the-moment decision made years ago is still impacting my life.

Most of the time, we tend to believe that the choices we make are contained within the lines of the box that define this day on the calendar. We want to hang on to the idea that the world sells us that our decisions are ours alone and only affect us in the moment. The truth is that what we choose today has a ripple effect that can sometimes be felt years, even decades, later.

My Jesus Resolution today is to be mindful of my impact. The choices I make, even about little things, can have a profound effect later. The good news is that there is good news in that truth. What is true for negative, disobedient choices is also true for positive, surrendered choices. Deciding today to listen to Jesus, follow His way, and live in His purpose will not only shape this day, but has the power to touch the substance of my tomorrows.

Do you have a Bible hero? Someone in Scripture who inspires you, challenges you, comforts you, or prods you towards God’s purpose for you? The people who fill the pages of the Bible are flesh and blood, real people who walked, moved, lived, loved, sinned, struggled, fell, and got up just like you and me. Their stories are given to us so that we can learn what it means to live in God’s will, walk in His ways, and see His glory in the everyday routine of living.

Ezra is one of my favorites. Ezra 7:4 says, “For Ezra set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.”

Ezra lived at a time when Israel was struggling to refind its footing as God’s people. Coming back from captivity, they needed to plant deep roots in worship, seal their identity in God’s presence, and learn again what it meant to live in the promises and purpose of the Lord. So Ezra set his heart to doing three things that would not only come to define him, but help shape the people among whom he lived.

Ezra set his heart to study. He committed to saturating his soul with the power of God’s Word. He set his heart to doing everything God’s Word revealed. God’s law became his map, his guide, his lamp, his wisdom, and his path. He set his heart to teaching others. He made it his mission to connect the people around him with the God who had pursued them, loved them, redeemed them, and longed to make them His own. By choice, by diligence, and by example, Ezra lived out what it means to be God’s person in his time and place.

My Jesus Resolution today is to be like Ezra. I want to set my heart on God. I want Jesus to be the focus, the determination, and the deep desire of who I am. I want to immerse myself in His Word, allowing its life-refreshing waters to penetrate the hard places, fill in the broken spots, and heal the wounds left by my waywardness. I want to not only learn about Him, I want to live like Jesus. Walking in His footsteps leaves a trail that leads others straight into the presence of God.

“For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” – Matthew 17:20b

We have been on a seed hunt today. A little friend of mine needed a variety of seeds for a project, so we have been searching for seeds. Laying out the seeds that we found revealed a startling variety of color, shape, and size. It is amazing how God squeezes so much potential into the tiniest of seeds. Everything the plant needs to grow into maturity is packed into that tiny pod.

Seeds give me hope. They hold a promise of new life, fresh starts, and a future beauty on the horizon. They also remind me of God’s power and the way He looks at my soul. Jesus tells us that all it takes for the kingdom of God to flourish inside of me is faith the size of … a mustard seed. All of the beauty, power, fruitfulness, life, and potential of the kingdom is unleashed in me with faith as small as a seed.

My Jesus Resolution today is to hold a seed, dream, and then plant. God’s Word is pictured as a seed that falls on the soil of my heart. When it finds good, soft soil, the seed releases its transformational power and produces a crop that points straight to God. Allowing His seed to penetrate deeply into my heart opens the way for His purpose to blossom and grow in my life.

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118:22-24

Psalm 118:24 is a favorite verse. It reminds us that God’s fingerprints are on this day, that He molded and shaped it for us, and that every moment is filled with His grace, provision, and presence. The context of this verse helps us see even deeper into the heart of God. Today’s joy is rooted in the day that Jesus went to the cross and the day that He rose triumphantly from the tomb. On those days God unleashed all of heaven’s power, grace, mercy, and purpose into today. All joy, all peace, all courage, and all hope flow from the marvelous things Jesus did for us.

Today is a day for rejoicing, renewal, remembrance, awe, humility, and joy. Jesus died for me. This amazing truth changes everything. Seeing the cross helps me count the cost of my sin. It reminds me to surrender to deep love, and stand in wonder at the lengths to which God will go to pursue me and make me His own.

Jesus lives! The empty tomb is a source of unending joy, amazement, and transformation. Because He lives, I can live, really live in all of the abundance and grace that God has stored up for me since before creation. The power of the resurrection is the power that fuels the purpose God longs to unfold in my heart.

My Jesus Resolution today is to rejoice. I can rejoice today because Jesus is my Redeemer. His sacrifice ignites today’s joy, fuels today’s purpose, and empowers today’s surrender. I want to be deliberate about going to the cross and empty tomb and spending a few minutes remembering, repenting, and rejoicing. Jesus died and Jesus lives. It doesn’t get better than that.

A recipe for a perfect evening – one family happy to be together, a warm summer night filled with stars, and an ice cream shop. Sitting on the benches outside with our drippy cones, we laughed, talked, and tasted. Looking around at the little family-owned business, I noticed the signs set up to direct traffic into their little corner of heaven. The first sign read “Enter Hungry” and pointed people to the ice cream. The other sign was settled near where you leave and read “Exit Happy.” I smiled as I thought about the anticipation and expectations they set in your mind just by the way they directed your car.

In thinking about their signs (which may require me to go back and do more research), I decided there was a great deal of wisdom in those words. Setting our hearts and minds on the good things God has in store for us has the power to open our eyes to His presence, purpose, and power. What if I put an “Enter Hungry” note on the front of my Bible? What if there was an “Enter Hungry” sign near the doors of our church buildings, Bible classrooms, and worship areas? What difference would it make to remember to Enter Hungry as I bend my knees in prayer or lift my voice in praise?

God makes a number of promises about what will happen within us as we enter His presence hungry for Him. He works within us to fill us with exactly what we need to experience even more of Him the next time we come. When we enter hungrily into God’s presence, we can exit satisfied, convicted, repentant, forgiven, transformed, empowered, at peace, filled with joy, strengthened, humbled, connected, blessed, encouraged, and thankful. Enter Hungry. Exit filled with God’s blessings.

My Jesus Resolution today is to enter hungry. I want to experience all the rich flavor of the life He has in store for me. I want to long for His presence, crave His mercy, desire His goodness, and settle for nothing less than the extravagance of His love. I am going to anticipate the ways He is going to fill me up today and set my heart on enjoying the fullness of His glory. Today I want to Enter Hungry and Exit Looking More Like Jesus.

“There are two freedoms – the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; the true, where he is free to do what he ought.” – Charles Kingsley

The boy stomped his foot and cried. He didn’t want to go to bed, didn’t want to clean his room, didn’t want to stop playing, and didn’t want to eat his vegetables. “I can’t wait until I am all grown up and can do anything I want!” As a parent, I smiled at the scene playing out in front of me. Perspective is everything. Children imagine being an adult as the ultimate pinnacle of freedom. You don’t realize until you are an adult that children are the freest beings of all. As the enforcer behind the “don’t want to” group of requirements, I know that these things are for my son’s best. They aren’t heavy burdens laid on him in order to make his life miserable. They are designed to help him grow into a man who is strong, healthy, and capable.

This interplay between parent and child is a reflection of the struggle we have understanding the true meaning of freedom. The world tries to sell us an immature view of freedom. It promotes the idea that freedom is being able to do whatever you like, whenever you like, no matter what. If I feel like it, I should be free to do it. Many of our battles over rights and personal liberties are grounded in this determination to be independent and decide for ourselves.

True freedom takes a longer view. It isn’t as much about what feels good in the moment as in what will take me furthest over a lifetime. God wants you to experience this kind of freedom. He longs for you to grow into Christ-likeness, stretch your soul, embrace joy, and live in the overflow of His grace. True freedom is grounded in surrender, sacrifice, and trust. This kind of freedom isn’t about standing your ground and drawing lines in the sand. It is about learning to live life on your knees so that you can walk with hope through your day.

My Jesus Resolution today is to set my heart on desiring true freedom. The kind of freedom the world offers is an illusion. It looks good, but leaves me empty, broken, and soul-hungry. God’s kind of freedom opens up possibilities beyond my imagination and encourages me to live with courage in the light of His love. I don’t want to settle. I want to look like Jesus.

“We must be willing to pay a price for freedom.” – H.L. Mencken

Tomorrow is America’s Independence Day. It is a day that will be celebrated with parades, cookouts, and fireworks. It is a day meant to remind us that freedom is to be cherished and that it comes with a cost. The United States was not easily born. Like all freedom, it came alive in blood and sacrifice.

The ache for freedom runs soul-deep. We see it all over the world. There is a hunger for freedom, a thirst for liberty that continues to spark the human spirit even in the face of oppression and cruelty. This yearning for freedom, however, doesn’t find its roots in politics, economics, or sociology. This desire for freedom is primarily spiritual in nature, even if we don’t recognize God’s fingerprints on its design.

As you celebrate today, stop for a moment and be thankful for those whose vision made the land of the free and the home of the brave a reality. Express your gratitude to the men and women whose daily service allows freedom to ring all over this great land. Pray for our leaders. Embrace the duty of citizenship. Never forget that freedom is never free.

Remember most of all that God was willing to pay a price for your freedom. Enslaved to sin, bound in darkness, we were captive in ways that chained our souls to death. Jesus was willing to pay freedom’s price. It was not easily achieved. Our freedom came alive by blood and sacrifice.

My Jesus Resolution today is to celebrate freedom. I am going to cheer at the parade, salute the flag, and put my hand over my heart at the white grave markers that catalog the cost of freedom. I am going to enjoy the blessings and be thankful for the privileges that come with living in a land so committed to liberty and justice for all. I am also going to pause and be thankful for the most important kind of freedom. The freedom from sin, from fear, and from hopelessness. God wants to ignite that freedom in the heart of every person on the planet. Jesus paid the price. Let freedom ring.

“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” – Genesis 6:5-6

My kitchen table is a funny place. More happens around that table than just receiving nourishment. It is a place of insight, prayer, deep conversation, laughter, and connection. Today, I was sitting in my spot at the table eating my morning yogurt. On my left, my Bible was open. To my right, the front page of the newspaper was spread out. I always read my Bible as I start my day, and then turn my attention to the news.

This morning, the contrast between the two pages could not have been more striking or heartbreaking. The words of my Bible opened my eyes to God’s glory, His call to holiness, and His deep desire to transform us into a people that are inhabited by His Spirit, defined by His presence, and shaped by His purpose.

The front page of the newspaper highlighted the celebration of a recent Supreme Court decision, a story about a mother’s abuse of a child, the latest celebrity misstep, and the glee one group is exhibiting over the troubles of another group.

I put my head in my hands as my heart ached. How should we respond to the headlines? There are many ways to read the newspaper. I could fold it up and ignore it. I could shake my head. I could get angry, frustrated, or self-righteous. But when God sees evil, He grieves. It hurts His heart. Our evil actions touch the heart of God in a way that moves Him to sorrow. It breaks His heart to see sin take up residence in our world and in our hearts. There is something sobering in realizing that my behavior, my choices, and my decisions have the power to impact God in such a profound way.

My Jesus Resolution today is to be aware of the connection between my heart and the heart of God. It is easy to read the newspaper and point at “them.” But the sin that worms its way into my heart is just as dark, just as repugnant, and causes Him just as much grief as the sin heralded on the front page headlines. Today I want to ask how the choices I make, the actions I take, and the words I say will be heard and seen in heaven. Will they bring Him honor or will they cause Him grief?

“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.

Are your eyes open yet? Some of us are “eyes pop open, ready to go” types. Others of us struggle to open both eyes at the same time before the second cup of coffee has had time to work its magic. Either way, mornings are a great time to be deliberate about opening our eyes. Our physical eyes are going to open if we want to move through our day. It is important to take a minute and open our spiritual eyes too. God has already filled this day with blessings, lessons, fingerprints, opportunities, lessons, and faith reminders. He has already provided exactly what your heart needs today.

This morning as you begin your day, take a minute to look around. Count your blessings. Invest in a moment of thanksgiving. Give your heart permission to praise. Rehearse His grace, remember His love, and replay the many ways in which He has provided for your soul. Too many times, I rush into the day with my eyes focused on the task at hand, the to-do list must-dos, and the way the clock is moving faster than my feet. Stopping to savor His presence allows the sweetness and richness of His glory to seep into the cracks of my heart. It changes my perspective and challenges me to look up before I worry or fret or frown. Slowing down and breathing in His nearness allows His grace to set my pace for the day.

My Jesus Resolution today is to open my eyes. I don’t want to miss God today. I want to count His fingerprints, smile at His blessings, and notice the way He weaves His presence into my moments. I want to be as deliberate about opening my heart as I am about opening my eyes. Today I am going to keep my eyes open, pay attention, and let Him fill me with wonder.