Casandra Martin

“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?

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” – I Corinthians 13:12

Have you seen the allergy medicine commercial that describes having allergies like living in a fog? The promise is that if you take their medicine, the allergy fog will lift and everything in your life will become crystal clear.

Clarity is a valuable gift. When we have clarity, we see things as they truly are. We are able to appreciate beauty, experience gratitude, and live with an affirming perspective.

What allergies might do to us physically, sin definitely does to us spiritually. It clouds our vision. It generates fogs of frustration, dark clouds of doubt and despair, and turns our eyes towards the shadows. There is an uncertainty and self-focus that flow from a lack of clarity. It turns our perspective inward, forcing us to rely on ourselves to find our way through the fog. Our confidence shatters, our joy fades, and our peace gets blurry.

Jesus is the remedy. The cross is the answer to the fog of sin that so often obscures our vision. His presence in our lives is the antidote to anxiety. He wants us to be Christ clear. He longs to open our eyes to the truth the world wants to mask in the shadows. He wants us to experience the abundance that comes from walking in His light. He wants to give us a clarity that helps us see all the markers of His presence He plants in our days.

My Jesus Resolution today is to be Christ clear. I want to see with His eyes, and have the clarity that only comes from standing in the shadow of the cross. I want His perspective to shape the way I see my day, my family, my neighbors, my job, my blessings, and my struggles. Like allergy medicine, it means taking Jesus in every day, asking Him to transform my eyes, mold my heart, and infuse my very being with His image.

She is ninety years old and the sweetest woman you would ever want to meet. Her gentle spirit speaks to long years of walking with God. She radiates a beauty she is completely unaware she has. Her Bible is well worn. Its words are written on her heart, deeply etched from spending so much time with the Master. Her hands are stiff with arthritis, but pliable in the hands of her Lord. She serves with love, sings with joy, and inspires us with her faith and constant presence.

That is why it was so surprising. It was Sunday morning. The sermon was over, and the song we were singing invited tender hearts to deep surrender. There was a rippled pause as my sweet friend slowly made her way to the front. It was the walk of someone deeply broken, carrying a weight that only the Lord could bear. No one could imagine why she was there.

The elders surrounded her in a way that spoke to their profound respect and love for this dear soul. She talked quietly against one shoulder, bowing her head in a mirror of what was happening in her heart.

Finally, one the elders spoke on her behalf. She had come with a heart moved to repentance and confession. She grieved her sin, longing for a fresh movement of grace. Her tender heart spoke of her deep desire to look more like Jesus and her ache that she had failed to mirror Him. She asked for forgiveness. She mourned how her actions might have impacted the hearts of those around her.

She impacted me, but not in the negative way she feared. Her tenderness broke through the hardness of my own heart. Her transparency humbled me. Her willingness to be open about her struggle cast a light on my usual desire to manage my image. Her actions of repentance and confession challenged me to examine my own actions. Her desire to look more like Jesus flamed my own deep longing.

My Jesus Resolution is to be just like her. I want to have that kind of tender heart. I crave the sensitivity to the presence of God that she lived out before us. I long to be transparent to the core. I want to be so embedded in the movement of God that the slightest nudge sends me to my knees. I pray that someday somebody will be able to see Jesus as clearly in me as I see Him in her.

It was just a small note at the end of an email. “Have some fun today,” my friend wrote. Four words that gave me pause.

How much fun do you have? Christians should be the people on the street with the biggest smiles, most frequent laughs, and the warmest faces. Joy should radiate from us. Peace should flow from our lives in waves. Generosity should tumble from our hearts.

Jesus would point us to a child. Children can find a way to infuse joy into any situation. Play is a vehicle for sharing, connecting, and building relationships. Fun is the byproduct of living fully in the moment, letting go of worries, stress, impatience, and misplaced priorities.

The writer of Ecclesiastes put it this way. “I perceived that there is nothing better for them to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil – this is God’s gift to man.” – Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

My Jesus Resolution today is to have some fun. The words of the wise man speak to my heart. Every day God gives me a gift. It is a gift meant to be opened, embraced, and enjoyed. He gives me time – time to be with Him, time to soak in His blessings, time to enjoy every moment of this miracle called life. Too often, I get so busy trying to manage my life that I forget to live my life. Today I am going to laugh a little more, love a little deeper, and soak in the sparkle a little fun adds to the day. God is a God of smiles. Where will you see one today?

“Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.”    – Revelation 3:8
Sometimes it seems to take a long time. My sons are learning to be door openers, and in the process, I am learning to be a door waiter. It takes a couple of moments for them to get themselves out of the car, pick up their things, and move to my side of the vehicle. In those moments, I have a choice – rush ahead, getting out on my own, or wait for them to open the door for me.

Choosing to rush buys me a few seconds, but costs me so much. I lose the opportunity to see their servant hearts. It costs me a moment of precious connection as they reach out to take my hand. I lose the chance to impress on their hearts the need to watch for others, the truth that love takes time, and making someone feel special is always worth the effort.

Waiting is sometimes uncomfortable in the moment, but always worth it. It fills my heart to see their smiles. It is humbling to catch glimpses of the men they are becoming. It stretches my soul to know that in the act of waiting we are creating space for God to move.

The lessons in this simple act of waiting need to sink deeper into my heart. God is my Door Opener. Too many times, I try to rush ahead and take care of it myself. I get uncomfortable waiting because movement always seems more productive than being still. I miss the opportunities to let His graciousness move me to gratitude, His holiness inspire my humility, and His timing spark transformation deep within me.

My Jesus Resolution today is to be a door waiter. I am going to wait for God. I am going to let Him move first. I am going to count the cost of rushing ahead of Him. I am going to invest my soul in the deep value of creating space for God to inhabit my times of waiting. When God opens a door, it is truly an open door of opportunity, joy, welcome, and peace. In opening doors for our hearts, He always offers His hand as we take the first step. That’s worth waiting for.

Sitting in a Bible study the other day, a grandmother shared a story about her five-year old granddaughter. Her granddaughter lives out-of-town and loves to visit her grandmother and go to church with her.

The first time she visited her grandmother’s church building, she stood in the doorway amazed. Near the ceiling in the room where they worship is a small stained glass window. Light was pouring through the window and the little girl was enchanted by what she saw. She told her grandmother that they had to sit in God’s yellow light – the light streaming through the stained glass window. She settled into the pew, bathed in God’s yellow light, and worshipped with all of her heart.

The next visit brought a new insistence. As it grew closer and closer to time for worship, the little girl kept her eye on the window. She was determined to once again sit in God’s yellow light. It required moving from their regular seat, but the little girl found joy in her determination to be immersed in His light.

Now, whenever the little girl comes for a visit, they have to sit in God’s yellow light. It doesn’t matter where the light falls, they move to that spot and anchor themselves in the light.

What a lesson for us! I love the fact that she spotted God’s yellow light. Her five-year old faith drew her to plant her heart in its warmth. There is nowhere else she would rather be than in the light of God’s love. She is willing to move outside of her comfort zone in order to stay in the light. The light guides where she sits, where she has her focus, and where she finds delight.

My Jesus Resolution is to sit in God’s yellow light. I want to keep my eyes open for where He is shining and join Him there. I want to be willing to move if that is what it takes to be bathed in His presence. I long for His light to define me, guide me, and illuminate every part of me.

I stopped.

That shouldn’t be an unusual sentence, but it is. I tend to live in a whirlwind. Constantly on the go is my normal state of being. Like so many, I run, plan, hurry, rush, fret, set alarms, live by my calendar, and grab and go. It isn’t something of which I am proud. Quite the opposite. It drains my soul. It dehydrates my spirit. It deflates my heart. It leaves me weary, worn, and worried.

The most logical move would be to stop, but that isn’t my normal reaction. Usually, when things jump from mere crazy to warp-speed insanity I try to speed up, go faster, run harder, and make it all work. It doesn’t work. It never works, but still I try.

This time, I stopped. Feeling like I was standing on the edge finally caused me to hit the pause button. I made the deliberate move to be quiet for a few hours – to rest, be still, and regain my equilibrium.

In those quiet moments, I remembered the wisdom of God. God has a rhythm for our hearts that answers our tendency to live in the whirlwind. It is built into the rising and setting of the sun, the changing of the seasons, and the way our bodies are designed. Work is essential to our well-being, but so is rest. Going fills our days. Stopping fills our souls.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46:10a.

My Jesus Resolution today is to stop. For a few minutes today, I am going to feed my soul. I am going to be still, and in that stillness renew my awareness of the presence of God. In those quiet moments, I am going to adjust my perspective, reminding my heart that He is mighty, faithful, holy, and loving. He is in control of everything about this day. The only thing left is to let Him be in control of me.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;” – Jeremiah 31:3

God sends great valentines, doesn’t He? Every day is filled with reminders about the depth of His love, the breadth of His delight, and the lengths He is willing to go to make you His own. His valentines come in big packages and small surprises. We can find them in the ordinary rhythm of our days and the special moments that take our breath away. He wraps them up in sunsets and rainbows. He ties them with whispered comfort and a longing for home.

There is a lot of talk around Valentine’s Day about undying love. Valentines fill the shelves that declare this to be the truest definition of love.  Maybe we should define true love by the Love that was willing to die for you on the cross. Jesus said it best. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” – John 15:13

Look for His valentines today. Imagine every cross you see today with a heart around it. Think of every flower you see today as a bouquet from Him. Let every sweet thing you eat today be a reminder of the sweetness of His grace. Let every day be a day in which you celebrate His love.

My Jesus Resolution today is to count all the valentines God sends my way. I am going to open each one with joy, soaking in all the love that He wants to pour into my heart. I am going to see His hand on my soul, His light in my eyes, and His presence as my greatest gift. Every day is Valentine’s Day with God – a day to remind us of His love and to ask us once again to be His. Enjoy being loved today! His valentines are all around you.