Casandra Martin

I had the neatest reminder of an important truth today. Our four year old friend was riding with me in the car. He is into comparisons – who is bigger, faster, stronger, and tougher. He compares dinosaurs, superheroes, cars, birds, kids on the playground, and wild animals. After making an exhaustive list and concluding that a cheetah could outrun a dinosaur, he announced the most important news of all. “But you know, God wins everybody.”

I need to remember that God wins everybody. Kids aren’t the only ones who spend time on comparisons. We compare our bills with the money in the bank, our struggles with our strength, our worries with our wisdom, our appearance with the television, and our to-do lists with our resources. Inevitably, I come up short. The mountains are too high, the oceans too deep, the problems too vast, and the lists too long. I spend time worrying and fretting, keeping my eyes on the shadows when God calls me to look at the Son.

God wins everybody. There is no giant that can defeat Him, no enemy that will beat Him, no mountain that matches His strength, no problem that can outsmart Him, and no struggle that is too hard for Him. Whatever I am facing today is not bigger, stronger, faster, or tougher than my God.

Paul put it this way. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” – Romans 8:31.

God has promised to walk with us through the darkest circumstances, the brightest joys, the deepest worries, and the fiercest storms. He faced death so we can have life. He lived in our shoes so that we can walk by His side. He defeated sin so that we can have victory in grace. He calmed storms, raised the dead, healed the sick, and cast out demons so that we could spend today absolutely sure that God wins everybody.

My Jesus Resolution today is to make the right comparison. I am going to measure whatever comes my way today by the size of my God. I am not going to let the shadows of the world’s giants pull my eyes from the cross. I want to lay every problem, struggle, storm, and worry in His hands and watch them be swallowed up in His all-sufficient grace. God really is bigger, stronger, and faster. The world may try to dazzle me with its speed, strength, and smarts, but God really does win everybody.

My husband and I were out for dinner. Nothing fancy, just a quick meal before we started working through a list of errands. We got our food, prayed, and began to enjoy our sandwiches.

A few minutes later, a gentleman came over to talk. “I saw you praying,” he said. We had a nice conversation about church, some activities he was excited about, and then he went on his way.

It was an interesting moment. We didn’t think about the fact that others in the restaurant watched as we prayed. When we bowed our heads, it didn’t occur to us that we were leading other eyes toward heaven.

But they noticed. At least one man did. God used the moment to reinforce on our hearts the power we have to influence others through our quiet actions. People are paying more attention to the way we lift up Jesus than we sometimes realize. Others notice the quiet kindnesses, the silent surrenders, and the little sacrifices that define people of grace.

You are not invisible. People see you, watch you, notice you, and pay attention to you every day. People in the store, at work, in the post office, at home, in church, and at the movies. You may be the tool God uses to plant a seed, nourish faith, start a conversation, or initiate surrender. Don’t underestimate the little habits of holiness that flow through your day. Each one may help another see Jesus.

My Jesus Resolution today is live out Matthew 5:16 – I am going to let my light shine. Today I have an opportunity to live out faith in the ordinary, normal places I walk. I am going to be aware of the truth that others are watching. I want them to see Jesus.

“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built!” – I Kings 8:27

It was a play day at our house. The trucks were racing around the living room, balls were bouncing, and the dinosaurs were roaring. The boys were hunkered down on the floor examining the dinosaurs in fine detail. My son was teaching our little friend the names of all the different dinosaurs, throwing in interesting facts about size, food preferences, and roaring decibels.

A squeal of excitement spiraled through the air as our little friend came racing into the kitchen. “You are not going to believe this!” he exclaimed. “A T-Rex is bigger than a church building!” This was gigantic news. His eyes were big as his imagination stretched the proportions of the dinosaur to fit his newly discovered bigger-than-a-church-building picture. He then reported on the next type of dinosaur, also reportedly bigger than a church building. Dinosaurs make for an exciting world.

Tapping into his enthusiasm, I told him how cool it was that dinosaurs were bigger than a church building. I then explained that God was even bigger than a dinosaur. He stopped in his tracks, contemplating this latest piece of news. His eyes got huge as he processed that God was bigger than the biggest thing he could imagine. “God is bigger than a church building?” he asked. I paused as I considered the multiple layers of truth in that statement. “Yes,” I said. “God is bigger than a church building.”

Once again God used a little heart to teach me a big truth. How many times do I limit God to the boundaries of four walls, a roof, and a couple of hallways? We glorify Him in the pews, but fail to see Him in the panorama of everyday life. We read about Him in the Bible, but don’t listen to His voice in the rhythm of our hours. We seek His face in worship, but forget to look for His fingerprints touching the pages of our stories.

My Jesus Resolution today is to have eyes like my little friend. I want to my eyes to grow like saucers, my jaw to drop, and my imagination to stretch as I contemplate how big God really is. I am going to picture the biggest thing I can imagine, and think about the truth that God is bigger. I am going to stand in wonder, and then race to share the good news with someone else. God is bigger than a church building, and that makes for an exciting world.

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.