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When Changing Our Minds Is a Good Thing

by | Feb 16, 2021 | Devotional, Lent, Weekly Gospel Meditation

When Changing Our Minds Is a Good Thing

Dear Friends, as Lent begins tomorrow, I wrote this meditation about repentance, a little understood and less embraced essential truth of the Christian life. Remember, if you’d like forty (free) printable Bible verses to help you in your preparation for Easter, you can get yours here.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. Matthew 3:2. 

I stared glumly at the stoplight, willing it to turn. I was uneasy under the harsh glare and loud shouting of the slender young street preacher on the corner. With his Bible raised high like a bludgeon, he screamed, “Repent!!! The kingdom of heaven is near!!!!” Is it any wonder many of us cringe at the call to repent?

As kingdom servants, though, we must recapture the message of repentance as a powerful call to change that comes with the enabling power to change. First John commanded it. Then Jesus commanded it (Matthew 3:2, 4:17). We cannot ignore their call. To embrace repentance, we must understand at least five things about repentance.

First, repentance can’t be severed from the gospel, the “good news” that Jesus came to bring. After John was arrested, Jesus came, “proclaiming the good news of God,” telling people, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:14-15). The good news—our Saving King has come, leads to the bad news—we must repent of our sins, which leads to the good news—trusting our Saving King for salvation.

Second, repentance is a complete and utter change of heart, mind, soul, body, the only logical response for a citizen of the kingdom of God. It is a radical change of mind about the king we serve and the kingdom we inhabit. Repentance turns us away from the kingdom of self we so often seek, the kingdom of security and significance, of houses and cars and kids and followers and likes. 

Third, repentance generates grief, deep sorrow for putting ourselves on the throne. That grief turns us happily toward the king who, because he loves and delights in us, died for our sin. As we return to the king, we seek first the things of the kingdom of heaven.

Fourth, repentance bears fruit as we seek the things that matter to Christ: faith and hope and love; trust and imagination and sacrifice, things that can’t be found in a condo on a beach or a grade on an exam. 

Finally, the most important thing we need to know about repentance is what the young street preacher failed to share—the power to repent comes from the Holy Spirit. While we are too blind to see our allegiance to self-rule, the Spirit graciously (and sometimes painfully) removes those blinders, opening our eyes to our sin. While we are too hardened of heart to change our ways, the Spirit softens our heart, making it pliable. To repent, we must collapse on Christ, and we must do it again and again and again. 

Dear friends, join me in repenting, in collapsing before the true King for all of the things we need for “life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). In “repentance and rest” is our salvation (Isaiah 30:15).

Holy Spirit,

Use your laser of love to heal the cataracts clouding our vision of the true kingdom. Draw our eyes to gaze on the majesty and mercy of our one true king. Compel us to collapse on Christ every day, every minute, every hour, in repentance, for his kingdom is near. 

In Jesus’ life-changing name we pray. Amen.

Further Encouragement

Read Matthew 3:1-12; Matthew 4:12-17; Mark 1:14-15; 2 Corinthians 7:10.

Listen to “Patient Kingdom” by Sandra McCracken.

For Reflection

Have you ever “cringed” at the call to repentance because of the way it was given? What realities of repentance give you hope to obey Jesus’ command? 

A Prayer about Longing for Love

by | Feb 12, 2021 | Daily Prayer, Valentine's Day

A Prayer about Longing for Love

Loving Father,

Why is it that Valentine’s Day, 

a day that is meant to celebrate love, 

can make many people feel deeply unloved and profoundly alone?

I remember Valentine’s Days in middle and high school, 

longing so desperately to have the “cupid” 

call my name to come forward and collect a wilted carnation. 

I imagine many others have their own past memories 

and present moments of longings for love unrequited. 

May those deep longings for love, 

whether for the love of a parent, the love of a friend, or the love of a spouse, 

be met with your tenderness and compassion. 

May we all recognize that you created us for relationship, 

and that our longings for love are good. 

Where we are lonely, draw us near to your heart, 

and declare your delight over us. 

Not only that, transform our minds 

so that we truly believe you love us, 

even if you haven’t given us the love on this earth 

that we so dearly crave. 

Hold us tightly in your steadfast love, 

reminding us that you will never leave us nor forsake us. 

In Jesus’ tender name. Amen.

Read Psalm 73:26; Psalm 136.

Getting Unstuck: The True Story of a Well-Loved Woman

by | Feb 2, 2021 | Lent, Weekly Gospel Meditation

Getting Unstuck: The True Story of a Well-Loved Woman

Dear Friends,

As February begins, we focus on three important stories in the calendar: Black history month, Valentine’s Day, and Lent, the beginning of a time to prepare our hearts for Easter. Today, I thought what better way to tie all of these themes together than to consider the truest love anyone has ever known, the love that transcends all human divides, the sacrificial love that transforms us wholly. Enjoy this excerpt from From Recovery to Restoration, and the story of a marginalized woman who became a true worshiper of Jesus. 

Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah? John 4:29, NLT

Recovery can make us feel stuck—stuck in isolation, stuck in guilt—whether legitimate or false, stuck in joylessness. The Samaritan woman of John 4 knew something about being stuck. She was stuck in a disastrous cycle of loving and losing men. Into this mucky rut, Jesus pursues her and pursues us, freeing us to do what we were made to do—to enjoy and glorify God.

The lonely Samaritan woman went daily at high noon to draw water, seeking to fill her thirst. She expected to be alone then, to escape the harsh glares of her disapproving community. Imagine her astonishment when a Jewish man crossed the cultural and racial divide to speak to her, a woman, a Samaritan. Imagine her astonishment when this Jewish teacher seemed to know “everything” about her, that the man she was currently living with was not her husband. Imagine her astonishment when this Jewish teacher didn’t splash condemnation on her but instead poured out the truth and hope that her thirsty heart craved (John 4:9-26).

Jesus did not come to condemn the Samaritan woman, nor did he come to condemn us; he came to expose our need for a Savior. He came to her and to us to restore us to community, to cover our shame, to fill our thirst. Jesus was on a mission from the Father, seeking out people who would “worship in spirit and in truth” (4:24 NLT), people who would enjoy and glorify God.

When the Samaritan woman reckoned with the truth about her condition and realized Jesus was the Messiah, she was instantly, radically changed. She dropped her water jar and headed to town, back to the very same people she had previously avoided, to share the good news: “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” (John 4:29 NLT). She was un-stuck. She moved freely and joyously, running un-self-consciously. She must hurry to tell others, because the news she had was so great to give.

The Samaritan woman’s radical transformation highlights Jesus’ mercy to us when we are stuck in the ruts of recovery. Jesus seeks us in our hiding to draw us into community with the triune God and with fellow believers. He seeks us in our joylessness to remind us of our joy in him. He seeks us in our thirst to supply the living water that frees us to worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

When we seek out the Jesus who has already sought us out, we will be restored as worshippers of the Father. We will be unstuck, freed to move far beyond the recovery room. We will run with the Samaritan woman, moving out into the world to tell others about the Messiah who came to save us from our sins. We will enjoy and glorify God.

Prayer

Jesus,

In this season, when we feel so stuck, we cry out to you. Free our hearts, souls, minds, and spirits so that we might tell others the good news about you. In your saving name. Amen.

Further Encouragement

Read John 4:1-42.

Listen to “Joyful, Joyful” by Casting Crowns at https://youtu.be/AfNS0nxHXhc.

For Reflection

In what ways do you feel stuck right now? Ask Jesus to free you to see God’s might and mercy in this area. 

From Recovery to Restoration cover

Get Hope for Troubling Times

Advance Review for From Recovery to Restoration

"When the storms of life crash into our lives, the devastation left behind is often overwhelming. Recovery and healing is slow and arduous. Elizabeth Turnage's devotional is for all those laboring toward recovery. From Recovery to Restoration is a hope-filled, gospel-laced, and Christ-exalting book which invites us into God's story of redemption and helps us see how he is at work to redeem and restore all things, even the aftermath of our personal losses, heartaches, and trials."

Christina Fox

Writer, Counselor, Speaker

author of A Heart Set Free: A Journey to Hope Through the Psalms of Lament.

Click Here

A Prayer about Seeing the Light

by | Jan 6, 2021 | Christmas, Daily Prayer

A Prayer about Seeing the Light

Glorious God,

Though the twelfth day of Christmas has come and gone,

the defrocked trees lie dried and withered by the curb,

may we see the glory of Christ-with-us,

the good news that our light has come,

today and every day of this year.

Peel the scales from our eyes,

that we may see the light that has overcome the thick darkness,

your grace, and your glory,

your mercy and your kindness to us in Christ.

Indeed, may all “nations come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Isaiah 60:3).

Open our eyes to see the great ingathering of your people,

“the sons …come from afar…the daughters carried on the hip…” (Isaiah 60:4).

Radiate our hearts with this good news today and every day.

In Jesus’ glorious name. Amen.

Read Isaiah 60:1-5.

Planning to Learn, Live, and Love in Your Story 2021

by | Dec 29, 2020 | Gospel Coaching, Seasons & Holidays, Weekly Gospel Meditation

Planning to Learn, Live, and Love in Your Story 2021

How do you plan to live your God-given story this year?

Happy Early New Year!

It’s two days before New Year’s Eve, the day/night when many people make resolutions they will break before sundown on New Year’s Day. I’m not much of a resolution-maker since I’m such a promise-breaker, but I do love to spend some time looking back over the previous year and looking forward to what God might do in the new year. If you’d like to join me in any part of this, here’s the blog version. If you’d like the prettier version with lines for writing answers, then be sure to subscribe to Living Story, and you’ll get a ten page printable PDF in your (e)-mailbox as well as a new free gospel-centered resource every month!

The “Where Have I Been, Where Am I Going” Planning Exercise

Background: This enlightening exercise helps us survey what God has done in the past and draws us to look for what he will do in the future. When we are persuaded that God is presently working his kingdom plan, we are motivated to set goals and keep running the race toward them with endurance.

Suggestions: Either schedule out four thirty-minute periods over the next week or one two-three hour planning session (put it on your calendar or it won’t happen). Or, gather for a planning session with some friends or your small group or your spouse; work together and separately on it.

Part 1

  1. Ask, “Where have I been?”
  2. Ask God to remind you of the significant events, changes, accomplishments, and losses of the past year.
  3. Write down your top three in a short sentence or phrase. (Remember, things actually change in our brain when we write).
  4. Look at major areas of your life (relationships, spiritual and emotional health, work, finances, play) and write two-three sentences about changes you saw, for better or for worse, in 2020. (In the Story Planner Exercise, I provide a fancy grid for this, but you can make your own).

Part 2

  1. Ask, “Where are you going?”
  2. Pray, “Lord, show me where to go.”
  3. Write down the top three events/stories/challenges/goals you would like to see accomplished in 2021.
  4. Look at major areas of your life (relationships, spiritual and emotional health, work, finances, play) and write two-three sentences about changes you want to see in 2021.

Part 3: Write Your Story

  1. Pray about which story to write.
  2. Now, write for ten minutes. Choose one of the top three and write an imaginative story as if the goal were accomplished. Date it: December 31, 2021.

Get your free ten page story planner and other gospel-centered resources.

Send it now!

Here is my example:
Prayer: Lord, show me which goals matter to you the most.
Ex. I want to hear from at least ten people that my devotional, From Recovery to Restoration, helped them find peace and hope as they went through a crisis.
So I will write a “fictional” but also a faithful and hopeful account of how that happened.

To help you write the story, you can answer the following questions:

  1. What concrete actions did you take?
  2. What challenges did you meet?
  3. What actions did you take to overcome the challenges?
  4. Who prayed for you, encouraged you, kept you going?
  5. What did you see God do in the process?

Part 4: Make Your Plan
(In the Story Plan Exercise, there’s also a nifty chart for this, but you can make your own).

  1. Review the “imaginary actions” you took to accomplish your goal.
  2. Make your plan of action. Write down three things:
  • What four-five steps do I need to take?
  • Next to each step, write the date for it to be completed.
  • Put a reminder on your calendar to make a note about the outcome—if you completed the step and what happened if you did.

Now you know what to do. If you try it, I’d love to know how it works for you, what you learn through doing it, how I could improve it (there’s always room for improvement!)

A Prayer about Making Goals and Plans for 2021

Lord God,

We are so glad that you are the ruler over our lives. You planned and created the world, and yet, you have taken the time to make plans for the good works we will do to advance your kingdom and to bring you glory. Thank you for the opportunities you give us. Thank you for the grace you show us. Help us to live the story of faith, hope, and love you have written for us. Amen.

A Prayer about Our Sympathetic Priest

by | Dec 27, 2020 | Christmas, Daily Prayer

A Prayer about Our Sympathetic Priest

Father,

It’s two days after Christmas.

As we worship you today, may we grasp afresh the life-changing reality that

Jesus, in his sinless humanity,

is sympathetic to our weakness.

How can this be?

In my favorite book of the year, Gentle and Lowly, Dane Ortlund

explains it so much better than I can:
“It is in our ‘weaknesses’ that Jesus sympathizes with us.”

[Sympathize means “to suffer with.”]

“Sympathize here is not cool and detached pity…

In our pain, Jesus is pained; in our suffering,

he feels the suffering as his own even though it isn’t…

His is a love that cannot be held back when he sees his people in pain.”

(Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers, page 46).

Oh, Lord, thank you for sending a suffering and sympathetic Savior.

May we grab hold of this truth and let it change our hearts.

May we rest in Christ’s sympathy for us,

even as we battle sin, even as we suffer in a fallen world.

In Jesus’ sympathetic name. Amen.

Affiliate link to Gentle and Lowly.