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Treasured Devotions

Sweet Sixteen

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The Spiritual Occasion of the Royal Wedding

She was confident and stunning. With lace covering her shoulders and an heirloom tiara precisely positioned in her hair, Kate Middleton reflected a natural beauty on her wedding day. Elegance cascaded effortlessly as she advanced down the lengthy aisle of awe-inspiring Westminster Abbey on April 29, 2011. With her father by her side, every step along the royal red carpet brought her closer to being joined to Prince William in holy matrimony.  

The royal wedding was not simply a grand affair—it was a global event.

Ladies wearing fashionable hats in many hues and men in their finest, royalty and well-to-do, witnessed history as a young lady became a princess. Besides those present, eyes from around the world connected through television and the Internet to be a part—if only remotely—of a stirring historic wedding.  

Relaxing on a comfy couch before the flat-screen, I was one of the billions who set aside time to watch this spectacular occasion.

I know that fairy tales aren’t real; still, I enjoyed lingering in a land of queens, kings, and castles where it’s easy to imagine that fairy tales, as the song lyrics insist, can come true. Lost in the wonder and fanfare of the moment, I found myself forgetting that beyond this enchanting extravagance, marriage is a solemn and spiritual occasion designed by the Creator himself.  

The Bishop of London, Dr. Richard Chartres, who officiated that day, reminded me of this. As he stood at the podium, his deep voice filled the hall with a warmth that beckoned my attention and shifted my focus to Jesus, my heavenly Bridegroom.

Like a full moon that provides the brightest light in a star-filled sky, his carefully expressed homily highlighted this simple truth: Only Christ can complete our lives and give us the security we need so we can give to others.  

“As the reality of God has faded from so many lives in the West, there has been a corresponding inflation of expectations that personal relations alone will supply meaning and happiness in life. This is to load our partner with too great a burden. We are all incomplete: We all need the love that is secure, rather than oppressive; we need mutual forgiveness to thrive.”  

Remarkable truth.

As his words rolled around in my head for a moment, the glamour of this Cinderella day seemed to fade into the background. I realized that even a prince with the world at his fingertips could not provide his bride with enough security.

Even a prince who bestows his bride with the title of princess cannot give her enough significance to satisfy.

Even a deeply devoted husband cannot provide his wife with all the love and acceptance she needs.  

Everlasting joy, security, and true rest for our souls come not from belonging to a person or holding a certain position or gaining worldly possessions—but by trusting a Savior.  

Come See Jesus with Fresh Eyes this Summer 

Welcome to Sweet Sixteen: A Treasured Ministries Weekly Word Series Study on the sixteen chapters in the Gospel According to Mark. 

Jesus said that if we seek him, we will find him.

Let’s seek Jesus this summer with an open heart that dares to believe that our he is all we’ll ever need. Here is what you can expect:

  • Start your week drawing closer to Jesus with a devotion sent to your inbox Monday morning.  
  • See Jesus with fresh eyes of faith this summer as you read through the entire gospel of Mark one chapter at a time, one week at a time. At the bottom of each devotion, you will find a weekly Nourish Scripture to apply the Nourish Bible Study Method. Find security and freedom from fear as you get to know Jesus intimately through his Word.  
  • Let go of the Jesus you’ve learned from others, and look instead at the Jesus of the Bible as the source for living water to quench your soul’s thirst.   
  • Own this truth and gain confidence: your true value and purpose for which you were created can only come from Jesus himself. 

Jesus is worthy of our trust. His provision is not simply for the future, for everlasting life in heaven; his name already brings salvation and healing to our souls. Our salvation—our security in Jesus—begins with abundant life here on earth (John 10:10). He loves us unconditionally and wants the best for us.  

Let this summer inspire a whole new level of trusting Jesus, one that we can experience together. We belong to Jesus—the only one who can complete our lives and give us the security we need so that we can freely give to others.  

Invite a friend to join you!  Let’s do this! 

Blessings, 

 Aliene 

You’ve been promised a joyous life. Download Nourishing Your Heart to learn how to connect with God’s Word and transform the way you live!

Blog written by Aliene Thompson. Aliene Thompson is the founder of Treasured Ministries and the Author of the Nourish Bible Study Series.© 2019 Treasured Ministries.

An Easter Hallelujah

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On Easter, we celebrate the powerful message that Jesus has risen.

The gospel of John records that precious moment when Mary Magdalene could not bring herself to leave Jesus’ empty tomb…

Weeping, she turned from the angels still in the tomb and saw a man she assumed to be a gardener. But when Mary realized the truth—that her Savior was standing before her—she ran into his arms. Jesus told her, “Go and tell the disciples I have risen.” Her countenance changed and off she went to carry out her task.  

  • What a difference knowing the truth made in the way she lived.
  • What a difference it makes in all our lives.
  • What a difference in the lives around us when we take on the task of sharing the good news that Jesus is risen with others. 

Praise be to God for his living word which makes a difference in our life. We can let go completely of the old covenant to celebrate the new!  

Jesus Is Still Turning Broken Hearts to Brave Hearts

It touches my heart the way Jesus revealed himself to a woman on Easter morning.

He called Mary by name. He turned her weeping into something wonderful.

That’s something to celebrate. Because He lives, Jesus is turning tears into triumph. Broken hearts to brave hearts.  

Jesus is still speaking to hearts today as we seek Him through His Word in the power of the Holy Spirit. God’s Word written on our hearts through the Holy Spirit goes beyond knowledge and makes a lasting impact on us—and through us makes a difference in the lives of those around us.   

Turn your weeping into something wonderful as you seek Jesus through his Word.  

For your Easter Week, we invite you to enjoy a poem Millicent Phillips has written about, print a copy for yourself and share one with a friend! Click here to view the poem.

Nourish Scripture: John 20:11-18

Do you want to find more peace and joy from your connection with Jesus? Download Nourishing Your Heart today to learn how!

Blog written by Aliene Thompson. Aliene Thompson is the founder of Treasured Ministries and the Author of the Nourish Bible Study Series. © Copyright Treasured Ministries 2019

Knowing Christ

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Though we don’t always think about it, our days truly are numbered, and with that comes the reality that our words are too. With this in mind, what are the words we share with those around us?

What is the message our life portrays to the world around us?

What is the purpose you are pursuing and promoting with your life?

And lastly, how would you be remembered? 

Jesus lived a life of perfection, he portrayed constant communion with the Father and the result of that was the over-arching message of perfect love. In knowing Jesus, in studying the life he led, we are studying love itself. And the faith we have in who Jesus is and what that love did for us is the truth that saves us.  

Knowing Who Jesus Is in Your Heart

In his final address to those closest to him, Jesus lifted them up to the Father in prayer. It was this prayer, filled with purpose, that Jesus proclaimed his purpose in showing himself to the world.  

“And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.” John 17:3  

You can’t have one without the other, if you are going to claim to know God, the attributes of Jesus must also be known to your heart.

And it’s the truth that we store in our hearts of who Jesus is that fills us with not only joy, but the love that unites. 

“…I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy.” John 17:13 

Christ came to get us back, to return us to the Father and break us free, but he can’t do that without being known.

He offered freedom by offering himself to us.

How beautiful and heartbreaking it is to know that Christ gave himself fully, knowing so many would not only reject him, but turn against him entirely. In pursuing the knowledge of who Christ is we are also pursuing the heart of the Father, and that common pursuit should be what brings us together. 

“I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.” John 17:21 

Celebrating Christ

As we prepare for the celebration of the greatest victory in history challenge yourself to celebrate the life that Christ led by taking a good look at it. The more we study Christ the more we do justice to the purpose he came for.

Celebrate Christ, celebrate the love that defined the life he led.

Look at the words he prayed over those he spent his time with. 

At the end of the day, the words, purpose, and actions, of our lives should lead to the purpose of love. Because when we love others, when we allow them to know that they are deeply loved, we are giving them knowledge of the Father, we are pointing them to the truth that saves.  

We carry the truth of the gospel to the world around us, and love is the greatest vessel of that truth. Commit yourself to knowing Christ intimately.

Nourish Scripture: John 17

To connect with Christ more intimately, you need to change the way you approach the Word. Download Nourishing Your Heart to discover how to do just that!

This blog was written by Millicent Phillips. Millicent is part of the Treasured Ministries writing team. © 2019 Treasured Ministries.

When It All Falls Down

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What to do when your world needs fixing? 

When everything teeters on the brink, how do you cope? 

You cry out to God, pray earnestly for His strong arm to mend the broken, to rescue before collapse. You search Scriptures, search your heart, search earnestly for something, anything, for a remedy. 

But what do you do when after all this – the tears, the prayers, the repentance – it all falls anyways? Prayers for repair seemingly return with rubble. 

The Trouble with Prayers for Repair

I’ve pondered this much of late: how to reconcile my cries for fixing with answers with further breaking.

Was the Lord averse to my cries?

Had my pleas fallen on calloused ears?

While emotions raged and circumstances spun, I sensed His gentle Spirit whisper to my weary soul: 

I am not a handyman. 

Patch this. Mend that. Indeed, my prayers for fixing desired repair work on existing structures, keeping the status quo minus the cracks. “Here’s MY plan for fixing, Lord. Be a good handyman and get the job done.” 

As I wrestled with this new realization of my heart’s desires, He lovingly, patiently whispered another transforming truth. 

You are clay and I, the Potter. 

God Is the Potter

The Potter.

Master craftsman.

Clay always transforms into its destined design within the molding palm of its Sculptor’s hands. Should cracks develop or walls weaken, He does not simply patch nor mend.  The Potter presses the entire piece to the ground, flattening to scratch and building again from the bottom up. For the vessel to hold true, it must be made new.   

For the fractured, fixing requires breaking. 

With this newfound perspective, I realized my cries for mending had in fact been answered! Not by mere patchwork that would eventually give way to greater rupture but by the loving leveling of the Master Potter’s Hands. Not out of disdain or frustration but clear vision of the full potential trapped within my clay, potential that could only be realized by His molding touch. 

He allowed all to fall so it could be built up in Him, strong and sure. 

Take heart, weary one. You are not forsaken.

When it all falls down, rest your battered bones in the palm of the Potter. His desire exceeds mere repair of fractured places. Know you are ever in His sight as the apple of His eye. He has a masterpiece in mind! 

Therein lies the beauty of being broken. 

Nourish Scripture: John 16 

Do you want to discover God’s purpose for you and transform the way you live? Download Nourishing Your Heart to find out how!

This blog was written by Patience Leino. Patience Leino is a solo mama, a worship leader, and a sought-after advocate and educator in pediatrics. A Maryland native, she graduated from Liberty University with a degree in Biblical Studies and now calls Raleigh home. You can explore her adventures in faith, food, and failure on her blog.  © 2019 Treasured Ministries.

Abiding Mindset Shift

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Jesus Christ holds out his hand and reaches beyond your past, your mistakes, your imperfections, and your shame with this invitation: Come just as you are. Abide with me. As you connect with me, you will prosper with the fruit of agape love to fulfill the primary command of the new covenant—loving others as the Lord has loved you. 

And while this sounds so beautifully simplistic, the enemy of your soul will often tempt you to try manufacturing this fruit on your own.

This temptation is deceptive because it appears righteous. But Jesus made it clear that our efforts, no matter how noble or great, cannot enable us to bear fruit.

It’s all about him. 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”  – John 15:5 NIV 

Experiencing Frustration in Your Walk

Are you frustrated in your walk with Jesus? Yeah, sometimes I find myself there too…

I have discovered that the solution is not to work harder but to shift my mindset. My frustration comes from trying to pour new wine back into old wineskins. I learned that to get back on track, I have to shift my thinking. How about you? Are you ready to do that? 

It’s time to change your focus to the abiding mindset. 

Effort, no matter how great, placed in the wrong direction is not effective. The lack of fruit in our lives is not from a lack of effort but effort placed in the wrong direction.  

Plugging into the presence of Jesus grows healthy roots that lead to healthy fruit. Frustration in our walk with Jesus can surface when we slip back into the old covenant mentality by striving to keep religious rules instead of finding the strength of lasting transformation in a relationship with Jesus.   

Authentic healing happens from a heart nourished by the source of life. The Nourish Bible Study Method can help you make this a reality in your life by transforming your approach to Bible study. 

What Is an Abiding Mindset? 

  • An abiding mind–set chooses to place efforts in the right direction. 

Abiding, dwelling, and remaining with Jesus means staying close to him through a personal intimate relationship. It is the choice to receive agape love, increasing your capacity to fulfill the command of the new covenant: love others as Jesus has loved you.  

  • Abiding is a mindset that chooses to believe God works all things for your good. 

Abiding means you will experience pruning.

Intimacy with Jesus is not the absence of adversity. God works through the grit of life to create pearls.  

Sometimes the Lord’s most glorious gardening is cultivated through pruning (James 1:2–4). When you experience pruning, don’t pull away. Instead, press into the Lord by believing God is for you.  

  • Abiding is a mindset shift that elevates your prayer life to a boldness that bears the name of Jesus (John 15:7). 

One year the Lord revealed to me that while I had no problem praying bold prayers for my family and friends, I was reluctant to ask God boldly in prayer for what I needed. When I sought the Lord, asking him why, he showed me that the issue lay in unbelief and the pride of self-reliance.

Also, God showed me that lies from the enemy that I was not worthy enough were NOT TRUE!  

  • Abiding is choosing authentic humility as you depend on the Father through bold prayer.  

The pathway of surrendering your self-reliance opens your arms wide to receive from God. All prayers are submitted above all to God’s will—his plan and timing (see Luke 22:39–46). You can pray with confidence and then rest in the absolute assurance that God loves you. Don’t decide for him by praying small!  

Shift your mindset. Start today by diving into what abiding means through our Weekly Nourish Scripture, John 15. 

You are God’s child. Jesus Christ holds out his hand wanting to spend time with you. Joy and agape love . . . provision through prayer . . . essential nourishment for the soul . . . becoming the woman God created you to be . . . are all waiting for you. 

Weekly Nourish Scripture: John 15

Discover how to connect with the nourishment every Bible passage has for your life. Download Nourishing Your Heart today!

Blog written by Aliene Thompson. Aliene Thompson is the founder of Treasured Ministries and the Author of the Nourish Bible Study Series. © 2019 Treasured Ministries.

Bestow the Words You Crave

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Another long day, grappling past lies and current insecurities and future worst-case possibilities.

Craving words of reassurance to raw wounds open, I reach out to friends with said aching, seeking remedy. 

Disappointment comes again as well-intentioned words fall hollow on these doubting ears.

Shame lays another layer down upon a battered heart.

And round about this carousel of craving I go again…   

Seeking Wholeness in the Wrong Places

We’ve likely all taken a spin or seventy on this merry-go-round, seeking wholeness in the words of trusted friends for our scarred places, wounded spaces.

Guilty as charged.

For me, it happens most often come evening. When the world slows, and children finally sleep, and I lie alone in bed. “Am I enough? Is God still kind? Not to us all but to me.  Did my failures today scar my children for life?” These are some of my frequent flyers. I’m confident your list stands ready in the wings too. 

What do we do? What do I do? I grab my phone and reach out to people to fill these aching gaps. They respond as best they know how yet my holes within only expand under the weight of sincere yet inadequate platitudes.

This cycle repeats until loud lies feel true and worth seems lost and alone becomes more than a place but a defining status.   

Maybe it’s just me… 

But I know it isn’t. 

Life happens, wounds happen, heck – simply human existence happens – and we reach out battered hearts for divine balm from mortal sources. Funny how loneliness often perpetuates itself through the avenues used in seeking remedy. 

Recently, I found myself on this well-worn path again. Questions of worth, the purpose for pain, value where history had “proven” otherwise. In the middle of the familiar reach towards my mobile, a soft stirring began to sound. 

You’re not alone in loneliness. 

Finding Peace by Bestowing Community

I’ve heard it said that if we recognized how often people feel lonely, we’d find community within our loneliness. Or something like that. Bottom line – you’re not the only one aching, the only one seeking, the only one asking these same questions. 

  • What do you long to hear?
  • To believe?
  • To have someone who knows your story believe of you, for you, speak over you? 

Such questions gave me pause. What did I truly want to believe as TRUTH in my depths? Words began to fill my mind, snatches of verses often cliched in their application. Words of worth, destiny, beauty springing from ashes and hidden hopes realized.   

“Ok, Lord, I ‘know’ all these things are true, but I want to believe them, and I honestly don’t.” His next whisper surprised me. 

Who else needs to hear these words too? 

Full stop. I sensed the Lord challenging me to trade seeking for serving, to lift my eyes from sorrows, off licking proverbial wounds, and recognize those surrounding me.

It took conscious effort, this changing of perspective: wounds in one hand and desired spoken truths in the other, both held out before the One who ultimately bore all wounds, who alone bestows all healing. And the results astounded me.   

Slowly, surely, as names came to mind, a choice lay before me. No, an invitation: set aside my own wounds to extend balm for another.  And if asked of its source, I’d only be able to point to the One who was pointing this all out to me.  

Pick up a phone, select a person, type away. Only this time, not in gathering, but in bestowing, in speaking life. As their faces came to mind and words were sent on blessing’s mission, the most remarkable thing occurred:  My own ache began to ease and texts started coming in. 

“How did you know?” 

“I so needed this.” 

 Grateful, I responded, “Me too, my friend.  Me too.”

This paradox turned hurting on its head, bestowing community where, moments before, loneliness reigned.

It’s counterintuitive when wounds screaming loud bleed raw and words from trusted friends fall flat on aching ears – to lay down craving in place of grace-proclaiming. What if we transformed our intuitions to seek into commissions to serve? Who else might need to hear the very things our own heart longs for?

Simply put – bestow the words you crave. 

Nourish Scripture: John 14

Jesus is calling you to find nourishment in the Word. Download Nourishing Your Heart to discover the key to connecting with his Word that transforms the way you live. 

This blog was written by Patience Leino. Patience Leino is a solo mama, a worship leader, and a sought-after advocate and educator in pediatrics. A Maryland native, she graduated from Liberty University with a degree in Biblical Studies and now calls Raleigh home. You can explore her adventures in faith, food, and failure on her blog. © 2019 Treasured Ministries.

Living Words

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Dear Treasured Tribe,  

Imagine you knew you only had a short time left to live and wanted to share a last meal with loved ones.

  • Whom would you invite?
  • What meal would you share together?
  • And most important, what final words would you carefully choose to speak over those who graced your table?  

Words matter. But last words can leave a legacy to those you love.  

Of course, not everyone knows when their time on earth is coming to an end, but Jesus did.

Before the dawn of time, the Father designed a plan to redeem us from sin through the sacrifice of his one and only Son. Our Savior. Our Lord and Passover Lamb. The time had arrived on God’s kingdom calendar for perfect love—and the entire reason Jesus came to earth—to come to pass. The passion of the cross. 

“And Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father” (John 13:1 NLT).

The Last Words and Actions of Jesus

As with everything he did, Jesus intentionally chose his last actions on earth with divine precision down to every eternal detail to fulfill his Father’s plan, including the words he expressed to his beloved disciples over the most significant Passover meal in history. While the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke record the Passover meal itself, John’s Gospel expands the experience over five chapters of Scripture, zooming in to emphasize other events and details, including those last precious words.  

And those words breathed the very life of heaven into earth, singing a beautiful prelude to the New Covenant.

Living words.

Eternal words.

Healing words.

Life-giving words.

Glory-defined words.   

Tucked carefully inside the Gospel of John, the Holy Spirit preserved those precious words so you and I could savor them today.

Reflecting on these words is important. When we savor these last words, we are reminded of our glorious inheritance in Christ and can stand firm in who we really are and become all God created us to be. 

Welcome to “Last Words,” a Treasured Ministries Weekly Word Series for Lent on John 13–17. Come and prepare your heart for Easter by gathering around the table with Jesus and hearing those words once more. Let go of the old to embrace the new. In this series, you will . . . 

  • start your week with inspiration by receiving a devotion every Monday designed to draw your heart closer to Jesus as Easter approaches.  
  • savor those last words Jesus spoke as you apply the Nourish Bible Study Method to John 13–17. Want to discover the Nourish Bible Study Method to prepare yourself for your journey? Check out these resources. 
  • reflect and recapture the truth of your New Covenant position in Christ through truth found in John 13–17. 
  • understand the power of the Living Word, what that means, and how you can apply it to your life so you can share these truths with others during Lent to make a difference. 

I am beyond excited to share this journey with you!

ONWARD! 

Aliene Thompson 

Nourish Scripture: John 13 

Learn how to spend time in God’s Word in such a way that it IMPACTS the way you live by downloading Nourishing Your Heart today!

Blog written by Aliene Thompson. Aliene Thompson is the founder of Treasured Ministries and the Author of the Nourish Bible Study Series. © 2019 Treasured Ministries.

The End of Your Rope

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It’s easy to find yourself at the end of a rope you’ve overestimated the length of your capacity. It’s an alarming reality to come to when we run out of ourselves in the face of the responsibilities we have taken on.

The strange thing about reaching the end of ourselves is that we reach that point countless times throughout our lives, yet still, we are caught off guard each time it happens.  

I hit the end of my rope again recently, and I learned my lesson all over again. And so I am writing this, not only to share and hopefully encourage, but to hold myself accountable with words to paper.

Burdens Rob Our Hearts of Passion

We take on responsibilities for the things that we are passionate about and then leave the things we put on our shoulders out of check. Before we know it our responsibilities become burdens and the burdens slip from our shoulders and invade our hearts, stealing the passion. 

It is when we leave our responsibilities unchecked that they rob our hearts of the joy of the passion we have been given. 

When our hearts are re-centered around what is not of God we have made idols of what was given to us to glorify him. Whatever our talents, they are GIVEN to us, we have no right to them. When God gives us these desires and passions, he does not intend for us to take them and run, leaving him behind, he wants to run alongside us.  

Because I can promise you this, you will run out, you will fail, and you will hit your wall. Try as we might, there is only so much of ourselves that we have to give, there is only so much space on our shoulders before responsibilities have to take up residence in our heart. 

We Are Meant to Follow

When I hit my wall I found myself resenting the role of leadership that I was in, the very role I had created for myself became my burden rather than my delight. I looked at those around me and envied them for being able to follow, for getting to learn and not teach. I was exhausted, and I was heartbroken to feel my heart weighed down, rather than lifted, by my role.  

I found myself on my knees, hastily praying for strength before having to go to my next responsibility, when God finally broke through the haze.  

It was when I was most tired of leading that I was reminded of the greatest role I have in this life: Follower.  

There is no obligation from me in this love of the Father other than to merely follow. I do not have to bring anything but my heart on this journey and I need not worry so long as the footsteps I follow are his. I get to be led my whole life, and whatever I am given to lead in the process of this should never be done ahead of the footsteps of the Father, but rather in line.  

Let your passions be spurred on by the Father and ignited by your actions, but do not allow them to rob you of your joy, to rob you of your purpose.  

Nourish Scripture: 2 Timothy 1

By Millicent Phillips. Millicent is a student at Liberty University and a member of the Treasured Ministries writing team. © Copyright Treasured Ministries 2019