Overcoming Grief in Times of Loss

 

A compilation

Audio length: 10:45
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Are you currently mourning or grieving the loss of someone you love? Does the idea of getting beyond the pain and sorrow seem impossible to you? Do peace and comfort seem nonexistent or out of reach?

Jesus’ disciples knew what it meant to mourn and grieve. They had seen Jesus crucified and His body laid in a tomb. One day He was with them, and the next He was gone—or so it must have felt. They’d no doubt had their fair share of tests during the three years they had spent with Jesus. But the test they endured right after His death must have been one of the most difficult.

Since their Master had given them plenty of advance warning concerning His betrayal, crucifixion, death, and resurrection on the third day, you’d think they would have felt better prepared to face everything.¹

He had clearly told them, “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”² At the time Jesus spoke these words, His disciples hadn’t fully grasped how soon they would be seeing Him. It seems they thought that He meant in the afterlife, not just three days after His death.

When He was crucified and laid to rest, they wrestled with doubt. They had seen their Master perform miracles of resurrection, but now here He was entombed himself.

Mary Magdalene found them in this dejected, melancholic state of mind on Easter Sunday. When she came running to them with the news of finding the tomb empty and seeing an angel who told her that Jesus had risen, at first they didn’t believe her. That is, until Peter and John went and saw it for themselves.³

When Jesus manifested Himself to them, they discovered that He was more than just “alive.” He could do truly amazing things like appear and disappear, even when doors were shut.⁴ Later on, He appeared to a couple of His followers as they traveled from Jerusalem to Emmaus. He conversed with them the whole way there, but they were kept from recognizing Him until later that evening when they were having dinner together.⁵

Through these and many other signs, He convinced His grief-stricken followers that He had indeed been resurrected, and their grief turned to joy, just as He’d told them it would.

This is all well and good, you may be thinking. But how is it supposed to help me get beyond the pain of my own loss?

I know how you must feel. I’m no stranger to the pain of loss myself. My mother passed away in 2004—and dealing with her loss was truly a day-by-day, painstaking process. In an effort to stay “tough” and hide from the pain, I would tell myself, Mom’s gone and that’s that. I’ll see her again, yes, but who knows how long it will be before then? So I may as well tough it out and stay focused on the here and now.

I resigned myself to it for a long time, until it eventually took its toll on me. Thankfully, the Lord and His Holy Spirit began to change my perspective. I studied His Word with an open heart—and realized that we, the followers of Jesus who live today, have just as sure a guarantee of the eventual resurrection of our loved ones who have died as the disciples of old had of the resurrection of Jesus.

Paul says to the Thessalonians, “We do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”⁶

This realization caused a resurrection to take place in my own soul. The joy which I had allowed to die through my own pain and sorrow was coming to life again. And now my joy continues to grow, and I know that nothing or no one can take it from me.

If you are struggling with the loss of a loved one and wishing you could have that same joy, be comforted in knowing that you can. You can ask God to help you to look beyond the pain and emptiness of your loss to the glorious life to come, when all will be renewed, resurrected, and restored. Then will begin a process of renewal, resurrection, and restoration right in your own heart, as your joy is brought back to life.—Steve Hearts

God’s comfort

If you have lost a loved one to death, you know that it is a painful experience. Jesus understood the pain of losing someone close to His heart. In the book of John, we learn that Jesus lost a loved one named Lazarus.⁷ Jesus was deeply moved and wept at the loss of His friend. This story, however, doesn’t end in tears. Jesus knew He possessed the power needed to raise Lazarus from the dead. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”⁸

Jesus overcame death through His resurrection. It is comforting to know that death is not the end for those who believe. Those who know Jesus as Savior will have eternal life.⁹ God has prepared a new home for us where there will be no more death, tears, or pain.¹⁰

Even if we are assured that our loved one is in a better place, we still experience the pain of their absence on earth. It is okay to grieve the loss of your loved one. Jesus wept over the death of Lazarus, even knowing He would bring Lazarus back to life. God is not afraid of our emotions or our questions. We can pour out our burdens on Him and trust in His love to provide us reassurance and comfort.¹¹

We can remember the many good things about our lost loved ones and rejoice in the fact that we were able to share in their lives. We can share stories about the impact our lost loved ones have had on our lives. We might find it comforting to do some of the things our lost loved ones particularly enjoyed or to spend time reminiscing about our lost loved ones with other close relatives and friends. We can also honor their memory by living our lives in a way that brings honor and glory to God.

It is important to remember that God is ultimately the source of our comfort.¹² … The Bible tells us that God is the father of mercies and that He will comfort us in all our tribulations.¹³ Be assured that God loves you and that He understands how much you are hurting. Run to the shelter of the Most High where you will find sweet rest.¹⁴—GotQuestions.org¹⁵

Faithful friend prayer

God of all comfort, please be near me today. Let your strong presence be felt now and in the coming days. The grief of losing my loved one is so heavy on my heart and mind. I pray that you would come and comfort me. Wrap me up in your tender love. It pains me to lose someone so close to my heart. I struggle to understand, but I know that you’ve seen all this in times past. And in your wisdom, you have chosen to take my beloved family member/friend at this time and in this way. Embrace me, O God, and speak words of assurance and comfort by the Holy Spirit. …

Lord, what a faithful friend we have in you. You carry our sorrows and our griefs and our pain. Thank you for the privilege of taking everything to you in prayer. Remind us when we are overwhelmed with the grief of this great loss that we don’t need to forfeit peace or bear needless pain; we can take our troubled hearts to you. There has never been a faithful friend like you, who shares our sorrows and knows our hearts. Thank you, sweet friend. …

Thank you that I am never alone, that your presence calms the troubled sea of my life and speaks peace to my soul. Your word says that my faith will never be put to shame when my trust is in you. Hear my prayer as I ask for comfort in dealing with the loss of my loved one. Help me to find strength and peace in your presence. Restore joy to my soul. Lord, bless me and keep me, make your face shine upon me. Turn your face towards me and give me peace.—ConnectUs¹⁶

Published on Anchor July 2022. Read by Jon Marc.
Music by Michael Dooley.

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¹ See Matthew 16:21, 17:22, 20:17–18; Mark 8:31, 9:31, 10:32–34; Luke 9:21–22, 18:31–33.

² John 16:22 NIV.

³ John 20:1–4.

⁴ John 20:19–20.

⁵ Luke 24:13–31.

⁶ 1 Thessalonians 4:13–14 NIV.

⁷ John 11:1–44.

⁸ John 11:25–26.

⁹ John 10:28.

¹⁰ Revelation 21:1–4.

¹¹ 1 Peter 5:7.

¹² 2 Corinthians 7:6.

¹³ 2 Corinthians 1:3–4.

¹⁴ Psalm 91:1–2.

¹⁵ https://www.gotquestions.org/lost-a-loved-one.html.

¹⁶ https://connectusfund.org/14-best-comforting-prayers-for-loss-of-a-loved-one.

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When God Doesn’t Grant the Desires of Our Hearts

 

A compilation

Audio length: 15:41
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Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.—Psalm 37:4

Years ago, when I first became a Christian, there was a young couple at our church who took me under their wing. I was grateful for their friendship, encouragement, and efforts to answer my many questions. One day, the topic of unfulfilled hopes and dreams came up, to which the wife responded by quoting Psalm 37:4, “He will give you the desires of your heart.” The strong implication was that as a Christian, I could expect God to give me anything I wanted, if I would only ask. …

Taken as a whole, the meaning of the verse comes into sharper focus. It’s not a carte blanche, whereby God binds himself to provide whatever pops into the reader’s imagination: more money, better job, nicer home, exciting vacations. This isn’t the gospel according to Janis Joplin, who sang back in 1970, “Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes-Benz? My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends.”

Nor is it the philosophy enshrined in Disney movies, which says, “Follow your heart. It will never lead you wrong.” … The key to Psalm 37:4 is found in the opening phrase: Delight yourself in the Lord. In essence, God is promising that for those who make him the object of their desire, he will fulfill that desire. …

This theme of desire for God reverberates beyond the book of Psalms, into the pages of the New Testament. Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven as a treasure for which a person will give everything in order to possess it (Matthew 13:44–46). Paul speaks of his own experience, counting all he had as worthless compared to the supreme value of knowing Jesus (Philippians 3:7–11). …

So while we may not know God’s will in a specific situation, we can always be certain of this. If we ask God to spark our affections and make our hearts delight in him, then we’re asking according to his will and he will honour that request. If we set our deepest desire on the Lord, he will fulfill that desire.

There’s a clear and present danger, especially in affluent cultures, of making idols out of God’s good gifts, of worshipping the creation instead of the Creator. The ancients did this with images of people and animals and heavenly bodies. We moderns are more likely to do it with wealth and ambition, comfort and leisure. Consequently, we view God as a means to an end, rather than an end in himself. We want God’s stuff, rather than God himself.

But it won’t work. As C. S. Lewis observed, “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”

God designed humans to find our pleasure and fulfillment in him. All other pleasures have their proper place only in relation to this overarching delight in the Lord.—Subby Szterszky¹

Delighting ourselves in God

When I was a teenager, I “discovered” Psalm 37:4 and declared it to be my life verse at the time (please tell me you had one of those). “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” This is a formula I could follow for life, right? Delight in the Lord? Simple! He’s great, He’s awesome, He gets credit when things are going well. Now, I’ll wait expectantly for Him to do what I ask. …

But this isn’t an equation. It’s not math and it’s not a formula. Lip-service to God doesn’t mean I can manipulate Him into giving me what I desire. Even sincere amazement at His goodness doesn’t equate with a check next to the boxes of unmet desires. I didn’t understand at fifteen that a heart truly delighted in God will desire what He desires, will love what He loves, will do what He purposes.

So a decade after my Psalm 37:4 epiphany, I could be found sobbing, face down on the bathroom floor with a hundredth negative pregnancy test in my hand and a hole in my heart. Had God failed to deliver what I thought He had promised? Could He be doing anything good in the years of fruitless waiting? …

When I began to go to Scripture to see why He might be withholding children from me, I found that He wasn’t so much withholding the desires of my heart as much as He was giving me new ones. … As I searched the Scriptures for what I could learn about God’s character, my arms were still empty. But my heart began to be filled. I went to the Word day after day to set my eyes on the goodness of God, and I was filled with what I found. He was good, faithful, merciful, just, wise, sovereign, present.

In dwelling on His character, I began to see that no desire, no matter how sweet or noble, could stand in the place of my Savior. I am a slave to Christ, and therefore, no other master will do. Not motherhood, not marriage, not status, not notoriety. Even good things can become idols if they fight for center stage in our hearts. …

Because He is both intentional and kind, He gave us Himself in every way we have needed: Father, Son, and Spirit. From garden to temple to cross to Pentecost, God has given us Himself and given us record of it in His Word. One day we’ll see Him face-to-face completely unhindered, and then there will be an end to every yearning. …

When God doesn’t give you the desires of your heart, He may be giving you the desire of His heart. He may use the absence of the gift you pray for to set your eyes on the Giver instead. Let your yearning turn you to the One your heart was made to yearn for.—Glenna Marshall²

Trust, delight, and commit

God has blessed me with so many good things: a safe place to live, food to eat, people to love and serve. Yet if I’m being really honest with you, I always seem to desire more: a marriage with a good man, a pretty house, a career I love that pays the bills, perfect friendships… The list goes on.

Recently, while I thought about all my unmet desires, a sarcastic laugh bubbled up. God, You said You would give me the desires of my heart. But here I am, juggling a couple of jobs while writing on the side. My mornings start early. My old, white fridge could die any day. At times, I still struggle with body image and friendships.

In my frustration, I read the Bible passage where I thought God had promised to give me the desires of my heart: “Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD…” (Psalm 37:3–5).

God calls us to trust, delight, and commit. Understanding this changed my perspective and gave me peace during a season of discontentment. …

Our commitment to Christ means our lives are no longer our own. We now have a purpose and meaning beyond life going our way. As a result, His joy shines bright in us like the morning sun. He gives us peace during chaos and unexpected hardships. It’s my prayer that we’ll desire more of Jesus because when we trust, delight in, and commit to Him, we find peace in His plan … even when life isn’t going how we dreamt it would.

Lord, help me to focus more on You and less on my unmet desires. May my ultimate desire always be for Your will and Your glory. When I’m struggling with contentment, remind me that You are good and are working for my good. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.—Grace Valentine³

What does Psalm 37:4 mean?

Psalm 37:4 contains a great promise: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” This verse invites us to have a deeply intimate relationship with God. As we delight in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart. …

To understand the promise in Psalm 37:4, we must first examine the meaning of delighting in the Lord. The word delight encompasses a profound sense of joy, satisfaction, and contentment. When we delight in the Lord, we seek His presence (Psalm 27:4), meditate on His Word day and night (Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:2), and align our will with His (Romans 12:2). …

When we delight in the Lord, we will experience a radical shift in our desires. In other words, we will no longer desire selfish and sinful things (Galatians 5:17–21). … As we draw closer to Him, our desires will begin to mirror His desires for us, reflecting His goodness and righteousness. …

Psalm 37:4 prompts us to delight in the Lord and align our desires with His perfect will. As we cultivate a heart that finds joy, satisfaction, and contentment in Him, He will transform our desires to reflect His purposes.—GotQuestions.org⁴

A prayer of praise

How glorious is Your mercy and how excellent is Your lovingkindness (Psalm 36:7)! Your love surpasses all things and Your mercy endures forever (Psalm 136:1). Your forgiveness is complete—washing my soul and redeeming me for Your heavenly kingdom (Ephesians 1:7), and so I present myself to You—my Lord, my God, my Savior, my all.

My desire is to please and worship You and to walk in Your will. There is no honor, glory, strength or love like Yours. I raise my voice and my heart and spirit to You in praise and thanksgiving and honor and gratitude and glory, giving You all that I have, for You are worthy.

Published on Anchor June 2026. Read by John Laurence. Music by Michael Dooley.

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¹ Subby Szterszky, “The desires of our hearts,” Focus on the Family Canada, 2016, https://www.focusonthefamily.ca/content/the-desires-of-our-hearts

² Glenna Marshall, “When God Doesn’t Give You the Desires of Your Heart,” glennamarshall.com, August 6, 2018, https://www.glennamarshall.com/2018/08/06/when-god-doesnt-give-you-the-desires-of-your-heart/

³ Grace Valentine, “When God Hasn’t Given You the Desires of Your Heart,” Proverbs 31, June 28, 2025, https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2025/06/28/when-god-hasnt-given-you-the-desires-of-your-heart

⁴ “What does it mean that God will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4)?” GotQuestions.org, https://www.gotquestions.org/He-will-give-you-the-desires-of-your-heart.html

https://anchor.tfionline.com/post/when-god-doesnt-grant-the-desires-of-our-hearts/

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Doing Our Part

 

A compilation

Audio length: 13:00
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Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.—Colossians 3:23–24

Whenever I speak at writers’ workshops and conferences, I often share my testimony of how God opened the publishing doors for me at my very first writers’ conference. … Then I always say, “God put His ‘super’ to my ‘natural’!”

Of course, that statement often raises questions, so I go on to explain that if I hadn’t researched what publishing houses were going to be at that particular conference, prepared my manuscripts in a professional manner, practiced my pitch and made appointments to meet with those two publishers, I wouldn’t have walked away with two book contracts in the highly competitive children’s book market. I had to do my part so God could do His.

If I had stayed home from the conference and prayed for God to somehow get my stories published but never sent them off to any publisher, then I’d still be unpublished and “believing God” for His supernatural intervention.

Too many of us are waiting on God to act when He is waiting on us to be obedient and do what He has called us to do in the natural, so He can add His “super” to it.

The Bible is full of examples of this principle. Let’s look at three:

• God told Moses to raise up his staff, and when he did, God parted the sea so that the Israelites could cross over on dry ground. But, Moses had to do his part—raising up his staff (Exodus 14).
• God instructed Joshua to have all of his men march around Jericho one time, every day for six days. Then, on the seventh day, they were instructed to march around the city seven times and have the priests blow the trumpets and the others shout the victory on that seventh time, and at that moment, God said He would do the supernatural—cause the wall around the city to fall down—which, of course, He did! But they had to do their part first—walking around the city, blowing the trumpets, and shouting (Joshua 6).
• It was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and Jesus and His disciples were there with Mary, the mother of Jesus. When the wine ran out, Mary told Jesus the situation. Jesus told the servants to fill the six stone pots with water. So, they did. And, then Jesus told them to draw some out and take it to the headwaiter, which they did. When the headwaiter tasted the water, it had become wine. Jesus did the supernatural but the servants had to do their part—fill up the stone pots with water and draw some out to take to the headwaiter (John 2). …

So, if you’ve been waiting on God to do the supernatural in your life, ask Him what part He wants you to play and then obey.—Michelle Medlock Adams¹

The step of faith

God expects us to do what we can do and trust that if something is God’s will, He will do the part that we can’t do. This has often been referred to as “taking a step of faith.” The Gospels are full of examples of people being called to take a step of faith first before Jesus performed the miraculous part that only He could do.

In one instance, we read that upon entering the synagogue, Jesus encountered a man whose hand was withered. Jesus said to him, “Stretch out your hand,” and as the man put forth the effort, believing that Jesus would heal him, his hand “was completely restored, just as sound as the other” (Matthew 12:9–13).

In another case, Jesus saw a man who had been blind from birth, and after spitting on the ground, He made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. Jesus then told him to go wash his eyes in a certain pool. This man believed Jesus and obeyed Him, and “he went and washed and came back seeing” (John 9:1–7).

When ten lepers begged Jesus to have mercy on them and heal them, He told them to go show themselves to the priests. According to Jewish custom, after a leper had been healed, he was to present himself to the priest to verify his healing. The lepers hadn’t been healed yet, but they believed and obeyed, and “as they went they were cleansed” (Luke 17:12–14).

And in the account of how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, we see that before performing this miracle, Jesus commanded that the stone covering the entrance of the tomb be removed. When the mourners who were gathered at Lazarus’s tomb obeyed Jesus’ request and rolled away the stone, they demonstrated their faith in Jesus to perform the miracle of bringing Lazarus back to life—and He did. Jesus could have supernaturally rolled the stone away, just like He supernaturally raised Lazarus from the dead, but He didn’t. He first required the onlookers to put their faith into action and do what they could do (John 11:1–44).

Likewise in an account of Jesus feeding four thousand people, we read that Jesus was concerned and had compassion on the people, as they had no food. His disciples were worried about how to feed so many people. Jesus asked them to bring what few loaves and fishes they had and to have the crowd sit down. After giving thanks for the food, He had His disciples place the food before the crowd. As they did so, Jesus did the miracle of multiplying the food so that not only did everyone have enough to eat, but they collected seven baskets of leftovers (Mark 8:1–9).

Jesus did many miracles and signs during His time on earth, but those who received these had to take a step of faith to trust in Him. Of course, the most important step of faith is to fully place our trust in Jesus by confessing Him as our Lord and Savior, and committing to following His will and living according to His Word (John 14:15).

As we do our part and commit our lives, our decisions, our actions and relationships to Him, we can have the sure knowledge that He hears us and will act according to His good will. “This is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” (1 John 5:14–15).—Activated

Just do your part

From cover to cover the Bible is filled with stories of people who could not do it all, but did their parts, and it was enough because God took care of the rest. One of the most prominent examples is the feeding of the five thousand, which is recorded in all four of the Gospels. That day, Jesus was in a wilderness area and a great multitude went to see Him. He taught the people all day long, and at evening the disciples told Him that He should send the people away so they could eat. Jesus responded, “We don’t need to send them away. You feed them.”

What a challenge! Philip said, “Lord, even if we had two hundred pennies’ worth (about six months’ wages) of bread, it wouldn’t be enough to buy food for everyone.” The crowd was huge—at least five thousand men, plus women and children. Eventually the disciples found a young boy who had brought a lunch to the gathering, but all he had was five loaves of bread and two fishes. Andrew saw the contents of his lunch and remarked, “What is that among so many?” (John 6:9).

That is often how we feel when we contrast our abilities with the problems we encounter. When we evaluate what we have to offer, we will see that at best, it is ridiculously insignificant compared to the enormity of the needs around us. However, we have to remember: God doesn’t expect us to do it all; He only expects us to do our part.

The boy who gave his lunch did not go home to get more food or find other recruits. He simply gave what little he had and let God handle the matter. The Bible tells us that Jesus blessed what the boy offered, broke it, and then used it to feed the multitude. The power to do the miracle didn’t come from the boy; it came from God.

Even though our part is small, it will not necessarily be easy. … Yet God still expects us to do our part, and if we ask, He will give us the strength and grace to do it. In that sense, He actually helps us with our part too. All we need to offer is willing obedience. And when we do that, He will do the same thing with our lives that He did with the boy’s lunch: He will bless it, break it, and use it to meet the needs of others.—Peter Sletmoe²

Published on Anchor May 2026. Read by John Laurence. Music by John Listen.

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¹ Michelle Medlock Adams, “Do Your Part So God Can Do His,” Guideposts, https://guideposts.org/positive-living/health-and-wellness/life-advice/finding-life-purpose/do-your-part-so-god-can-do-his/

² Peter Sletmoe, “Just Do Your Part,” Apostolicfaith.org, March 31, 2016, https://www.apostolicfaith.org/the-apostolic-faith/just-do-your-part

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Becoming More Christlike

 

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Audio length: 11:38
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God’s desire for all who know Him is for us to become more like Christ. We do this by first growing in our knowledge of Christ. …

Of course, knowledge alone will not produce a Christlike character. The knowledge we gain from God’s Word must impact our hearts and convict us of the need to obey what we have learned. Romans 12:1–2 tells us emphatically that the process of filling our minds with the knowledge of God not only brings us closer to Christlikeness, but obedience to that knowledge aligns us with the perfect will of God. …

The natural consequence of knowing and obeying God is that He becomes greater and greater, while we become less and less as we yield control of our lives to Him. Just as John the Baptist knew that “[Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30), so the Christian grows to reflect more of Christ and less of his own nature. …

It is important to realize that becoming more like Christ starts by receiving Him as Savior from our sins. Then we grow in our knowledge of God by reading the Bible daily, studying it, and being obedient to what it says.—GotQuestions.org¹

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If we seek more Christlikeness in our lives, we need to “raise our sails.” How do we do that? We achieve this in part by doing the things that help to develop Christlike character, and by giving focus to specific attitudes and actions that put our sails into position to catch the wind of the Spirit, which will move us to our destination. Practically speaking, becoming Christlike means altering some aspects of our present character, and such change is difficult. It takes intentionality and discipline. However, being moved by the wind of God is well worth whatever the cost.

It takes serious character-building work to live the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus taught about the kingdom of God, sometimes referred to as the kingdom of heaven. He taught that the kingdom is both future and present. Living within the kingdom in the present means that we allow God to rule and reign in our lives, acknowledging and honoring Him as the one who created us. It means seeking to live in a way that honors and gives glory to Him, by doing our best to live according to His words in Scripture.

In order to become more Christlike, to live more kingdom-centered lives, we need to put in effort to align our lives, decisions, actions, and spirit with God and His Word. Doing so means “putting off” some aspects of ourselves and our character and “putting on” aspects of Christlikeness. It means cultivating the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). As we do our part to raise the sails, we grow in Christlikeness.—Peter Amsterdam

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You become like the people you spend the most time with. If you want to become more like Christ, start by spending time with Him. Talk to Him in prayer. Read His Word. Spend time with others who live like Him. When you do this, you will know Him better and become more like Him, making you more confident in your faith.

As we grow more like Christ, we are conformed into His image. We are transformed in Christ’s image by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). A great way to renew our minds is to meditate on God’s written Word, the Bible (Psalm 1:1–3; Romans 10:17) and submit to His living Word, Jesus (John 1:1). We can ask God to make His Word come alive to us: “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Psalm 119:18). When we spend time in God’s Word and in prayer with Him, we come to know His voice: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27–28).

A sign of becoming more like Christ is growing in spiritual maturity, becoming more solidly grounded in our faith. The Apostle Paul discusses this concept in Ephesians 4:11–16. (See also Ephesians 4:17–24; 2 Peter 3:17–18.) …

We become more like Christ by giving up our own lives for the sake of Him. In the words of John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). … Becoming like Christ requires the pursuit of the knowledge of God and active obedience to His commands and instructions to us (James 1:22). … [It] is a work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we are saved, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts and begins to conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29–30). The process lasts a lifetime and is completed when we are with Jesus in heaven. … Paul wrote in Philippians 1:6: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”—CompellingTruth.org²

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Several times, when I’ve needed a costume to wear to a party, I’ve written the names of fellow party-going friends on name tags and then plastered them over a black shirt. Add a black ski mask, and I become an “Identity Thief.”

It’s a fun costume but not so fun in real life. Each of us wants to be known for who we are—an individual with a unique personality and special abilities. That’s the way God created us to be: one of a kind.

Yet secretly, when I masquerade as the “Identity Thief,” each person represented on my shirt has something I’d like to have. … But I fail miserably when I try to redraw my life to look like other people’s. That’s because I need to be me, the way God designed me to be.

The only person God wants me to imitate is Him. “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children” (Ephesians 5:1).

The Genesis 1 creation record says God made people in His image. But sin has marred us. While we are still made in the image of God, our quest as growing Christians is to transform back into His likeness—Christlikeness—through sanctification and our imitation of God.

Paul, the writer of the book of Ephesians, goes on to list what we should imitate about God: His way of love and truth, His holiness, goodness, and righteousness (Ephesians 5:2–8). …

We may admire qualities someone else has and see them as superior to our own. But our best strategy is to follow the example of the only perfect human being—Jesus Christ. His life teaches us what character traits and behaviors are most important. He shows us how to center our lives around an eternal perspective and how to live out the concepts of love, holiness, purity, and righteousness based on our faith and trust in God.

If Jesus is the best example of all, why would we want to become like anyone else? ...

Lord, I want to be so in love with You that my desire is to become just like You and no one else. Please help me to know You better. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.—Karen Wingate³

Published on Anchor May 2026. Read by John Laurence. Music by John Listen.

https://anchor.tfionline.com/post/becoming-more-christlike/

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¹ “How can I become more like Christ?” GotQuestions.org, https://www.gotquestions.org/more-like-Christ.html

² “How can I become more Christlike (Christ-like)?” CompellingTruth.org, https://www.compellingtruth.org/Christ-like.html

³ Karen Wingate, “Taking on the Identity of Christ,” Proverbs 31, October 18, 2023, https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2023/10/18/taking-on-the-identity-of-christ

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Regozijando-se na Obra do Senhor

 

Palavras de Jesus

“O Senhor é o meu pastor; de nada terei falta.” — Salmo 23:1

“Meus irmãos, considerem motivo de grande alegria o fato de passarem por diversas provações, pois vocês sabem que a prova da sua fé produz perseverança. E a perseverança deve ter ação completa, a fim de que vocês sejam maduros e íntegros, sem lhes faltar coisa alguma”(Tiago 1:2–4). Confie que Eu posso operar em sua vida em toda e qualquer luta ou desafio que você enfrentar.

Traga a Mim, em oração, tudo o que pesa sobre você e alegre-se porque estou sempre ao seu lado e por nunca o deixar enfrentar sozinho as provações e dificuldades. Aproveite bem esses momentos para aprender e crescer. Seja fiel hoje e confie em Mim quanto ao amanhã. Siga em frente, hoje, pelo caminho da Minha vontade para a sua vida.

Eu sou o seu Bom Pastor, e o guiarei pelas veredas certas e restaurarei a sua alma (Salmo 23:1–3). A Minha Palavra o fortalecerá e consolará, pois a explicação das Minhas palavras ilumina e dá discernimento aos inexperientes (Salmo 119:130).

Eu o conduzirei e o guiarei conforme você Me buscar e se aproximar de Mim. Venha a Mim, espere em Mim, confie em Mim. Tenha bom ânimo e saiba que fortalecerei o seu coração (Salmo 27:13–14).

Encontrando força na fraqueza

Meus irmãos, considerem motivo de grande alegria o fato de passarem por diversas provações, pois vocês sabem que a prova da sua fé produz perseverança.” — Tiago 1:2–3

Não se preocupe com as provas e tribulações nem com as tendências sombrias do mundo ao seu redor. Lembre-se de que Eu sou o autor e consumador da sua fé (Hebreus 12:2) e prometi completar a boa obra que comecei em sua vida (Filipenses 1:6). Descanse em Mim e confie que Eu o ungi para cada tarefa que lhe designei. Eu lhe darei a sabedoria, a força e a fé para andar na Minha vontade e nos Meus caminhos.

Continue combatendo o bom combate da fé! Continue olhando para Mim e não vacile nem se aflija quando passar por períodos de prova e de dificuldade. Não se angustie com a situação ao seu redor nem com os desafios, pois todo aquele que está em Mim vence o mundo por meio da fé (1 João 5:4–5). Assim como Eu disse a Pedro: “Mas eu orei por você, para que a sua fé não desfaleça” (Lucas 22:32), assim intercedo por você (Hebreus 7:25).

Eu sei que a situação do mundo está cada vez mais complexa, e você vê muito sofrimento, tragédia e maldade, o que pode ser esmagador. Mas não tente carregar fardos alheios; deixe que Eu os carregue. Lance sobre Mim todo o peso. Fortaleça-se na Minha Palavra e volte-se a Mim em busca de esperança. Confie que farei cumprir tudo o que prometi na Minha Palavra.

Crescendo por meio da experiência

“Mas ele me disse: ‘Minha graça é suficiente para você, pois o meu poder se aperfeiçoa na fraqueza’. Portanto, eu me gloriarei ainda mais alegremente em minhas fraquezas, para que o poder de Cristo repouse em mim.” — 2 Coríntios 12:9

Com a experiência e a idade, você aprendeu a não se apoiar na autoconfiança, mas a Me buscar, a entregar tudo a Mim, a depositar sua confiança em Mim para agir e operar em sua vida de acordo com a Minha vontade e o Meu plano. Ao olhar para trás, você pode ver onde cometeu erros e perceber que muitas coisas aconteceram de forma diferente do que pensava ou esperava quando era jovem. Mas aqui está você hoje, ainda fiel a Mim, ainda Me amando e Me servindo.

Talvez você sinta que não é tão útil para Mim quanto antes e que lhe resta pouca utilidade. Mas vejo o seu coração e o seu amor por Mim e pelos outros. O Meu poder se aperfeiçoa na sua fraqueza. Ao longo dos anos, você percebeu que algumas das habilidades com que contava, como a força e a saúde, estão diminuindo — mas o que vejo é a profundidade do seu amor e da sua fidelidade a Mim.

Você é Meu filho, e Eu o amo. Nunca se esqueça de que estou preparando um lugar para você (João 14:2) e tudo o que você vivencia nesta vida está cooperando para fazê-lo crescer e prepará-lo para o belo futuro que está adiante.

Depositando nossa confiança nEle

O que é nascido de Deus vence o mundo; e esta é a vitória que vence o mundo: a nossa fé. Quem é que vence o mundo? Somente aquele que crê que Jesus é o Filho de Deus.” 1 João 5:4–5

É importante avaliar em que você está depositando a sua fé. A fé não é ficção; é a certeza do que esperamos e a prova das coisas que não vemos (Hebreus 11:1). Se depositar a sua fé em Mim e na Minha Palavra, ela crescerá; você aprenderá a tomar decisões sábias, a buscar a Minha vontade e a dar bons frutos. Eu jamais falharei com você. Mas quando você deposita a sua fé em pessoas — mesmo em pessoas aparentemente sábias e amorosas — ou nas circunstâncias, essas coisas podem falhar.

O ser humano não é perfeito. As pessoas cometerão erros; nem sempre tomarão as decisões certas. Às vezes falharão; às vezes farão o que é errado ou escolherão mal. Mesmo aqueles que você ama e que lhe são próximos o decepcionarão em alguns momentos, assim como você também decepcionará outras pessoas.

Quando você deposita a sua fé em alguém, mais cedo ou mais tarde ficará desapontado, porque ninguém é perfeito, assim como você também não o é. Quando você procura os outros para fortalecer a sua fé ou buscar neles inspiração ou motivação, em algum momento acabará se decepcionando. Mas, se a sua fé estiver firmada em Mim e na verdade da Minha Palavra, ela permanecerá forte, porque está edificada sobre o fundamento certo, o único fundamento verdadeiro. Aconteça o que acontecer ao seu redor, por piores que sejam as decepções, por mais que o mundo à sua volta seja abalado, você permanecerá fiel porque a sua fé está em Mim.

Publicado originalmente em novembro de 1998. Adaptado e republicado em abril de 2026. https://anchor.tfionline.com/pt/post/regozijando-se-na-obra-do-senhor/

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