Hearts Can Change: Timeless Truth - Living Free Every Day - November 23

HEARTS CAN CHANGE: TIMELESS TRUTH

Friday, November 23, 2018

Living Free Every Day®
A ministry of LivingFree.org

Today's Scripture
"Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.'" (Matthew 11:28 NLT)

 Thoughts for Today

 Jesus paid the price for our sins, all of them when he suffered and died on the cross. When we place our faith in him as Lord and Savior, no matter what we have or haven't done, our faith in him means his righteousness actually becomes ours.

Having his purity not only restores but also elevates us because we gain a new status in the family of God. Reaching out to Jesus in faith can make us his own dear children. 

Kim shares this: "Thanks to a friend who helped me see God's love, after ten years of wandering in the world's values, I encountered the blessed relief of knowing Jesus had died to forgive me of all sin. God was not committed to punishing me as I deserved, but rather, Jesus had come to make a way for me to have peace with God." Kim began attending church and studying the Bible. She saw again and again in God's Word that our earthly lives begin when God decides to bring us into being. "This knowledge was at times excruciating as I realized that when I chose abortion, I had not just ended a pregnancy but a life. The agony of that knowledge was not something a counselor could talk away, and following the wisdom of the world was cold comfort when my need to grieve was never acknowledged. I needed Christ to take my agony and bind my bleeding heart and make it new. . . . Christ's love would not let me go, even as I hurt myself with self-recrimination and self-rejection. . . . As a Christian with limited knowledge of God's healing grace, I renounced myself instead of my mistake, which only blocked my spiritual growth in faith."

Consider this … 
Kim shares, "I can remember quite clearly standing at the crossroads you may now face with only my faith to carry me forward. I continued to look to Jesus, study his Word, pray for him to change my heart, believe. I learned that Jesus' grace to save me is a gift" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Kim learned her hope of heaven was not in vain and that she really could overcome all the pain. That Jesus had a place for her with him—safe and protected under his wings.

You can come to that place too. As God's love allows you to see yourself as Jesus sees you, you can reach out to him, trusting his powerful love to change you and make you, and your child lost to abortion, his very own.

When we reach out in faith, he cradles our hearts by his powerful ability to carry all our cares. He fulfills his promise to help us rest our weary souls as we turn every problem into prayers, especially prayers of praise for his amazing love.

Prayer
Father, I am beginning to see that all things are possible with you. I had lost hope that things would ever change. I was afraid I would live with the guilt and pain forever. But now I believe that because of Jesus, I don't have to. He paid the price for my sin so I wouldn't have to. And I realize that if he did that, he must love me. Thank you for your love and forgiveness . . . and for healing my heart. In Jesus' name . . .

These thoughts were drawn from …Cradle My Heart: Finding God's LOVE After Abortion by Kim Ketola. In this book, Kim seeks to help those hurt by abortion to grieve with hope. Sharing her story and the stories of ten other women, she reveals that God's love is not a casualty of the abortive process. With an appendix of helpful resources and a study and discussion guide included, Cradle My Heart is a timely and important resource for the hurting woman, the counselor, and the church.

With an understanding and empathetic voice, Kim Ketola exposes the hurt in your heart, reveals the healing in God's heart, and brings the two together to create a whole heart where restoration and celebration are possible. 

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©Living Free 2018. Living Free is a registered trademark. Living Free Every Day® devotionals may be reproduced for personal use. When reproduced to share with others, please acknowledge the source as Living Free, Chattanooga, TN, www.LivingFree.org. Must have written permission to use in any format to be sold. Permission may be requested by sending an e-mail to info@LivingFree.org