Cherished: 365 Devotions that Celebrate God's Love for You

By Kim Crabill

We can never receive too many reminders that we are loved! These 365 daily readings will help you take your eyes off the day's demands and focus on the God who loves you more than you can imagine.


 


Begin each day empowered, knowing you are cherished by your Father in heaven. God will show you how active and personal he is in your life. As God brings his courage to you, you will discover the joy of recognizing and responding to daily opportunities to encourage others.


 


Listen to God's voice. Hear his love for you.


 

• Language: English
• Publisher: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Release date: Jun 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781424554898

Kim Crabill

KIM CRABILL is the founder and president of Roses and Rainbows Ministries, Inc., and Community COFFEEs (Conversations of Friends of Faith to Encourage and Equip). Her message and passion come from her personal experience of longing to be used by God yet feeling unusable because of past abuse leading to anorexia, diet pill addiction, and depression. Her mother’s death-bed challenge set Kim on a new path. Kim has traveled nationally for more than twenty years, speaking at retreats, conferences, and to Bible study groups, and has been interviewed on national TV and radio. Kim draws upon personal experiences, biblical principles, and her training in counseling to inspire and challenge women to dare to be all God created them to be. When not following her ministry passion, Kim follows her first passion of being a wife and mom. Kim and her husband, Lee, have been married thirty years and have two adult sons (and two shih tzus). For more information about Kim, Roses and Rainbows Ministries, Inc., the nationwide Community COFFEE gatherings, and Kim’s books and speaking engagements, visit RosesAndRainbows.org  

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BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC

Racine, Wisconsin, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

Cherished: 365 DEVOTIONS THAT CELEBRATE GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU

Copyright © 2017 Kim Crabill

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5488-1 (hardcover)

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5489-8 (e-book)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Some material in this book is adapted from Burdens to Blessings, Burdens to Blessings: Young Adult Edition, Infinitely More, A Cup of Hope, A Cup of Christmas, and A Cup of Freedom.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188, USA. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked MSG are from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scripture marked KJV is taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Scriptures marked CEV are taken from the CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION (CEV): Scripture taken from the CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH VERSION copyright© 1995 by the American Bible Society. Used by permission. Scripture marked PHILLIPS is taken from the New Testament in Modern English by J.B Phillips copyright © 1960, 1972 J. B. Phillips. Administered by The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England. Used by permission. Scripture marked RSV is taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (TPT) are taken from The Passion Translation® of the Holy Bible. Copyright © 2014, 2015 by BroadStreet Publishing. All rights reserved.

Stock or custom editions of BroadStreet Publishing titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, ministry, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [e-mail].

Cover design by Chris Garborg at garborgdesign.com.

Interior design and typesetting by Katherine Lloyd at theDESKonline.com.

Printed in China

17 18 19 20 21 5 4 3 2 1

For all those who need a daily reminder

of what my grandfather told me:

"As much as I love you, there’s One who

loves you so much more, and He is

with you wherever you go."

Contents

Introduction

January

January 1: Calm Inside and Out

January 2: Sharp Words

January 3: The Perfect Plan

January 4: More Ahead

January 5: Making Preparations

January 6: By Name

January 7: Messes Welcome

January 8: Blurred Vision

January 9: Sing Along

January 10: Young on the Inside

January 11: Listen to Yourself

January 12: What to Pray for Yourself

January 13: Why Am I Here?

January 14: Within Reach

January 15: It’s in the Bag

January 16: Running Ragged

January 17: Not Your Job

January 18: Cut out the Cut-Ins

January 19: A Story to Tell

January 20: The Matterhorn’s Message

January 21: Helpless Isn’t Hopeless

January 22: Swap and Shop

January 23: Condemnation-Free Zone

January 24: The Lady in Gray

January 25: The Best Seat in the House

January 26: Spelling Lesson

January 27: Light in the Darkness

January 28: Today Only

January 29: Free to Ask

January 30: Redefining Slow

January 31: All Cleaned Up

February

February 1: Get Soaked

February 2: Like Father, Like Child

February 3: Sticky Jesus

February 4: True Beauty

February 5: The Eyes Have It

February 6: Fight for the Future

February 7: Critic’s Corner

February 8: Our God Speaks

February 9: Seeing Eyes

February 10: Can I Get a Witness?

February 11: What Good Is It?

February 12: Just Talk

February 13: Things Kids Pray

February 14: Lavish Love

February 15: New Math

February 16: What Does God Want?

February 17: It Came to Pass

February 18: Letting Grudges Go

February 19: Wrong Question

February 20: That Inner Glow

February 21: Slaves to Statistics

February 22: Not Just a Needle

February 23: Belly Praise

February 24: OK Is OK

February 25: Triple Promise

February 26: Longing to Belong

February 27: Impossible!

February 28: In Reverse

February 29: To Be Continued

March

March 1: Focusing Forward

March 2: Second Childhood

March 3: Sleep Aid

March 4: Give It a Toss

March 5: Dance Like a Squirrel

March 6: Conversing with God

March 7: Hand in Hand

March 8: What Language Is That?

March 9: Perfect Timing

March 10: The Designer’s Touch

March 11: What Will They Think?

March 12: Power for Patience

March 13: Oh Mercy!

March 14: Never Abandoned

March 15: Stay Wet!

March 16: Fruit Bearing

March 17: Don’t Push Me

March 18: Temporary Status

March 19: Trust and Obey

March 20: Good Choice

March 21: Bankable Truths

March 22: Wounded Healers

March 23: Historically Correct

March 24: To Die For

March 25: Cross Purposes

March 26: Hunger Pains

March 27: An Audience of One

March 28: Pass the Wisdom, Please

March 29: Heart Hurt

March 30: Spring Cleaning

April

April 1: Dressed for God’s Best

April 2: What’s on Your Belt?

April 3: Shameless

April 4: Killer Shoes

April 5: Soak Your Shield

April 6: Sixty Thousand Thoughts

April 7: Keep Swinging

April 8: An Amazing Story

April 9: From Misery to Ministry

April 10: The Three Cs

April 11: Send Me!

April 12: Butterfly Friends

April 13: Who Knows?

April 14: Value Added

April 15: Twists and Turns

April 16: Be a Reaper

April 17: What a Coincidence!

April 18: The Worry Hour

April 19: Better Than Whistling

April 20: What God Will Never Say

April 21: None Like You

April 22: God Can Work with That

April 23: It’s My Right!

April 24: Brain Blips

April 25: Theology Made Simple

April 26: Say Yes!

April 27: Oh, Where Is My Hairbrush?

April 28: Pearls

April 29: Have an Abundant Day

April 30: Do Be Do Be Do

May

May 1: The Power of Determination

May 2: Simple Joys

May 3: Giving Notice

May 4: No Matter What

May 5: Be Nice to My Friend

May 6: Glorious Giggles

May 7: The Time Is Right

May 8: A Pinch of Variety

May 9: Pushing Buttons

May 10: Help Is on the Way

May 11: Soul Cleansing

May 12: Name That Toxin

May 13: Life Is Good

May 14: Feeling Special

May 15: Sustaining Words

May 16: Here and Now

May 17: Slaves to Yes

May 18: The Importance of First Steps

May 19: When the Earth Moves

May 20: None Too Small

May 21: The Power to Care

May 22: More than Money Can Buy

May 23: Alone

May 24: Wisdom Personified

May 25: The Right Fit

May 26: Waiting Rooms

May 27: The Laughing Woman

May 28: Why Be a Wallflower?

May 29: Your Power Plan

May 30: In the Depths

May 31: Need a Miracle?

June

June 1: The Real Lion

June 2: What’s Your Story?

June 3: Slowpokes

June 4: Say No to Negativity

June 5: Check In and Check Up

June 6: Be Available

June 7: What If …

June 8: Green Means Go, Part 1

June 9: Green Means Go, Part 2

June 10: Two Boats and a Helicopter

June 11: Hearing Aids

June 12: What Do You Believe?

June 13: How’s Your Signal?

June 14: Tree Talk

June 15: Two Truths

June 16: Multiple Choice

June 17: HALT

June 18: Never in Vain

June 19: A Fresh Perspective

June 20: Without Words

June 21: Crazy Little Interruptions

June 22: If I Were You

June 23: Do I Dare Hope?

June 24: Roar Back

June 25: Expert Advice

June 26: Sweet Sleep

June 27: Disqualified?

June 28: When the Battles Keep Coming

June 29: Anxiety-Free

June 30: Who Gets the First Word?

July

July 1: Doing the Right Thing

July 2: To the Giver’s Glory

July 3: Relationally Speaking

July 4: Freedom to Choose

July 5: Seven Simple Words

July 6: Of Two Minds

July 7: Country Music and God’s Will

July 8: Enjoy the Walk

July 9: Out of the Cocoon

July 10: I’m the Best!

July 11: Hope Givers

July 12: Called to Encourage

July 13: Slow to Speak

July 14: The Pleasure of Your Company

July 15: No Quitting

July 16: I’m No Bad Girl!

July 17: One Mind, One Voice

July 18: 100 Percent Wax-Free

July 19: Beauty from Ashes

July 20: God, Where Are You?

July 21: Already Queens

July 22: Dream a Little Dream

July 23: Drinking Sand

July 24: Fear Says …

July 25: Running in the Right Direction

July 26: True Life

July 27: The Gift of a Friend

July 28: Pride Buster

July 29: Well Preserved

July 30: More Than a Glance

July 31: Morning Hope

August

August 1: The Hidden Arrow

August 2: One Call Home

August 3: Trust Me

August 4: The Sound of Silence

August 5: Willing Instruments

August 6: View Changer

August 7: Smell Like a Rose

August 8: Walking Lessons

August 9: Don’t Fear the Desert

August 10: Think Small

August 11: Our Prayer Helper

August 12: Rubber Band Reminders

August 13: Purpose from the Pain

August 14: Trash Talk

August 15: Words of Wonder

August 16: Is Anyone There?

August 17: When the Going Gets Tough

August 18: With Friends

August 19: God Came Back

August 20: Hearts and Hands

August 21: A Promising Outcome

August 22: Wisdom from Above

August 23: Confident Joy

August 24: Unwelcome Visitors

August 25: Looking Up

August 26: Taking Stock

August 27: Pray This for Me

August 28: Freedom from Want

August 29: Smile at the Camera

August 30: An Invitation to Decline

August 31: Thumbs Up for Time-Outs

September

September 1: Bully-Proofing

September 2: Dealing with Dirt

September 3: Heavenly Interruptions

September 4: Wearing Blinders

September 5: Pick Me, Pick Me!

September 6: Stable in the Storm

September 7: Fight and Feed

September 8: Mission Possible

September 9: Picture This

September 10: Puzzling Plans

September 11: Am I the Only One?

September 12: Regret and Revelation

September 13: Perfect Math

September 14: Only Christ

September 15: Memories of Encouragement

September 16: Free Failing

September 17: How to Talk to Yourself

September 18: Sink or Swim

September 19: Approach with Confidence

September 20: First Focus

September 21: Never Forsaken

September 22: You Are Here

September 23: The Size of Spectacular

September 24: A World of Wonders

September 25: Wherever, Whenever, Whomever

September 26: Poor Me

September 27: Facing Fear

September 28: Wisdom from a GPS

September 29: Superwoman Syndrome

September 30: Transformed Junk

October

October 1: Freed from Busyness

October 2: A Parent You Can Trust

October 3: Living beyond Your Means

October 4: Say What?

October 5: Small Matters

October 6: In Whose Steps?

October 7: Let It Shine

October 8: Declaration of Hope

October 9: Dew Drops

October 10: Misery Requires Company

October 11: Who Do You Think You Are?

October 12: Giants in the Land

October 13: Truth to Live By

October 14: What’s Your Move?

October 15: Attention, Please!

October 16: Blessed Assurance

October 17: No Flapping Required

October 18: Dream Bigger

October 19: Is Your God Able?

October 20: Safe and Secure

October 21: The Lens of Faith

October 22: A Taste of Freedom

October 23: Dirt Busters

October 24: Invisible Lights

October 25: When Weak Is Strong

October 26: Controlled Chaos

October 27: Three Reasons It’s a Good Day

October 28: The Truth of the Matter

October 29: Sprinkle Your World

October 30: Courage in the Storm

October 31: Doing the Integrity Walk

November

November 1: Popularity or Progress?

November 2: Need a Jumpstart?

November 3: Qualified by God

November 4: The Power of Humility

November 5: Hold That Growl!

November 6: Open Invitation

November 7: Wardrobe Woes

November 8: Performance Anxiety

November 9: Where’s the Wisdom

November 10: Spread the Hope

November 11: The Book of Treasures

November 12: Take Heart!

November 13: On the Lookout

November 14: A Worthy Truth

November 15: Lost: One Mind

November 16: Against All Hope

November 17: What I Love about Conversations

November 18: Hurry Up and Stop

November 19: The Past Is Past

November 20: What a Masterpiece!

November 21: That’s What Friends Are For

November 22: A Thanksgiving Tradition

November 23: Stuck in the Right Place

November 24: The Power of Thankfulness

November 25: Living Wisdom

November 26: What Next, God?

November 27: Still Higher

November 28: Expect the Unexpected

November 29: The Gift of Attention

November 30: Broken Prizes

December

December 1: Anticipating Christmas

December 2: Purposed Heart

December 3: A Child’s Faith

December 4: Baggage Check

December 5: Who Do You Say I Am?

December 6: Peer Pressured

December 7: Dot to Dot

December 8: Please Pass the Comfort

December 9: Christmas Contentment

December 10: Great Expectations

December 11: Take the Burn out of Burnout

December 12: The Only Opinion That Matters

December 13: Monkey Business

December 14: Standing Trial

December 15: Capture and Replace

December 16: Whose Priority?

December 17: Sticky Friends

December 18: Putting on Approval

December 19: Do You Hear What I Hear?

December 20: Unbelievable

December 21: A Christmas Legacy

December 22: Even If …

December 23: Tattered but Treasured

December 24: You’re an Original

December 25: Do You See the Light?

December 26: Remember Rest?

December 27: A Time to Rebuild

December 28: Gratitude Noted

December 29: A Year of No Regrets

December 30: Growing Wings

December 31: Memory Keeping

About the Author

Introduction

The best part of my day is in the early morning when it’s just God and me, talking and listening to each other. And often, the next best part of my day (apart from enjoying my husband and sons) is when I get to share with another woman (or two … or two hundred) about what I discovered from God that morning.

That love of connecting with like-hearted women led to these devotionals. Many of them started out as simple e-mails I would shoot out each morning to a few friends. The few multiplied, and now I hope we can multiply the connections even further with this bound compilation.

I want these daily readings to help you take your eyes off the day’s demands for a few minutes and focus on the God who loves you more than you can imagine. I want them to open your eyes to how active and personal God is in your life. And I want them to show you the joy of recognizing and responding to daily opportunities to encourage others as God grants you the courage.

You will find an action prompt at the end of each devotional, but most of the time I do not suggest what to write. In another place (a diary, notebook, or electronic file) you may want to journal a prayer of response, an idea you want to pursue further, or the name of a friend you want to call. There’s no limit to what you and God might come up with!

Blessings,

Kim Crabill

January

JANUARY 1

Calm Inside and Out

I keep my eyes always on the LORD.

With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

—PSALM 16:8

Are you anticipating the new year with excitement? Calm? Worry? Dread?

As I ponder this question, I’m reminded of a particular baseball game. My youngest son, Austin, was five or six and playing first base when the opposing team’s batter hit a pop-up. The ball looked as if it was going to the moon before beginning its descent. With two outs, Austin needed to make the catch to secure the win and the championship. He stood calmly, glove poised, and made the catch!

After the game, I applauded him for his cool confidence in a difficult situation. Wow, Austin, I began, what a great job you did! I would have been scared, but you were so calm out there. Looking up at me, his eyes revealed the struggle he had overcome. I may have been calm on the outside, Mommy, but I was shaking on the inside!

Does life sometimes make you shake on the inside? Just as Austin kept his eyes on that fly ball, you can face the new year with determination by keeping your eyes on God’s great promises and unchanging love.

JANUARY 2

Sharp Words

The word of God is alive and powerful.

It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting

between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow.

It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

—HEBREWS 4:12 NLT

Have you ever wondered why people act as outrageously as they do? One reason is the absence of God’s Word in their lives.

The Bible is not a dead old book. It is active! When we read it and do what it says, God’s Word transforms us from the inside out. It tempers us, calms us, and aligns our will to God’s. It introduces us to Jesus Christ who saves us from our selves and transforms us into the people God created us to be. So when we see people behaving in a way that shocks and offends us, let’s pray someone will lead them to the Word. Because if not for the Word, then we might be acting the same way.

If you haven’t already done so, find a Bible, an app, or a written plan that allows you to read through God’s Word this coming year.

JANUARY 3

The Perfect Plan

For we are God’s handiwork,

created in Christ Jesus, to do good works,

which God prepared in advance for us to do.

—EPHESIANS 2:10

My foundation was shattered at age four as I was snatched from the only home I had ever known. I wasn’t who I thought I was. I wasn’t where I thought I belonged. I began to lose myself in a tumult of unanswered questions. Looking back, I realize the moment you lose who you are, you start to become the person everyone else perceives you should be. The moment you lose what you thought you were supposed to do you begin to do what everyone else expects that you should do.

No one told me, God has a plan for your life, or, God knows you through and through and thinks you’re a masterpiece. But praise God, in His perfect timing I learned the truth of both of those powerful statements. And there I found the me I had lost.

Are you hyperfocused on becoming who others expect you to be? Have you lost your sense of purpose because you’ve let others load their purposes on you? It’s never too late to find yourself again. Begin each day by asking God, What is your plan for me today? In that plan, you will find the woman God created you to be.

JANUARY 4

More Ahead

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are

your ways my ways. … As the heavens are higher than

the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my

thoughts than your thoughts."

—ISAIAH 55:8–9

God has gone to great lengths to make Himself known to us. His creation speaks to us about who He is. (For starters, He has a sense of humor: consider the platypus.) His Son lived among us on this earth to show us what God is like. Prophets and preachers and former fishermen wrote the words that God’s Spirit gave them, and those words—the Bible—speak in great detail to God’s nature and purposes.

And yet, we have barely scratched the surface. Every new day holds the possibility of a new insight into our heavenly Father. This is the delightful tension we live with as God’s children: that He reveals Himself to us, and yet He is too big and mysterious and awesome for us to ever fully grasp.

Today, thank God for something you’ve already discovered about Him. And thank Him, too, that there’s still much to learn.

JANUARY 5

Making Preparations

Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.

—1 SAMUEL 3:9

If spending time with the Lord daily is a new practice for you, these ideas may help.

Prepare your schedule. Commit to a quiet period each day to read and reflect. It can be five minutes or fifty minutes. You need to schedule this time because you will never find the time.

Prepare your space. Commit to a specific space—anywhere quiet and private. Keep your Bible, a pen, and a personal journal (if you use one) in that space.

Prepare your curiosity. Asking questions can help you personalize the Scriptures and learn more deeply. What does this passage say? What issues does this passage address? What does this passage teach me about God? What does this passage teach me about me? What does God want me to learn, change, or do because of the truth in this passage?

Prepare your will. Commit to do whatever you sense God is asking you to do.

Prepare your heart. Some people read a favorite psalm, some pray, some may read a devotional. Listening to a praise song or hymn can also help you move into a worshipful mode.

How do you quiet your racing mind for Bible study? How do you stick with it even when it seems as if God is silent?

JANUARY 6

By Name

He calls his own sheep by name.

—JOHN 10:3

What is your mailman’s name? What’s the name of the young man who delivered your firewood? What is the name of the saleswoman who helped you find that elusive birthday gift for your teenage son?

There’s something very personal and powerful in hearing someone call you by your name. Jesus calls you by name. The moment you met Him, He wrote your name in His book of life. And He thinks of you every moment in a deeply personal way, by name.

We are never more like Jesus than when we are valuing people as highly as He does. Today surprise some folks by using their name. Notice how they respond. What does it do to their countenance? Something miraculous happens when we notice people the way Jesus does.

Dear Lord, you are my Shepherd and I am your sheep. Thank you for calling me my name. When I stray, you gently nudge me back onto the right path. Teach me to follow you and walk in your ways, today and always.