| I don't know the order of the books in the Old Testament or the New Testament.... My brain doesn't work like that! — Jess Connolly |
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Even If You Don’t Know a Lot About the Bible
by Jess Connolly, from the new devotional Always Enough, Never Too Much co-authored with Hayley Morgan
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Even If You Don't Know a Lot About the Bible
by Jess
Give us today our daily bread. — Matthew 6:11
My short-term memory and my long-term memory could not be more different. I can remember minute details of stuff that happened in the 1980’s. I’m one of those weirdos who has really distinct memories of things I shouldn’t be able to remember. I can describe houses I lived in before I was three years old. I can remember playing with my dog as a toddler, the one who died when I was two. I remember every hurtful thing a boy ever said to me in middle school. I remember what I ate the first time I got the stomach bug.
But my short-term memory? Not so hot. If I’m at a coffee date with a friend I really love, even if I’ve known her for a while, I’ll totally blank on her name. I have to use the map on my phone to get to places I’ve been multiple times. I’ve even started taking notes detailing what I wear to church just to make sure I don’t wear the exact same thing each Sunday and freak everyone out.
I’m not sure if my long-term memory crowded out my short-term memory or what, but retaining knowledge is just a little challenging and different for me. This is made increasingly interesting as someone who loves the Word of God, teaches the Word of God, and writes about Jesus. Memorizing Scripture is out of the question. I’ve used all the techniques and tricks. I don’t know the order of books in the Old Testament or the New Testament, and even though I’ve been reading the Bible for decades now, I have to look in the table of contents to figure out where a certain book is.
I know about God, I know His heart, and I know about His character. And I love the Bible — I love reading it, studying it, and teaching it to people. But I will never be the kind of gal who approaches the Word of God with the intention of stuffing myself full of knowledge so I can be wise or be seen as someone who knows enough. I just can’t — my brain doesn’t work like that.
But where my memory deficiency has held me back, the Spirit of God has comforted and encouraged me.
You don’t have to know the whole Bible to take a bite of it today.
In Matthew 6, Jesus told us to treat partaking in the presence of God like eating our daily bread. You don’t have to know the whole Bible to take a bite of it today. And you don’t have to understand the overwhelming scope of the people of Israel to go to the Word right now and grab a fistful of nourishment for your heart. No one (least of all God) is expecting you to stuff yourself with knowledge, and you’re enough, just as He made you, to seek Him right where you are. Maybe you can remember the Bible better than I can. But whatever you do, don’t let the Enemy convince you that God’s Word isn’t for you.
~ Jess
Excerpted with permission from Always Enough, Never Too Much by Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan, copyright Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan. Published by Zondervan.
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Your Turn
Just open the Book and read it today. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to have a wide-open invitation from Jesus to get to know Him better and more intimately through the Word of God. Take a bite of your Daily Bread today! Come share your thoughts with us on our blog. We want to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily
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We Love This Devotional + It's Perfect for Summer!
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Always Enough, Never Too Much
100 Devotions To Quit Comparing, Stop Hiding, And Start Living Wild And Free
A brand-a unique flip book by Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan
Do you often feel like you are both too much, and never enough? Learn to see yourself the way Jesus does!
Jess and Hayley will encourage you to to banish these lies and insecurities so you can find your identity in Jesus and embrace these truths: You are always enough. You are never too much.
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We’ve all been there. We know that sneaking, small voice in our heads all too well.
You’re too loud. Too quiet. Too young. Too old. Too silly. Too serious. Not important enough. Not pretty enough. The lies and insecurities wear us down, making us wonder who we are and question our role in God’s kingdom.
Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan, bestselling authors of Wild and Free, will help you replace those lies with God’s truth in Always Enough, Never Too Much. This devotional flip-book is designed for you, the woman who feels like she can be both too much and not enough— sometimes on the same day.
Through 100 devotions and scripture, you will find the tools you need to claim the fullness of Jesus in your own life and soak in the encouragement of two women who will never stop cheering you on! When you banish lies and insecurities and find your identity in Jesus, you can embrace these truths: You are always enough. You are never too much.
With a unique flip-book design, these 100 devotions (50 Devotions for When You Feel Like You're Too Much, 50 Devotions for When You Feel Like You're Not Enough) are topical, so you can choose what you need most every time you open the pages.
Look Inside
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Plus: Only 3 days left to get this deal...
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Wild and Free
by Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan
*Sale ends 5/31/18
With fresh biblical insight tracing all the way back to Eve and a treasury of practical application, Jess and Hayley will show you how to walk in the true liberty we already have in Jesus.
List Price: $16.99
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"In terms of self-talk, I typically fall on the "I am not enough" side of the fence. I may feel like I'm not enough in certain situations -- but I'm reminded that Christ is. The book encourages women to be wild and free in terms of following the direction of Christ in their lives, looking to Him for guidance instead of seeking the world's approval. The book provides a lot of much-needed biblical encouragement, even for someone who might not initially describe herself as wild or free."
— Teresa, reader of Wild and Free
For all the fullness of God available to his daughters, we often feel defined by one of these two insecurities. Co-authors and best friends Hayley Morgan and Jess Connolly have felt the same, which led to Wild and Free: an anthem and an invitation in equal parts to find freedom from the cultural captivity that holds us back.
With fresh biblical insight tracing all the way back to Eve and a treasury of practical application, Jess and Hayley reveal how women today can walk in the true liberty we already have in Jesus. Because you don’t have to be everything to everyone. You don’t have to try so hard to button it up and hold it together. And you certainly don’t have to quiet the voice that God gave you when he created you to sing.
Learn more and save 50% off through 5/31...
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