Wanna Be
29 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Bible Study, Daily Devotion, Discipline, Joy, Marriage, Patience, Peace, Purpose, rejection, Religion, Spiritual, Uncategorized, Women Tags: Bible, Change, Devotion, fear of the lord, fruit of the spirit, leadership, Life, Marriage, presence of god, Religion, spirituality, Women
Ephesians 5:1 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (NASB)
Did you ever wanna be a ballerina, opera singer, or model? Perhaps you wanted to be an attorney, business owner, or a C.E.O. Then again, it may have been you aspired to be a teacher or wife and mother. As you were growing up you may have “pretended” to be any or all of those, imitating each one with child-like perfection.
As Christians, we are instructed in Ephesians to wanna be like Christ. Certainly we will never attain perfection in that, but the writer gives us some instruction for our imitation. We are to love as Christ loves us, giving sacrificially for one another. That may mean giving financially, or spending time with someone, or sharing our possessions. It may mean offering a place to live, or providing food in time of need. It might require canceling plans in order to do something for someone else. At times, we might be called to simply listen and help bear another burden. Whatever the sacrifice, we can rest assured God receives it as a sweet aroma.
Conversely, if we strive for more success, more visibility, more money without any regard to others. If we ignore, shun, or refuse to show compassion. If we turn a deaf ear to the one that needs to talk, close our eyes to one that is suffering, or bulldoze over someone just to get our way – we can bet God smells that too.
Discussion Questions:
1. Looking back over the past 24 hours, what aroma did you send God’s way?
2. Looking forward, what might you do in the next 24 hours to imitate Christ and bring a sweet aroma of praise toward heaven?
HIS-story
23 May 2012 2 Comments
in Bible Study, Daily Devotion, Discipline, Joy, Patience, Peace, Purpose, Religion, Spiritual, Uncategorized, Women Tags: Bible, Devotion, fear of the lord, fruit of the spirit, Life, Love, presence of god, Religion, spirituality, Women
Read Luke 17:11-19
10 men were considered outcasts of society because of a disease called leprosy. Not allowed to be with their family or friends, they were labeled “unclean”. Unwelcome to anyone outside of the leper colony, to say they lived in misery is rather an understatement.
10 men flag Jesus down, asking him to have mercy on them, which He does. The men are instructed to “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” Scripture goes on to say the men were cleansed of the leprosy “as they went”. All 10 men approached, all 10 were cleansed, only one returned shouting “Praise God!”
Ten men gave Jesus a mess, only one allowed the mess to become a message that would glorify God. 9 men were cleansed, but only the one who responded in praise was totally healed; body, soul, and spirit. There is just something healing about allowing God to take our mess and using the message He gives to bring encouragement to others and glory to God. You should try it.
Discussion Questions:
1. What mess of your life have you allowed to turned into a message for the glory of God?
2. Have you or are you hesitant to share that message with others and why?
Two Shall Become One
14 May 2012 2 Comments
in Bible Study, Daily Devotion, Discipline, Joy, Marriage, Patience, Peace, Purpose, Religion, Spiritual, Uncategorized, Women Tags: and proud woman., Bible, Change, Devotion, fruit of the spirit, Life, Marriage, presence of god, Religion, spirituality, Women
“This is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:23-24 (NASV)
One flesh. Really? Then how is it, the very characteristics that drew me to the one I now share life have a way of repelling me? Why is it that what was so endearing when we were dating, is at times as irritating as the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard? For heaven’s sake, is it really possible to become one flesh when schedules often isolate us from one another?
I think that process began the moment Neil and I said “I do” on truly one of the happiest days of my life. The part we didn’t know at the wedding was that marriage is perhaps God’s greatest conspiracy. It is perhaps His most ingenious endeavor to bring out the roughest, most embarrassing, most vile parts of both man and woman so He can refine us as individuals, making us more precious than ever to each other. I often glance at my wedding ring and reflect on the refining process, not of gold, but refinement in my own life. Refinement brought about by the union of the man that God gave to me as husband and the woman that God wants me to be. It is a conspiracy all right – a divine one that brings to the surface the worst in me so the Holy Spirit can skim the dross from me.
Oh, that I might be a bright and glorious reflection of God, yes as my husband’s wife, but perhaps more importantly in a mysterious union as the Bride of Christ. Welcome divine conspiracy for I passionately desire to be bone of Your bones and flesh of Your flesh – two, yet one.
Ouch – That Hurts!
08 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Bible Study, Daily Devotion, Discipline, Joy, Patience, Peace, Purpose, Religion, Spiritual, Uncategorized, Women Tags: and proud woman., Bible, Change, Devotion, fear of the lord, fruit of the spirit, leadership, Life, Love, presence of god, Religion, spirituality, Women
5 Things God uses to Grow your Faith by Andy Stanley: “Discipline (personal discipline) means doing now what you don’t like so that you can later do what you do like. Discipline is all about delayed gratification. And it has value even if we have a bad attitude about it.”
I feel like a slug after eating almost a dozen homemade cookies yesterday and that doesn’t count the amount of dough I ate before they became cookies. I really hate it when Andy Stanley gets in my business, but alas; it is true that I acted in a most undisciplined way and to prove that point, my bathroom scales glared at me with the results of my actions this morning.
Andy was talking about disciplines like prayer and giving and fasting. Clearly I have completely ignored the latter of those three in the past 24 hours. However, all personal disciplines are in question today: exercise, reading the Bible daily, eating healthy, to name only a few. So being disciplined, even if my attitude stinks, can be very rewarding. Now if I can just find my running shoes…or if I can just say no to that last cookie on the plate…or if I can just clear my calendar for some quiet reflection in God’s Word. The results would be muscle tone and strength…staying within my 2 pound boundary on the scales… and being in God’s presence. Ouch! Andy’s right, self-discipline may hurt for the moment, but it is always worth it in the end.
Discussion Questions:
- When it comes to discipline, in what area of life do you struggle most?
- Growing up, were you encouraged to develop spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, devotions, giving, fasting, confession, regular Bible reading? Which of those disciplines have you carried into adulthood and which have fallen by the wayside?
How Hard Can It Be?
01 May 2012 3 Comments
in Bible Study, Daily Devotion, Joy, Patience, Peace, Purpose, Religion, Spiritual, Uncategorized, Women Tags: and proud woman., Bible, Change, Devotion, fear of the lord, fruit of the spirit, leadership, Life, Love, presence of god, Religion, spirituality, Women
We make life so hard. We think we must have all the answers, when we really have need of only one – God. We busy ourselves as if we are so important, when in truth, we are told to decrease so that God might increase. We strive to have our preferences known and complicate so much by the man-made rules and laws we try to enforce.
When pressed by busy lawmakers and politicians, Jesus stated it all so very clear: Love God and love people. How hard can it be? How hard can it be to provide shelter in your own home to someone in need? How hard can it be to clean out your pantry to feed the hungry in your community? How hard can it be to sort through your closet to supply others with clean, warm clothes? For goodness sakes, how hard can it be to smile at your neighbor? Really, how hard can it be?
Mark 12:29-31 “Jesus replied, ‘The most important commandment is this: Listen, O Israel! The LORD, our God is the one and only LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
Discussion Questions
What is it that causes us to make Love God and love people so difficult?
What is one thing you can do today to love God and love people?
