Day 40... What have you experienced?

Over the past 40 days I have felt a renewing within me. As I would read a chapter I would find myself marking scripture references and jumping to them in my Bible.

God wants a relationship with us and thEse forty days have definitely strengthened my relationship with Him!

Heavenly Father, thank you for your Son. Thank you for loving me. Give me the strength and guidance to fulfill my purpose. Amen.

Day 39 Balancing Your Life

Our life if a pentathlon of five purposes. The pentathlete's goal is to succeed in all five areas, not just one or two. Small groups can help us live a balanced Purpose Driven Life and make us accountable to others that we are working on all five purposes simultaneously:

1) You Were Planned for God's Pleasure - Worship
2) You Were Formed for God's Family - Fellowship
3) You Were Created to Become Like Christ - Discipleship
4) You Were Shaped for Serving God - Ministry
5) You Were Made for a Mission - Evangelism

Have a good race!

Day 38 Becoming a World-Class Christian

World-class Christians know they were saved to serve and made for a mission. We have to move beyond our self-centered way of thinking. Prayer is the most important tool as people may refuse our love or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers. We should pray for opportunities to witness, for courage to speak up, for those who will believe, for the rapid spread of the message and for more workers. So much of what we waste our energy on will not matter even a year from now, much less eternity. The Great Commission is OUR commission, and doing our part is the secret to living a life of significance.

Day 37 Sharing Your Life Message

God wants to say something to the world through me.

This week I want to take some time to reflect on:
1)My Testimony - the story of how I began a relationship with Jesus, as a witness this is simply a report of what happened
2)My Life Lessons - the most important lessons God has taught me. "God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course." Psalm 119:33 There isn't enough time to learn everything in life by trial and error. We must learn from the life lessons of one another.
3) My Godly Passions - the issues God shaped me to care about most. You cannot keep yourself from talking about what you care about most.
4)The Good News - the message of salvation. "For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others." 2 Corinthians 5:19 We must learn to love lost people the way God does.

We are members of his family, models of his character, magnifiers of his glory, ministers of grace and messengers of his Good News.

Day 36: Made for a Mission

Mission Possible!

There were three thoughts that struck me most in today's reading...

1. It was not called the Great Suggestion... It's the Great Commission!

2. The moment you become serious about your mission, expect Satan to throw all kinds of diversions at you.

3. If you fail to fulfill your mission you will have wasted the life God gave you. Just hand God a blank sheet of paper with your name signed at the bottom and let Him fill in the details.

I'm in Ireland right now and missing my small group... But I'm not ready to come back yet... Maybe being here for me is part of God's mission for me!

Day 35 God's Power in Your Weakness

God is never limited by our limitations - Praise God!

I love Warren's statement that contentment is an expression of faith in the goodness of God. Our weaknesses cause us to depend on God, they keep us humble and they show how much we need each other. The more you let down your guard, take off your mask, and share your struggles, the more God will be able to use you in serving others.

God is good - ALL THE TIME! ALL THE TIME - God is good! Amen.

Day 34 Thinking Like a Servant

"True humility is not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less." What a humbling chapter this was. "When we stop focusing on our own needs, we become aware of the needs around us." We serve the Lord because we love the Lord, we're grateful for his grace, we know serving is the highest use of life, and we know God has promised a reward - period, end of story. If we are serving for ANY OTHER reason, we have lost our servant's heart.

Lord, I pray that you give me a servant's heart - that I serve humbly and with my focus on You and the needs of others. Amen