1 Thessalonians 5:14-18
“Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people. Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
At some point you have to pay it forward. Your challenge is not over yet. Teach others what you learned and continue to grow. Never stop praying and growing closer to God!
CHALLENGE:
Today I will tell someone about what I have learned through this challenge. And I will encourage them to take the challenge. I will continue this good habit by picking up a life journal and continuing to grow in my relationship with Christ.
Today’s challenge is to do this again tomorrow but with a friend!!!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Day 30 “Discipline wins GOLD”
Hebrews 12:1-6
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith, Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”
Ask any athlete they will tell you it all comes down to discipline. We are all athletes in this race of life and God’s discipline is what helps us win. Do not run from His discipline because He will make you the best athlete you can be. His discipline is what prepares us for the long race and with His help we can all be victorious.
CHALLENGE:
Today I will examine my life and really ask God to discipline me in the areas that I need help. As I am running this race I want to be the best I can be and God’s discipline will help me do that.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith, Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”
Ask any athlete they will tell you it all comes down to discipline. We are all athletes in this race of life and God’s discipline is what helps us win. Do not run from His discipline because He will make you the best athlete you can be. His discipline is what prepares us for the long race and with His help we can all be victorious.
CHALLENGE:
Today I will examine my life and really ask God to discipline me in the areas that I need help. As I am running this race I want to be the best I can be and God’s discipline will help me do that.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Day 29 “Amazing Grace”
Ephesians 2:1-9
“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
We all know the song but do we know the gift? Grace is something we all have. It can’t be earned or begged for it’s simply a gift. There is no greater gift than that of Grace. And by grace alone we have been saved.
CHALLENGE:
Today I am going to think about this free gift I have been given. I will appreciate it more and tell someone about it today. If it was a free gift for me than it can be a free gift for everyone.
“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
We all know the song but do we know the gift? Grace is something we all have. It can’t be earned or begged for it’s simply a gift. There is no greater gift than that of Grace. And by grace alone we have been saved.
CHALLENGE:
Today I am going to think about this free gift I have been given. I will appreciate it more and tell someone about it today. If it was a free gift for me than it can be a free gift for everyone.
Day 28 “Fruit anyone?”
Galatians 5:16-25
“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”
There will always be two roads for you to choose from. That choice never changes! Here we see what those two roads look like. You have the chance to have things like love, joy, peace, patience…This is the fruit that you want!!!
CHALLENGE:
Today I will examine the road I am on and see what fruit I have in my own life. I will find the area that I am lacking and do all I can to increase that in my life.
“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”
There will always be two roads for you to choose from. That choice never changes! Here we see what those two roads look like. You have the chance to have things like love, joy, peace, patience…This is the fruit that you want!!!
CHALLENGE:
Today I will examine the road I am on and see what fruit I have in my own life. I will find the area that I am lacking and do all I can to increase that in my life.
Day 27 “Love is…”
1 Corinthians 13:1-7
“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophesy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
We all want LOVE but are we willing to be Love? Everyone wants it but few really give it. Its not easy and it takes being intentional but its something that we can all get better at.
CHALLENGE:
Today I am going to practice loving others. Choose a key attribute of love to live out today
“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophesy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
We all want LOVE but are we willing to be Love? Everyone wants it but few really give it. Its not easy and it takes being intentional but its something that we can all get better at.
CHALLENGE:
Today I am going to practice loving others. Choose a key attribute of love to live out today
Day 26 “My Life is what?”
Romans 12:1-8
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”
What is a living sacrifice? Is it a way to live my life? I can live my life as a sacrifice to God. I can be a team player and respect those around me. Understanding that we all play a part on this team. We all have gifts and can use them as a sacrifice for God.
CHALLENGE:
Today I will live my life as a living sacrifice. The gifts and talents I have I will use for God. Also, I will notice the gifts and talents of my friends and encourage them to use them for God.
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”
What is a living sacrifice? Is it a way to live my life? I can live my life as a sacrifice to God. I can be a team player and respect those around me. Understanding that we all play a part on this team. We all have gifts and can use them as a sacrifice for God.
CHALLENGE:
Today I will live my life as a living sacrifice. The gifts and talents I have I will use for God. Also, I will notice the gifts and talents of my friends and encourage them to use them for God.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Day 25 “I’m a sheep”
Matthew 18:10-14
“Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father. “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.”
The one thing we all have in common is that we were all lost. And just like the shepherd searched and found this sheep God does the same for us. Not only that, when He finds us He rejoices because of it. He is Happy when we become “found”
CHALLENGE:
Today I am going to figure out how close I am to the flock. I will purposely do things today to bring me closer to God (i.e. read more, pray longer, talk to others about my story). He is looking and I want to be found!
“Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father. “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.”
The one thing we all have in common is that we were all lost. And just like the shepherd searched and found this sheep God does the same for us. Not only that, when He finds us He rejoices because of it. He is Happy when we become “found”
CHALLENGE:
Today I am going to figure out how close I am to the flock. I will purposely do things today to bring me closer to God (i.e. read more, pray longer, talk to others about my story). He is looking and I want to be found!
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