Day 6: “Our wild and free spirits” is our prompt for today.
“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of
God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave
us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2
Timothy 1:6-7 NIV
Timothy was a gifted, valuable man for the kingdom of God;
but he seems to have had a timid streak in him. For this reason, Paul often
encouraged him to be strong and bold.
“Stir up the gift of God which is in you;" be bold,
get going, go for it. Some have gifts given to them by God, but those gifts are
neglected. They need to be stirred up and put into action.
Stir up has the idea of stirring up a fire
to keep it burning bright and strong; a fire left to itself will always burn
out, but God wants us to keep our gifts burning strong for Him.
“The Greek anazopureo (stir up) means either
‘to kindle afresh’ or ‘to keep in full flame’. There is no suggestion that
Timothy had lost his passion or fire, although undoubtedly, like every
Christian, he needed an incentive to keep the fire burning at full flame.”
Stir up your gifts, strong and bold, fan the flame of faith
sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Day 7: Captivated Heart
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my
disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For
whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for
me will find it. Matthew 16:24-25 NIV
Denying self means to live as an others-centered person.
Jesus was the only person to do this perfectly, but we are to follow in His
steps (and follow Me). This is following Jesus at its simplest: He
carried a cross, He walked down death row; so must those who follow Him.
Human nature wants to indulge self, not deny self.
Death to self is always terrible, and if we expect it to be a pleasant or mild
experience, we will often be disillusioned. Death to self is the radical
command of the Christian life. To take up your cross meant one thing:
you were going to a certain death, and your only hope was in resurrection
power.
Day 8: Unity
Unity is defined by Merriam-Webster as the state of being in
full agreement: harmony (a pleasing combination or arrangement of different
things). A condition of harmony - one accord. Continuity without deviation or
change (as in purpose or action). The quality or state of being made one: unification.
In Psalms 133:1 (ESV) we read - “Behold, how good and
pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!”
Psalm 133 begins with an exhortation to behold – that
is, to take notice. What follows is important and deserves our attention.
It is good because it reflects God’s heart and
purpose of unity among His people (also described in John 17:20-23, Ephesians
1:9-10).
It is pleasant because it makes life together as
God’s people so much more enjoyable than seasons when constant bickering and
conflict dominate.
How good and how pleasant: Not
everything that is good is pleasant, and not everything that is pleasant is
good. Unity among God’s people is such a remarkable blessing because it is both
good and pleasant—and both to a high degree, indicated by the
repetition of how.
Day 9’s gratitude prompt is “peace beyond understanding”
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And
the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
Be anxious for nothing: This is a
command, not an option. Undue care is an intrusion into an arena that belongs
to God alone. It makes us the father of the household instead of being a child.
But in everything by prayer and supplication:
Paul wrote that everything is the proper subject of prayer. There are
not some areas of our lives that are of no concern to God.
Prayer and supplication: These two
aspects of prayer are similar, but distinct. Prayer is a broader word
that can mean all of our communication with God, but supplication
directly asks God to do something.
Many of our prayers go unanswered because we do not ask
God for anything. Here God invites us simply to let your requests be made
known. He wants to know.
Be made known: God already knows our requests
before we pray them; yet He will often wait for our participation
through prayer before granting that which we request.
With thanksgiving: This guards against a whining,
complaining spirit before God when we let our requests be made known. We really
can be anxious for nothing, pray about everything, and be thankful for
anything.
The promise of peace. And the peace of God, which surpasses
all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God: The Bible
describes three great aspects of peace that relate to God.
· Peace from God: Paul continually used this as
an introduction to his letters; it reminds us that our peace comes to us as a
gift from God.
· Peace with God: This describes a relationship
that we enter into with God through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
· The peace of God: This is the peace spoken of
in Philippians 4:7. It is beyond “all mind”; that is, beyond our power of
thinking.
“What is God’s peace? The unruffled serenity of the
infinitely-happy God, the eternal composure of the absolutely well-contented
God.”
Which surpasses all understanding:
It isn’t that it is senseless and therefore impossible to understand, but that
it is beyond our ability to understand and to explain - therefore it must be experienced.
This peace doesn’t just surpass the understanding of the
worldly man; it surpasses all understanding. Even the godly man cannot
comprehend this peace.
Day 10: Worship
“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the
Lord our Maker” Psalms 95:6 NIV
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the
kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23 NIV
“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the
Spirit and in truth.” John 4:24 NIV
“Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful
songs. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give
thanks to him and praise his name.” Psalms 100:2, 4 NIV
Worship deepens our connection with Him and opens doors
in our relationship that can be opened no other way. It is deeply healing
because it takes our eyes off of ourselves. It frees us from self-pity,
self-importance, ingratitude, and the weight of the world.
The perspective that true worship bring to our days and
lives is monumentally refreshing.
Through worship we gain a sense of eternity, the
complete peace and joy in God, worshiping Him in His glorious presence. It is
otherworldly.
What’s your favorite worship song?
Here’s one of mine: Jireh
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