Week 4
Monday
Does anybody out there like presents? You know what I mean…the surprises that
you don’t expect that fulfill your hopes, dreams and leave you breathless!
Everyone loves the thrill of receiving gifts, especially big gifts. Well, God is
a gift giver as well. Have you discovered yours yet?
What gift, you may be saying. Each person who accepts Christ is given a gift,
or gifts, that are used to spread the message of Jesus to other people and to
help Christians learn more about Jesus. Take a look at this passage to see what
I’m talking about:
Romans
12:1-8
Confused? I know that the passage is a little wordy. Here’s a sample list of
what each gift is:
|
Leadership
Administration
Teaching
Knowledge
|
Shepherding
Faith
Evangelism
Apostleship
|
Wisdom
Prophecy
Discernment
Exhortation
|
Service/Helps
Mercy
Giving
Hospitality |
So which one do you have? Take the spiritual gifts test sometime today to
find out. Then, talk to your mentor during your meeting time this week. Ask how
your gift could benefit your church. Discover Your
Spiritual Gifts
Take a few minutes and thank God for gifting you. Thank Him for trusting you
to build His kingdom on earth. Ask God to show you your gift, so you can use it
in service to Christ.
Memorize Luke 9:23 this week. We’ll talk about it
tomorrow
Tuesday
The thought may be going through your mind, “What do I do now?” I’ve given my
life to Jesus. I’m going to heaven. So, what’s next? Do I just sit around
waiting to die? Far from it! In fact, the real journey has just begun. The
disciples discovered that. Take a look at what Jesus told them.
Read Luke 9:23-25.
These verses are a call to give up doing what we want with our lives and to
start following God’s direction. Believe it or not, God has great interest in
what happens in our lives. God wants us to follow His leadership because His way
will give us the greatest joy and the greatest meaning in our life.
What does God’s leadership look like? It is different for each believer. God
will call you to do things that are in line with your gifts and talents. He will
use you out on the edge where failure is close and only He can keep you going.
That is what happens when you follow Jesus.
Take a few minutes and ask God to reveal His direction for your life and for
today. Ask Him to use you wherever and whenever. When God guides you, be ready
to act.
Remember, memorize Luke 9:23 this week.
Wednesday
We talked yesterday about following God’s direction. That is an exciting
prospect, but it leaves an important question. What do we do when God seems
silent? It’s going to happen. You are going to pray and sometimes He will seem
to be strangely distant. When He does not seem to answer, what do we do?
Read 2
Corinthians 5:6-9. Look for an answer.
When God seems silent, we are called to go forward in faith. We are to
continue to do the things that please God. We may become frustrated with God’s
seeming silence, but we do not turn our backs on Him. Look at verse six. We are
“confident” that God is working things out for us. He is answering us, but we
cannot see the answer yet. Why can’t we see the answer?
There are a couple of reasons why the answer may be hard to see. First, the
answer could be NO. God could be denying our request. Second, there could be sin
in our lives that is preventing us from seeing God’s answer. When God seems
silent, it is good to take an inventory of our lives. Are we involved in things
that are hurting our conversation with God? Third, the answer could be coming,
but in God’s time not ours. God is not a vending machine. He acts in His own
time and His own way. He acts for our best interests. Don’t believe me? Read Romans 8:28.
Take a few minutes to pray today. Thank God for having your best interests at
heart. Thank Him for answering prayer. Ask Him to help you to focus on pleasing
Him, even when you don’t get immediate answers.
Remember, we are memorizing Luke 9:23.
Thursday
For the next two days, we are going to look at the same passage of scripture.
Matthew
28:18-20. These are the last directions Jesus gave to the church before He
went to heaven. Read them.
The first question in our mind might be, “What’s a disciple?” Well, the
answer is a disciple is a learner, a follower. It was common for teachers in
ancient Israel to have disciples devoted to their teachings. By asking Christ
into your life, you have identified yourself as a disciple or follower of Jesus.
What should a disciple look like? Well, a disciple studies the teachings of
the teacher. That’s what you do every day when you read one of these studies.
You are reviewing what Jesus told us to do with our lives. Further, a disciple
does what the teacher says to do. You act a little more like your teacher every
day. As you learn more about Jesus, in church, in Bible study, talking with
Christian friends, you are building into your life what Jesus told you to do.
Finally, a disciple wants to see the teachings of the teacher spread to
others. In other words, you begin to share what you are learning with other
people who do not know. The more you know Jesus, and the more He changes your
life, the more you desire to see other people transformed by meeting Jesus.
Take a few minutes and thank God for what you have already learned. Ask God
to teach you daily to be more like Jesus. (Remember Luke 9:23,
it’s not easy to follow Jesus) Ask God to lead you to people who can help you to
be more like Jesus and to bring people into your life who need to know Jesus.
Friday
Go back to Matthew 28:18-20. We need to look at one more
thing.
The word “nations” is an interesting word. Today, we think of nations like
England, Brazil, and Uganda. This passage is not referring to making Jesus known
in governments, but to people groups. People groups are defined by their
culture, language, and traditions. There are multitudes of people groups across
the earth. Sometimes there are several people groups in one nation. We are told
by Jesus to tell them about Him and help them know how to follow Him.
God is calling each of us to do our part in reaching people groups across the
world. Believe it or not, there are millions of people across the world who do
not know about Jesus and His sacrifice. They need to know.
What can you do? First, you can pray. Ask God to make Himself known among the
peoples of the world. Second, you can support world missions. Ask someone at
your church about what your church is doing to reach the world. Third, you can
go. God is calling people to go all over the world for short-term trips and / or
a lifetime of service. Be open. You never know what God might call you to do.
We do know one thing; going to the nations is not an option. It is a command,
the last command of Jesus to His people. In fulfilling this command, we are
faithful disciples of Jesus. Now take up your cross, and walk with Him. Luke 9:23.
(BTW remember there’s a guy out there named Ryan who is praying for you!)
Weekend Four
Saturday: Psalm 150
Sunday: Galatians 5:1-15
Ask your pastor or Spiritual Mentor for ideas and resources that will help
you continue to learn more about Jesus and His teachings. After just a few
weeks, you are just getting started learning about our incredible God and the
plans that He has for your life.